The perfect getaway is right outside your doors!

It is no secret that my wife and I live very busy lives. If your schedule is crazy busy like ours, (and I’m betting it is) it is important to set aside quality time to spend with your spouse. One of our favorite things to do together is sit by the fire pit in our backyard, maybe grill and enjoy our backyard beer garden setup. This is not a post to say this is what you must have in your yard but rather a way to get  you to start thinking about your own backyard oasis.

A blank canvas

Our yard before……….

Baby steps……….

Starting to get there…..

Almost……….

Oasis status:

In order to arrange your backyard the way you want you need a clean canvas. Clearing your backyard of over growth and debris is the best way to get started. When I bought our house the backyard was not very well taken care of and I needed to start from scratch. I fire raked the yard down to dirt and planted grass seed. The stone in the pathway was old and not very aesthetically pleasing so we replaced it with red stone. We pressure washed the patio, deck and walkway and laid down mulch in the flower beds. The deck, patio and shed all needed painted and with that we had the perfect canvas to decorate with.

Give your space purpose

We love to grill so in our backyard the grill is right next to the house for easy serving. Over the summer we usually have a big get together for all our friends and family and what better way to serve everyone than by grilling? We have a simple Q2000 Weber Grill which is awesome because it is portable. We can take it with us if we go tailgating but it is also the perfect size for our small backyard.

Weber 53060001 Q2000 Liquid Propane Grill

We are fortunate to have a farmers market called the Green Dragon close to us. It is only open on Fridays but if you haven’t been you need to go. Amazing food is there and they have all kinds of goods including the iron yard drink holders we got for while we use our yard games.

Our fire pit is essential to us, especially right now when the weather still gets cool at night. If you take good care of it a fire pit can last you forever. I wash it out every season and we set it up on the edge of the patio so that it doesn’t kill grass underneath it.

We bought inexpensive patio furniture so that we would have enough space for people to sit, yet still leave enough room for people to hang out in the yard if they so choose.
Goplus 4-Piece Rattan Patio Furniture Set Garden Lawn Pool Backyard Outdoor Sofa Wicker Conversation Set with Weather Resistant Cushions and Tempered Glass Tabletop (Black)

We are huge fans of yard games and my cousin and his wife gave us our very own customized corn hole set complete with the Goodman initials! We also have a washer toss game we got at Target which is very popular with guests when they come over.

Keep it clean

I am fortunate that my good friend is able to help with home improvement projects like adding water and electric to the backyard. With access to a spigot we are able to wash down our furniture when it needs it, water new grass seed when needed, wash down the patio and water flowers. With the electric we are able to use electric yard tools to maintain the crisp look of our backyard.

I also use a reel mower which is awesome because it cuts the grass more naturally and doesn’t need gas!

Light it up

The final touch I was able to add this season was outdoor lighting thanks to our outdoor electric. I went to Lowe’s and bought 4 big steel posts to hang bird feeds and put them around the perimeter of the patio. It creates that perfect beer garden vibe and also makes the backyard feel like there are separate areas for playing games versus hanging out with company.

Take pride and enjoy

Both my father and my father in law have taught me to take pride in the things I own. It is so easy with a busy lifestyle to let your backyard get out of hand. Do yourself a favor and give your yard the time it needs and it can be your escape from the daily grind and can be your own little slice of paradise.

That’s all from me, if you have pictures of your perfect getaway outside your doors, post a photo in the comments!