10 Tips for Making Eco-Friendly Outdoor Home Improvements

We have talked a lot about different eco-friendly home improvements that you can make. Most of our discussions have centered around making indoor renovations eco-friendly. However, it is also a good idea to try coming up with eco-friendly home improvement ideas for the exterior of your home as well.

Summer is a good time to be outside. You can work on your landscaping, entertain guests, or relax in the sun. Your outdoor home is the center of it all. You can also be eco-friendly by using green outdoor decor, repurposing amenities, and using sustainable design ideas. This is good for you and the Earth.

If you are planning any eco-friendly outdoor home improvements, then you need to know how to plan them. Of course, you will also need to decide what types of home improvements you will want to focus on in the first place.

Eco-Friendly Outdoor Home Improvements to Consider and How You Can Plan for them

Just like the inside of your home, the outside exterior also needs planning and prepping before you embark on our project. It is vital to carefully research your options to ensure costs are minimal and you are maximizing the space of your garden. No matter how big or small your garden is, we have the necessary steps to follow when preparing to decorate your outdoor living space. You may want to look into eco-friendly landscaping ideas like these as well.

Research

Before starting any project, it’s important to carry out the necessary research required to create your design. This ensures costs are minimal and no money is wasted, yet you are still maximizing the space of your garden. Doing your research is also important from an environmental standpoint. If you make mistakes due to bad planning, then you will unnecessarily waste energy and materials, which is bad for the environment.

You do not want to get halfway through a project only to discover that more money is required to complete the desired project.

Use Green Materials

You will want to reduce your impact on the environment by using eco-friendly materials. Consider using recycled or reclaimed wood for your exterior deck project. Lumber yards have suppliers for a great selection of reclaimed and recycled timber. Concrete, wrought iron, and railroad ties are becoming popular materials for outdoor projects. These green materials can enhance your garden or DIY outdoor home project.

Size

It’s important to remember that size does not matter when designing your garden. Any outdoor space can be transformed into the perfect extension of your inside home. Adding key pieces and design ideas can create a sort of illusion that your garden is larger than it actually is, such as the direction you lay your decking. Having said this, it is much more important how your garden feels and how you can utilize the space you have rather than how big your outdoor space is. It is more important to make sure your garden is eco-friendly.

Theme

Many homeowners opt to have their outdoor living space as an extension of their inside interior. You wish to have your inside interior flow into the garden. This can also help elongate the feel to this. A current trend at the moment is to continue the grey theme interior and translate this to the outside, such as grey fencing and grey decking. Alternatively, some homeowners opt to keep the natural aesthetics of a garden and have the typical wood-like effect theme. Introducing warm tones, browns, and greens to the garden can help you to relax and feel at one with nature.

Use Energy Efficient Fixtures

Outdoor lighting fixtures are important for both aesthetics and functionality. However, old fixtures can use a lot of energy and increase your energy bill. To save energy, replace old fixtures with energy-efficient or solar-powered ones. LED lights are a good replacement for incandescent bulbs as they burn cooler and give off brighter light. Use these lights to illuminate walkways, entryways, garage, and landscaping around your home. They are better for the planet, since they have efficiency ratings of 40 to 50 percent, while incandescent lamps only have efficiency ratings of 10 to 20 percent.

Pick your decking color

It is important to consider your choice of color when selecting your decking, as this will be in your garden for fifteen years or over. The choice of your decking color can bring the inside of your home to the outside, which will help the flow and feel of this space. Whether you want to add the grey tones outside (which are very trendy right now) and add a more minimalist chic feel to your garden, you may opt to introduce grey composite decking and grey fencing. You can get a wide array of decking colors from a reputable decking supplier. Some homeowners like to keep their gardens more traditional, maintaining the natural aesthetic that comes from wood.

Adding steps

Your garden may have an uneven surface, so you may wish to add a raised decking area. Not only does this maximize the space you have, but this also utilizes your space in the essence you may be able to add storage underneath your raised area. It is important to consider the height you have your raised decking. If your steps are more than three steps high, you may wish to add railings or balustrades to these. This may increase your initial cost of the project.

Add nature to your garden

Add nature to your garden by adding a variety of plants and trees. This not only adds color and character to your garden but will also attract wildlife which can help you to feel at home with nature. Adding a different variety of plants, ranging in a wide variation of heights, can add definition to your garden. This can also help create a secluded feel to your garden if you wish to have more privacy.

Furniture

Once you have planned your decking area and planting spaces, you may wish to consider which pieces of furniture you want to include. Whether this is to add an outdoor dining table or bbq area, these would be perfect for your entertaining area. If you enjoy having friends and family around, you may wish to add an outdoor kitchen area for hosting.

Hire a professional

Once you have planned your garden and considered all design ideas, you may want to choose to hire a professional to complete the job. More complex ideas and designs may be hard to create, even if you consider yourself to be handy. You may end up spending more money having this corrected if you make a mistake.

Outdoor Home Improvements Should Be Eco-Friendly

There are a lot of great ways that you can make home improvements outdoors. You may want to consider the eco-friendly ideas listed above.