Do you want a stylish and useful outdoor living area, but don’t have the money to splash out? Perhaps your credit card’s hit its limit, you’re saving up for Christmas or putting money away for a summer holiday. Or you’ve just had a new outdoor living area built (by Outside Concepts of course!) and have spent all your budget.
Don’t worry, there is a way to make a great outdoor living area without spending a bomb – you just have to be a little creative.
Outdoor living furniture
Apart from the design and build of your outdoor living area, the number one cost is likely to be furnishings. You can spend a lot of money on outdoor furniture and if you use your outdoor living area regularly it’s worth it, but there are ways of doing it on the cheap.
For starters, you could always look for outdoor furniture in hard rubbish collections. After all, one person’s rubbish is another person’s treasure. Just check your local council’s policy on hard rubbish scavenging as it is illegal in some areas.
Other options include using canvas chairs or simply grabbing your chairs from inside. If you like the idea of recycling, you could also consider using items like milk crates, cinder blocks or bricks, with timber on the top to create bench seats. For some people, using recycled materials creates a bohemian style that’s exactly the look they’re after.
For most people, these options might not be long term, but they’ll do until you can save up money to buy new furniture.
Barbecue
It would hardly be an outdoor living area without a barbecue, but that doesn’t mean you need to spend $1000 plus for a shiny behemoth. A charcoal kettle barbecue can cost as little as $20 and a gas variety around $100. Again, they mightn’t be for keeps, but they’ll certainly cook hundreds of snags and chops until you can afford your dream item.
Miscellaneous
Furniture and a barbecue will take care of the practical items, but if you want an outdoor living area with style you’ll want to do more:
- Pick up some cheap outdoor lights from your local hardware store and string them from the roof of your outdoor living area.
- Purchase a few pots and some plants. You don’t need to spend $30 or more on a single plant – potted colour plants and seedlings are super cheap. Or, better still, grab some cuttings from around your garden or a friend’s.
- Knick-knacks can help to add style and don’t need to cost a fortune. Think items like tealight candle holders, lanterns, statues and wind chimes.
Concept to clean up. Call Outside Concepts for a free quote on 1800 601 674.
