Transforming a Back Yard- A Space for All the Family

As much as I would love to have a large back garden, we only have a concreted back yard at my house. While this was easy to maintain, it wasn’t the ideal space for our family. Fortunately, my other half has both vision and practical skills that show transforming a back yard into a space for all the family is possible.

Our Backyard Before

A few months ago, I wrote about starting a small herb garden in my garden and attempting to grow a few fruit and vegetables, too. I only wish that I had some before photographs to show you of how my back garden looked before. It was all concreted over with a few overgrown shrubs in the borders. There wasn’t a proper area to play for my children and it generally looked unkempt. My amazing partner has completely transformed the space.

Transforming a Back Yard into a Great Family Space

He removed all the overgrown shrubs and created proper borders with raised wooden areas in one corner and around the tree. He then added canes and built boxes in which I could grow herbs. I have parsley, coriander, mint, basil, thyme, rosemary, strawberries, peas, and tomatoes growing at the moment. I have used all of these in my cooking. 

He created a play area for the children by designing and building a climbing frame with a den and monkey bars. Below this, he added astroturf and rubber matting for safety. There is even a ramp from the decking to the play area for them to play on their scooters, bikes, and skateboards. They play on it every single night after school and all day at the weekends. 

So that we could all eat outside together as a family, he created a small decking area with a fence and dining set, This is just outside our conservatory, which we use as a dining room. So, there is a connection between the indoor and outdoor dining spaces.

We have already eaten in this space many times as there has been fantastic weather in the UK in recent months. As a freelance writer who works from home, I have also started using this as what I call my ‘afternoon office’. This means I can take my laptop outside with me to work. 

A Practical Space for Everyone

The garden is a practical space for my partner and my eldest son, too. Nathan, my eldest son, is a bicycle, car, and motorcycle fanatic and loves to tinker with parts while my partner does odd jobs for people and enjoy building things out of wooden pallets. He has made two separate sheds for each of their hobbies and built a small playhouse for my younger boys from the side of one shed.

The photos show the amazing work he has done. They do not do justice to how hard he has worked or the fantastic transformation he has made of such a small space. Thank you Mike x.