A yard does not need a landscaper to feel finished, just a few good weekends. These 17 DIY ideas for the outdoors cover seating, lighting, storage and plain old curb appeal. Four are DIY JOY originals with video tutorials: a $40 tiered planter box, a beaded wind chime, a beaded plant hanger and lantern and fairy jar lanterns for summer nights. The rest are favorites from around the web, like a cinder block bench with cushions, a hose stand set in concrete, cedar cube solar lights, a rustic picket garden shed, painted patio tiles, a fold down fence table and a round fire pit patio. Some take an afternoon, a few take a full weekend, and most use materials from the home store or the scrap pile. Pick one corner of the yard and start there.
DIY Outdoors Ideas
1. $40 Tiered DIY Planter Box
Five 2×6 boards, a saw, a drill and some screws build a two tier planter box with dividers for under $40. It looks high end, but the design is simple enough that a beginner can get it right, and it went together in about an hour with a young helper. The upper tier and lower tier make it easy to separate sun lovers from shade plants, or herbs from flowers. The raised height keeps everything within reach for watering, weeding and picking.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
2. DIY Cinder Block Bench
A long cinder block bench with arm rests and a built in side table fills a whole wall of patio, and the blocks can be rearranged any time. This build used 75 blocks, found secondhand for about $1 each. Lay out the base, add a second layer for height and arms, then cut a sheet of plywood into three tops, roughly 30.5 by 41 inches each. Foam, batting and outdoor fabric stapled over the plywood turn them into cushions. Polka dots work as well as stripes.
Get the full tutorial at C.R.A.F.T.
3. DIY Hose Stand for Outdoors
A painted 4×4 post with a hose hanger gets the garden hose out of the flower bed for good. Paint a standard 6 foot post white, dig a hole and set it in concrete, about 1.5 feet down with 4.5 feet left above ground. Cut it shorter if there is less hose to hang. Once the concrete sets, add a post cap painted black for contrast and screw on the hose hanger. It looks like a farmhouse address post and keeps the hose untangled and off the ground.
Get the full tutorial at Hello Farmhouse.
4. Sideyard Makeover
A weedy side yard gets real curb appeal in about two afternoons. Pull the weeds first, since forgotten hostas may be hiding underneath. Lay weed control fabric over the bed, cut holes for the plants and cover it all with mulch. Stone edgers set one by one, each checked for level, give the bed a crisp border, with the fabric tucked under each one as a barrier. Extending the bed around the front of the house and adding impatiens ties it together.
Get the full tutorial at Love of Family & Home.
5. DIY Beaded Wind Chime Tutorial
A twig, fishing line and a handful of glass beads become a wind chime that sparkles in the sun and jingles in the breeze. Tie a small bell to the end of a long piece of fishing line, then layer beads and charms up the strand in any pattern. Make six strands in different colors and tie them along the branch, spaced evenly for balance. Tie jute rope to both ends of the twig for hanging. It is a great use for leftover beads.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
6. DIY Cedar Cube Landscape Lights
Cheap solar path lights work fine until the flimsy plastic spike snaps, and cedar cubes fix that for good. Cut cedar 4x4s into 4 inch cubes and drill a hole in the top of each to fit the base of the light, 11/16 inch here, with a Forstner bit set to the right depth. Stain the blocks a dark walnut so they look finished in the garden. Glue groups of four together for taller pillars. The tutorial also covers clearing hazy, yellowed solar panels.
Get the full tutorial at The Navage Patch.
7. Easy DIY Beaded Plant Hanger and Lantern
One beaded hanger does two jobs: it cradles a small potted plant or a jar with a candle, indoors or out. Cut four 5 foot lengths of fishing line, fold them through a small wooden ring and tape it down. Add one large bead, split the strands into four pairs and string eight small beads plus a large one, repeating until each strand is 16 inches. Separate the threads, add ten beads each, then group them to form the cradle and knot the bottom.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
8. Old Tire Rims Make For The Best DIY Fire Pits
Old tire rims stack into a sturdy little fire pit, and junkyards will often part with them for a small fee. The build needs no other supplies, only a couple of tools. Rims from a standard car make a compact pit that fits a small patio, while truck or tractor rims give a bigger fire. Set a grate across the top and it doubles as an open air grill on cookout nights. It is a clever second life for heavy metal headed to scrap.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
9. DIY Fence Picket Garden Shed
A rustic lean to shed built from cedar fence pickets costs about $300, against roughly $1000 for a store bought one. Pickets come in 6 and 8 foot lengths, so the design sets the walls to those heights to avoid most cutting. Frame the walls with 2x4s, braced at 3 feet, and nail pickets across the top, middle and bottom. The slanted roof uses 8 foot 2x4s at a 15 degree angle with clear corrugated panels, and a marked down screen door finishes the front.
Get the full tutorial at The Garden Frog.
10. Contemporary Garden Water Feature Less than $30
A modern solar water feature can come together for less than $30 with a storage tote, a pump, pavers and rocks. Pick a sunny spot, because solar pumps stop whenever a cloud passes. Trace the container on the ground and dig until it sits level with the soil. Set large rocks in the bottom to anchor the pump, then lay flat concrete pavers around the rim to hide the edge and the cord. Fill gaps with flat stones and sink a potted water grass.
Get the full tutorial at The Garden Glove.
11. Outdoor Pillows
Double layer placemats turn into outdoor pillows for about four dollars each. Look for placemats sewn together around most of the border with one short section open, or open a small gap with a seam ripper. Stuff with polyester fiberfill, one bag fills about two pillows, then stitch the hole closed. Cheap hemmed napkins folded and stuffed make small lumbar pillows, and a few coats of waterproofing fabric protector help them handle a porch or patio bench.
Get the full tutorial at Wildfire Interiors.
12. Painted Patio Tiles
A plain stone patio gets a playful 1960s look when random tiles are painted in bright colors. Choose a few shades and have them mixed in latex porch and floor paint. Prime the chosen tiles first, then brush on three coats of color, letting each dry fully. A clear concrete protective sealer goes on last. Plan a full day, mostly for drying between coats. In a cold winter climate the paint may need a spring touch up, but repainting is also an easy way to change the colors.
Get the full tutorial at A Beautiful Mess.
13. DIY Round Firepit Area
An overgrown corner becomes a round stone fire pit patio over a busy week of weekend work. Cut a circle in the lawn and remove the grass, then lay landscape cloth and cover it with limestone screening. An edging stone keeps the circle contained. Pack the screening down with a tamper, then set the stones, which are not interlocking, so each one levels easily. Fill the gaps with pea stone and pack it down, then plant boxwood and euonymus around the edge.
Get the full tutorial at Recaptured Charm.
14. Easy DIY Fairy Jar Lanterns
An empty pickle jar becomes a glowing fairy lantern with white paint, a paper silhouette and a tea light. Print a fairy, mushroom or tree silhouette and cut it out. Paint the inside of the jar with white acrylic or primer, thick enough to diffuse light but thin enough to glow. Add fake moss to the bottom, glue the silhouette inside facing out and add a few leaves. Drop in a tea light or fairy lights, then tie twine with a bow around the neck. Hang several in the garden.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
15. Cute Toadstools For The Backyard
Old wooden salad bowls, even cracked ones, become cheerful red toadstools for a garden or play yard. Clean the outside of each bowl, set it upside down on newspaper outdoors and spray paint it red. Cut white duct tape into little circles and stick them all over for the spots. Drill a hole in the underside, then screw the cap onto a short log for the stem. Bigger bowls can even become stools, and thrift stores are a good source for smaller ones.
Get the full tutorial at Twig and Toadstool.
16. DIY Fence Table
A fold down table hinged to a backyard fence costs just under $30 and tucks away flat when not in use. The fence needs horizontal 2×4 supports to attach to. Cut four pine dog ear pickets to 48 inches and lay them side by side, using screws as spacers. Trim the leftover picket pieces into cross supports and screw them across, two screws per board. Add scrap blocks at the corners to hold the detachable legs, made from an 8 foot 2×2, then hang it with two heavy duty tee hinges.
Get the full tutorial at Sensibly Sara.
17. Redwood Flower Frames
Bright painted frames hung on a plain backyard fence turn potted flowers into framed works of art. The frames are built from redwood planks and painted with leftover spray paint and mistinted paint that cost $5 a gallon. Each frame surrounds a potted plant, so the flowers inside can change with the seasons. It is a quick way to get instant color while slower crops like lavender and tomatoes are still growing, and it looks cheerful from indoors too.
Get the full tutorial at Casa de Berry.
