(BPT) If you love spending time in your yard, the end of summer can mark a period of sadness thinking about the colder temperatures and shorter days you must endure before getting back outside.
One sure cure for the blues is looking forward to something fun. Get a head start on spring and use the time now to complete a project that will enhance your yard. Whether you’ve been wanting a patio, a zen garden or just some new flower beds, fall weekends are an ideal time to make it happen. By spring, they’ll be ready and waiting for your finishing touches!
With the help of rental equipment, you can get these jobs done in a fraction of the time and with much less of an investment than purchasing expensive tools yourself. Here are five weekend projects you can complete this fall and dream about all winter.
* Zen garden: Building a free-standing, minimalist zen garden is a simple but powerfully effective way to add beauty and texture to a lawn or patio. To get a head start in the fall, plan where you’d like to set that rectangle of tranquility in your yard. Once that’s measured and marked off, you can rent a sod cutter to almost effortlessly remove the grass. Before the ground freezes, give that rectangle a stone border, and cover with a tarp. When spring comes, the foundation of your zen space will be ready and waiting for you to add plants, shrubs, gravel, lanterns and maybe a statue or two.
* Pond: This fall, choose a sunny spot in your yard to build your pond, and then rent a tool, like a mini-excavator, to move the dirt and even carve out the terraces. When that job is done, you’ll have plenty of time to get the bulk of the project ready for spring, such as adding your sand layer, the waterproof liner and installing the pump. Finally, arrange the rocks to create a beautiful and natural-looking perimeter that’s waiting for spring and the addition of water and plants.
* Patio and pergola: When you compare a paver-brick patio with a traditional wood deck, the advantages of the patio are very evident. Patios are easy for do-it-yourselfers to complete in a weekend or two, they’re less expensive to build and they’re easier to maintain and repair. You can also add a pergola to create a beautiful space for outdoor dining and entertaining. With the help of a rented post hole digger, you can have the posts in place before the snow flies.
* Flower beds: Flower beds add beauty to your yard, but they can accomplish so much more. Wide beds along property lines can create a privacy buffer between you and the rest of the world and increase the curb appeal of your home. Preparing the bed in the fall means less dirt work in the spring, so you can spend that time getting plants in the ground. The good news is, if you decide you want the bed to be bigger, you can just rent a walk-behind skid steer and get the job done quickly.
* Fire pit: Nothing’s better than sitting around the fire with friends and loved ones. Fire pits are the ideal fall project because you can start enjoying it almost right away. Whether you add to an existing patio or start new, renting a cement mixer and a paver saw for custom-fitted pieces can help you create a functional new feature in just a weekend or two.
Find the rental companies, tools and equipment in your neighborhood that can help you make your vision a reality at RentalHQ.com.
