Inspiring Creative Landscape Projects For Any Budget

Don’t let your budget keep you from being inspired. We’ve tapped into the creativity of designers and contractors who transform large and small spaces and must stay under budget at the same time. Check out these outdoor living projects that made the most of the money!
Location:
Northwest Atlanta
Price Range: $150K+
Entertaining Space With All the Bells & Whistles
• Pool and raised spa
• Open-air cabana with bathroom
• Outdoor TV, sound system and patio heaters
• Stack-stone walls and steps with built-in lighting
• Custom-built water/fire feature
Boyce Design & Contracting
This total backyard remodel turned a poorly draining lawn terrace with deteriorating walls into a one-of-a-kind outdoor entertainment space. The pool, cabana with a bathroom, spacious patio and terraced planters flow in an elegant, axial design. The homeowners can enjoy the fire table at the pool’s edge, watch TV on the cedar tongue-and-groove screen wall under the cabana, enjoy a meal in filtered sunlight under the pergolas, relax in the spa or take a dip in the spacious swimming pool. [embed:fc:field_portfolio:2356:fc_portfolio_node_embed]
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Location:
Roswell
Price Range: $150K+
Rustic Charm Meets Poolside Glamour
• Large outdoor living room opens to pool
• Fireplace and built-in kitchen
• Outdoor TV and sound system
• Sleek, modern furnishings
Artistic Landscapes
A severely sloped backyard made this project a challenging one. However, steel-reinforced footings and a compacted new dirt floor created space for a pool and an outdoor living room complete with a fireplace, TV and sound system. At night, the peaked roof and rustic log beams are lit by the cozy glow of hidden light fixtures. [embed:fc:field_portfolio:2359:fc_portfolio_node_embed]
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Location:
Metro Atlanta
Price Range: $150K+
New Park Benefits the Whole Neighborhood
• Removal of overgrown, invasive plants
• Trails to meadows and orchards
• Rustic stone fireplace
• Decorative stone and concrete bridges along waterways
Ed Castro Landscape
A nearby homeowner purchased an undeveloped 2.8-acre lot to avoid overcrowding in the neighborhood. The space was overgrown; non-native, invasive plant species were removed, clearing and grading were completed and trails were installed. The land now serves as a park-like green space for the entire neighborhood with an orchard, wandering trails, steps (planted with Sea Pink Thrift to help avoid erosion) and meadows galore.[embed:fc:field_portfolio:2363:fc_portfolio_node_embed]
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Location: North Buckhead
Price Range: Under $50K
New Sideyard
Struts Its Stuff
•New bluestone landing
•Shrubs & flowering perennials in planter beds and pots
•Outdoor lighting
Floralis Garden Design
The owners of this home wanted to overhaul their side yard, including replacing a worn-out walkway and overgrown plant material. A mix of evergreen shrubs and garden perennials softens the hard lines of the new bluestone walkway (like attractive gray-green, fuzzy Lamb’s Ears along the driveway where they won’t spread and become invasive). Elegant white containers planted with ornamental grasses and flowering vines add color and interest throughout the seasons and enhance the updated side-door entry. The renovated outdoor lighting accents the new architectural elements. [embed:fc:field_portfolio:2366:fc_portfolio_node_embed]
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Location:
Intown Atlanta
Price Range: Under $50K
Narrow Sideyard
Meets Its Potential
• Belgard paver patios with natural stone-lined steps
• Outdoor fireplace
• 3-tiered fountain
• Comfy outdoor seating
Unique Environmental
These homeowners wanted to expand their outdoor living options and make the most of their small yard, including a sloped area off a tiny patio. A larger patio and steps comprised of natural stone and Belgard pavers now allow space for two seating areas and a fountain. An outdoor fireplace situated at the back of the patio adds interest and a screen of evergreens provides privacy for this previously unusable area. [embed:fc:field_portfolio:2368:fc_portfolio_node_embed]
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Budget Friendly Weekend Projects
If you’re budget-challenged and have a small space to make over, have a seat. Literally! Adding a bench or seat with a few colorful cushions, plantings or flowerpots is an easy, economical way to brighten up a patio or small garden.
The tiny corner of a garden benefits from the cool purple and hot pink flowers provided by the potted plants (purple Princess Flower and Begonia) in shiny ceramic pots. Teak lounge chairs and muted green chair pads serve as a mellow backdrop for the more tropical-looking plants that are the star of the show.
Price range: Under $750
• Teak chaise lounge chairs
• Accent table
• Ceramic pots with flowering plants
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A comfy teak bench is placed just off the lawn to give this small backyard a sense of purpose. The addition of a colorful New Zealand Flax (foreground) adds pizzazz to the vignette and brings out the reds and purples in the river-rock border.
Price range: Under $1K
• Teak bench
• River-rock border
• Colorful foundation plants
• Compost mulch
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This tile landing and steps do more now than just transition a visitor from inside the house to the adjacent concrete patio. The space went from bland to inviting with the addition of just one teak armchair. The bright red cushion draws the eye to the flower colors of the potted Sun Parasol Mandevilla vine in the background and then to the hot-colored flowers in the nearby flower bed. Try using a narrow wrought-iron trellis in a pot to allow a vine to bloom and brighten a dull corner.
Price range: Under $500
• Teak armchair
• Brightly colored chair pad
• Ceramic pots planted with vines and herbs
• Narrow, wrought-iron trellises[embed:fc:field_portfolio:2372:fc_portfolio_node_embed]
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