How to add a low-cost outdoor entertaining area?

tkc

   

Hi all, we love our backyard and spend a lot of time in it. However, as you can see there isn’t much useful space outside of the back door to sit or put a table. We also have issues here with drainage as the backyard slopes towards the house. I’m looking for the cheapest approach to create more space, I would happily do away with the garden bed you can see. Paving or a deck potentially, however we don’t want to overinvest as we may renovate the house in the future. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @tkc. It's sensational to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about creating an entertaining space.

Paving does seem like the most practical and cost-effective way to extend your outdoor area, especially given the drainage concerns. A simple paved area will provide more usable space without the higher costs or long-term commitment of building a deck, which could become redundant if you renovate later.

Since your yard slopes towards the house and you're dealing with water runoff, paving is a good option because it's less likely to be affected by drainage issues. You can slightly slope the pavers away from the house to direct water runoff, avoiding the need for a more complex drainage solution right now. 

If you're open to removing the garden bed, you could extend the paving into that area, creating a larger space for outdoor furniture or a dining area. You could edge the space with some low-maintenance plants or even incorporate gravel or pebbles to blend in with your existing garden.

By keeping it simple and functional, you’ll create a much more versatile space for now, while still keeping future renovation plans in mind.

Here's a helpful step-by-step guide: How to lay pavers.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell