Imagine it: you’re lying in your backyard relaxing. You hear the chirping birds from the feeder on the deck and the trickle of the pool waterfall in the back corner.

The sun is hitting your face, and you’ve never felt so at peace.

Your dream outdoor space isn’t as far away as you may think. All it takes is a little bit of dreaming and a lot of home design.

To learn how you can make your dream outdoor design a reality, keep reading.

Dream About the Perfect Outdoor Space

You have to start your house design process with some dreaming. Take a few hours, days, or weeks to browse Pinterest and your favorite home network.

It doesn’t matter how outrageous some of the designs may be. Feel free to dream big and save the craziest design choices.

Give yourself permission to think outside of the box.

Think about what you want:

• A pool
• A waterfall
• A playground
• A garden

Consider the atmosphere that you want for your backyard. Are you entertaining on the porch, relaxing on your lawn, or finding a mix for both?

If you expose yourself to more possibilities, you’ll be able to come up with a clear plan of what you want.

Consider the Space That You Currently Have

Now that you’ve started thinking outside of the box, you should start to consider the confinements of your current home design.

If you have a small backyard, you may need to get picky about the choices that you make. The more space you have, the freer you’ll be in choosing the kinds of things you want for your outdoor space.

You should also look at what’s salvageable and what’s not. For example, you may be able to use a sturdy oak tree for a hammock or tire swing. Alternatively, you’ll need to update some other things such as rotting wood on the porch.

Contact Your Home’s Regulatory Body

If you own a home, it’s likely that there’s some kind of regulatory body over it. Even if you don’t have a homeowners’ association, you may have to consider property owner guidelines from the city.

Find out what your regulatory body is and read through its rules and guides for homeownership.

They may not allow pools or waterfalls or other features that you may want. There may also be noise regulations or rules about porches.

No one likes restrictions. But, you should follow them to prevent any kind of trouble with your city or other association.

Become familiar with the rules and write down any that have to do with the projects that you’re considering.

Plan Potential Outdoor Spaces on Paper

Now that you have an idea of what you want in your backyard and what you can do, it’s time to devise a plan.

Start by drawing a bird’s-eye view of your backyard. Then, slowly add in the different elements that you want to add to your backyard over time.

Think about where your porch is going to go. Consider what the best place for a pool is. Think about what you can do with the flowers that you currently have.

To help organize the space, you may want to mentally divide the areas. You could use different corners for different activities. Or, you may want to physically separate these areas using flowers, sidewalks, or other designators.

You can also divide spaces by choosing different floor materials or elevating some areas over others. These are great ways to divide the space in your outdoor areas without disrupting the flow.

Just make sure that you have a game plan for how you’re going to get around your backyard. If it’s too cluttered, you may have trouble navigating the area.

Divide and Conquer Each Outdoor Area

You may go through 30 different drafts of the outdoor layout before you find the one that you like. In fact, you should edit and adjust multiple times until you find the layout that you like.

The best way to do this is by going section by section.

Start with the section that you know the most about. Fill in all the details that you want for that space in your backyard.

Then, you can start working on other areas of the backyard and filling in those spaces.

Pretty soon, you’ll have your entire backyard done. Well, it’ll be done on paper.

Zoom Out and Connect

Before you start getting the shovels out, you need to zoom out. Think about your outdoor space as a whole.

We’ve spent so much time looking at each part of your yard. But, you should still make sure that your yard still looks cohesive.

You can have different spaces that follow different patterns and colors. But, you don’t want the backyard to be disorganized and cluttered.

So, you should take the time to figure out how you’re going to bring the different areas of your backyard together.

It may be through a cohesive color scheme or paved walkways. No matter the way you decide to do it, notate it in your drawings and get ready to take action.

Develop a Timely Plan of Action

Now that you’ve got a detailed plan for your outdoor space, it’s time to design the house.

Home design may be the most difficult part to think about. This is when you bring together all of the designs you’ve made and turn them into a reality.

It’s easier to plan out the construction with a few teams on your side. Think about the kind of professionals that you need to contract and start getting the work done.

Get to Creating the Outdoor Space of Your Dreams

Whew! After that, we’re sure that there’s a lot going through your head.

What colors are you going to use? How are you going to arrange the furniture on your deck?

Most of all, how much is this all going to cost?

Don’t worry. Our host of custom design services can help you create the outdoor space of your dreams. Whether you want a screened porch or a three-season one, we’ve got you covered.