DIY Backyard Design
- 1). Write down the desired areas for the yard. For example, list a storage shed, seating area with a table, a barbecue, a vegetable plot and a children's play area with swing set.
- 2). Plan the seating for the number of people usually using the backyard. For example, if you have a family of four, you might want to add four additional seats for the weekends. Now write down the table and chair needs for eight people; this could include a table for four with four extra folding chairs if space is limited.
- 3). Draw the permanent features of the yard. This doesn't have to be artwork or done to scale. Just sketch out the location of all permanent fixtures: the propane tank, trees, shrubs, raised flower beds, sidewalks, a patio -- every solid surface, large plant and structure.
- 4). Measure the backyard, both length- and width-wise. Enlist someone's help if possible. Take each measurement twice and note the measurements on your sketch. Measure all the large features that will affect the layout of the yard and note those measurements on the sketch.
- 5). Measure open areas. For example, measure from the trunk of the tree to the sidewalk. Writing out the dimensions of the open space on a bird's-eye-view plan of the yard will help in determining where a swing set or table and chairs will fit best.
- 6). Draw the backyard on grid paper to scale. For example, use 1 inch to 1 foot. The 6 foot by 4 foot flower bed takes up six squares lengthwise on the grid by four squares wide. Draw in all the immovable yard features from the sketch.
- 7). Plan the locations of the activities and areas from your list by considering the current features of the backyard and house. For example, plan the children's play area so that it's visible from the kitchen windows but at a distance from the living room; put the seating area under the largest tree so it's shaded during the heat of summer. Locate the vegetable garden between the shed and the water faucet so that it's convenient for watering and tool storage but out of the way of the children's play area to protect the plants from mishaps.
