Sprucing up your yard without breaking the bank. That’s the dream, right? Believe it or not, there are several projects you can accomplish for under $100 and the possibilities are really endless. Use your imagination, pick an area or two that you really want to focus on and start plugging away.

To help you get started, here are five projects to give your home more curb appeal and get you on the path to having a great looking yard.

Add a Whiskey Barrel Planter: $95 – You can find a decent planter at a home improvement store for as little as $20. For this example, consider a half whiskey-barrel planter for around $40. Potting mix and enough mulch to layer the top of your planter is going to cost around $15, leaving around $40 for flowers or plants, which should be enough to fill a planter.

Tip: If you have any leftover budget, you can print out templates for designs and numbers to add your address or decorate your planter. You can find multipurpose spray paint or buy a few paint samples for under $10.

Plant Flowers Around Your mailbox – Starting at $10 – The mailbox may not be the place you would ordinarily look to landscape, but creating a small garden around your mailbox can give your home more curb appeal, literally. This project is so customizable that you could try almost anything. From planting wildflowers around your mailbox to building a small stone wall and filling it with soil, mulch and perennials.

This is an extremely easy project for even the most novice of gardeners and can have a drastic effect on your landscaping the instant someone sees your front yard. You can buy packets of wildflower seeds for a few dollars. Many perennials start in the range of $15 at local home and garden stores. You can also buy wall blocks for under $3 each.

Find Your Hose a Home: Starting at $40 – A garden hose unraveled throughout your yard could be a tripping hazard, it could also be damaged by a lawn mower, and it’s just not very aesthetically pleasing. Put it in a box, give your garden hose a home and clean up your yard in the process. Consider whether you would want wood, plastic, metal or even consider building your own. You can find options at most retailers starting around $40 to $50.

Build Your Own Fire Pit: $88 – A fire pit is a great addition to your backyard, and it serves as a great gathering space all year long. Purchase 35 wall blocks and layer them on top of each other, overlapping, in groups of 12 (except the bottom, use 11 and leave two equal gaps for air flow). You can find wall blocks for under $2. Add landscape block adhesive on top of the two lower layers. You can pick up a tube and a caulking gun for under $8. For draining rainwater, add a bag or two of crushed rock to the bottom of your fire pit. Enough to cover the bottom, which will cost around $5 to $10.

Tip: Use your leftover money to buy a few more bags of rock or gravel to layer a small space directly around your fire pit. You can add to this later if you want to add full, designated area to sit around your fire pit.

Create stepping stones or pathways: $20 to $25 per pathway – Use stepping stones to create pathways to different areas of interest in your yard. This can be a great addition to the front or back yard. Most stepping stones cost less than $5. Place them through an area as you would walk across it.

Laying 2x4s across soil or through a garden also works as a great pathway. Buy a single 8-foot-long 2×4 for each foot of pathway you want to create. Cut each 2×4 into three equal pieces and lay the boards about an inch apart from each other. You can easily remove the boards to weed the area. Just remember this won’t last forever, as the wood will begin to deteriorate at some point.

Once you’ve taken on some of these simple projects, you’ll be well on the way to having a great yard. The best part is that with a quick online search, you can find an endless amount of ideas for your next project. If you need help with other projects in your yard, such as landscaping, routine lawn care or an irrigation system, give us a call at (850) 329-0621 or request a free quote