Back Patio Ideas on a Budget: Our Back Patio Tour
Furnishing a house is expensive, let alone an outdoor living space or patio! Here are my tried and true back patio ideas on a budget.
Picture this…
You’ve just bought your dream house.
Your previous home had a tiny outdoor living space, if that, and now you have not one but two great patios to decorate.
But, you’ve also got a giant house to furnish. What do you do?
Before I get into the nitty gritty of how I assembled our back patio on a budget, here’s what it used to look like…
It’s even scarier and trashier than I remember!
My first attempt at scrapping our patio together included:
- an incredibly uncomfortable outdoor sofa made out of cinder blocks and 4x4s (thanks for nothing, Pinterest!)
- plastic adirondack chairs
- a hand-me-down Stella Artois patio umbrella
- our old wrought iron dining set (which is looking much better nowadays!)
- our gas grill (that is still awesome and we still use)
- a gas fire pit that literally disintegrated and fell apart
After some patience and piecing together, we’ve got a much more relaxing and functional back patio.
You can assemble a relaxing, functional, and visually appealing patio on a budget!
All you need to do is be mindful of a few of my easy tips:
Shop Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for patio furniture
Patience, endurance, and tenacity are key to scoring the best finds through Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.
Luckily, I stumbled upon this set of patio furniture for quite a reasonable price. On the way home from picking it up, we also won $120 in pull tabs that basically paid for the set. So there’s that 😉
I wasn’t a HUGE fan of the stain color or cushions, but the stain could be adjusted and the cushions could eventually be replaced.
I also didn’t need the umbrella because I had already purchased a large patio umbrella from Wayfair, so I flipped the one that came with the patio set and made a quick $15. Score!
After a few new coats of stain, this is what they look like today. I still have the cushions. Which, after a Google search, I found out came from Aldi. Who knew?!
They’re starting to get sun worn after just a few summers outdoors. I’m not one to store them between use (if you’ve got the patience to deal with this, I applaud you) but we do store them from September to about May.
They aren’t in the elements for THAT long, but since they’re not made from special sun-resistant material I knew they would fade quickly. Why are patio furniture cushions so darn expensive?!
Do your research before buying patio pieces retail
Sometimes, no matter how patient and diligent you are, you won’t find what you need to furnish your patio at thrift stores, on Craigslist, etc.
This is why doing your research and determining what pieces you’ll have to buy retail is super important to staying on budget. Once you know what you’ll have to buy retail, you can be on alert for the lowest prices.
For example:
I love the look of a big whiskey barrel planter. But I don’t like the retail price of a whiskey barrel.
I kept my eye out for a few seasons whenever we were out shopping and took notice of the price of various outdoor planters. I finally discovered these plastic whiskey barrels at Costco for at least $20 cheaper than any I had found before.
A little spray paint can be your best friend
We invested in this 5 piece set of wrought iron dining furniture back at our old house. After multiple winters outside, rust had set in. Luckily, the integrity of the furniture was entirely in tact.
All it took was a little elbow grease and spray paint (this is the kind that I used!), and it’s practically brand new!
I do have to admit, I’m only halfway through restoring the set. So some pieces look better than others, but it seriously works that easy.
My parents recently did the same to their set that they’ve had since I was young, and it blew their mind.
Shade cover is one of the most expensive patio elements
I researched shade sails, pergolas, retractable awnings, etc. and ultimately I ended on purchasing a few patio umbrellas.
This is for a few reasons:
- They’re easy to install
- They’re move-able
- They’re affordable
At the time I was shopping, Hayneedle had the most affordable patio umbrellas for what I was looking for. I also had a Hayneedle promo code 😉
I found ones that are exactly like ours on Amazon if you want to get one for your own patio:
If you’re not as stubborn as I am about color, I have seen lots of patio umbrellas at thrift stores where you can save even more money. Or, you can try Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace 😉
Kiddie Pools are Real Pools
This might sound stupid, entitled, and obvious, but this past summer literally changed my opinion on kiddie pools.
I’ve been spoiled to live just 5 minutes away from my parents who have (had) a nice pool. Mind you, I put lots of sweat equity into helping install that pool when I was a teenager and maintenance keeping it up.
And then they sold it this summer 🙁
To make up for it, we got an inflatable pool so that Brynn would have something to cool off in during the humid summer months. But it turns out, I love it more than her! 😀
I discovered that a cheap $3 floatie fits in it perfectly and if you keep the pool covered with a tarp when not in use, you only have to replace the water every other week (if that). No need for chlorine or other chemicals!
The bottom line is, you can easily waste a ton of money assembling an outdoor living space.
But you don’t have to spend a ton for a functional and relaxing patio! All it takes is a little savvy shopping, patience, and creativity.
Let me know: do you also think that patio furniture is RIDICULOUSLY expensive? Did these tips help give you new ideas to save money? Tell me about it in the comments below!
We’ve been wanting to get some good patio furniture for ages! I love how your space turned out!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
It’s definitely a long game, constant checking on Craigslist and FB marketplace 😉