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
 

[Jason]

Hi @tkc,

Just wanted to add to Mitch's reply that the collection of 20 paving ideas for outdoor entertainment areas by Bunnings Workshop members should give you some great inspiration. 

Let us know how we can help further. 

Jason