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Before & After: A Very Quick $725 Redo Transformed a Literal Mud Pit into a Stylish Outdoor Space

Megan Baker Detloff
Megan Baker DetloffDirector of Home Projects at Apartment Therapy
I cover home upgrades, DIY projects, hacks, how-tos, and plants. I’ve written about home decor and renovations for more than a decade since earning my degree in Magazine Journalism from Northwestern University. Before AT, I was an editor at HGTV Magazine and This Old House Magazine.
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published Mar 11, 2022
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Credit: Laura Giuliani

Spring isn’t that far off, so it’s time to start thinking about backyard hangs. If you have an outdoor space and are looking for ideas for how to spruce it up, take inspiration from Laura Giuliani’s (@lauraandthegs) backyard makeover.

Laura started with a pretty barebones backyard in the rental she moved into with her kids in summer 2020. “There wasn’t much of a yard and this big space was begging us to take care of it,” Laura says. “The walls were drab with chipping and peeling paint. And well, it wasn’t much more than mud and a giant pile of leaves.”

Credit: Laura Giuliani

Laura wanted to make this unloved space feel more welcoming and usable for her family of four. “We dreamed up summer nights sitting by the fire pit, playing music, and making s’mores,” she says.

Credit: Laura Giuliani

Over the course of a weekend, Laura and her three kids all pitched in to make the backyard oasis of their dreams. They started by leveling the ground with a shovel, then power washed the old peeling paint on the walls. The next day, they all chipped in with painting the walls a fresh white, then added gravel to the space to make sure it didn’t turn into a mud pit whenever it rained.

On Sunday, the final day of their project, the family put together their chairs (from Target), added in their new fire pit (also Target), and got a hand hanging some extremely atmospheric bistro lights. “By Sunday afternoon we were roasting marshmallows and enjoying our space!” Laura says.

Credit: Laura Giuliani

All told, the project cost just $725 — an impressive feat, considering the massive transformation. But the best part is that it was a family affair. “I think I am most proud of the fact that my kids pitched in!” Laura says. “They power washed, painted, leveled dirt, lifted bags of gravel, and put together the chairs.” Doing the project together helped it fly by.

Now, the family has a spot to relax together. “We love everything about the after,” Laura says. “But the thing we love most now is that we have a functioning space and not just a dark pile of dirt!”

Inspired? Submit your own project here.

This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: Before and After: A One-Weekend, $725 Redo Turns This Mud Pit into a Stylish Outdoor Hangout