Creating Your Own Great Outdoors!

One of the great benefits of living here in Florida is that we get to enjoy great weather (most of the time). And what better way can you think of to take advantage of this fact than by spending time with family and friends in your own back yard? Many of us Floridians love to do just that so here I’m going to list my top 5 best tips for turning your back yard into a veritable oasis. To stir your imagination, I’ll cover the high points in this post and later dive into more specifics in subsequent posts.

Tip #1 – Define Your Area With A Great Fence

There’s probably no surprise that I would lead off with this tip as it’s one of my favorite features for any home to have a suitable fence, especially in the back yard. There are many reasons one might want to have a fence. Possibly the most significant gain, it’s that feeling that somehow the inside of the house has been extended outward to encompass a larger open area.

Of course, there are more practical reasons that anyone living in the Sunshine State will bring up such as keeping animals and pets fenced in and keeping wildlife such as alligators, snakes, bears, coyotes, etc. out.

Tip #2 Consider Your Irrigation Needs Ahead of Time

If you’re going to create an oasis, by definition you’ll need to give some forethought to getting water to trees, plants, grasses, and other living things that require it to flourish. No shortcuts should be taken here as it is much easier to get your water needs sorted sooner rather than later.  You’ll save a lot of time and headache by deciding early on what your irrigation needs are, and planning accordingly.

Tip #3 Set The Mood With Proper Lighting

Think of any outdoor venue you’ve ever experienced at night that was cozy and inviting and chances are it was great lighting doing its magic to set the mood and give atmosphere to the whole environment. This effect can be achieved with downwash/upwash lighting, indirect lighting, even color selectable from the convenience of your smartphone. With a myriad of lighting possibilities in the “LED” age, you’ll have plenty of choices that won’t break your budget and still give the atmosphere you desire.

Tip #4 Power Up Your Oasis With Plentiful Electrical Outlets

This tip might seem counter-intuitive at first glance, but in today’s plugged in world, you’ll want electricity readily available. As with irrigation, you can plan to have outdoor rated outlets strategically located around your back yard to power up all those gadgets that are frustrating to be without just because they need charging.  And how many times have you had to search for an open outlet for that? The added benefit is, you’ll also be prepared if you need to plug in anything that is used to maintain the area.

Tip #5 Get Your Vision Down On Paper

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably thinking “yes, I want this!”. An essential part of the process is getting your imagination down in front of you. Whether you like to draw or use a drawing program, you can brainstorm by using various simple programs for envisioning and honing in on your dream oasis. There are plenty of these programs online, and a simple Google search can find you many to choose from, many without cost. Of course, pencil and paper work well too if that suits your style, but there are advantages of digital methods.

I hope these tips have sparked your imagination. I’ll be going into detail on these tips to create a sort of road map if you decide to take the journey to a back yard oasis for your home.

In any case, thanks for stopping by.

Amanda K.