Eight Backyard Ideas: What to Consider Before You Spend

Jeff Quintin | The Quintin Group at eXp Realty
Original YouTube upload: 2023-08-09. Written version updated November 13, 2026.

This article brings an educational recording into our website's learning library. The video remains in its original form; older market conditions, brokerage branding, offers and program terms in the recording belong to that period.

Watch the original video on YouTube

A backyard can function as additional living and entertaining space. Jeff's original video offers eight ideas, from simple landscaping to larger construction projects. The right choice depends on the home, the lot, how long you plan to stay and the likely buyer.

1. Outdoor seating and living space: define an area that is comfortable and easy to use.
2. Landscaping: improve maintenance, planting and the way spaces connect.
3. Landscape lighting: assess paths, entrances and usable evening space.
4. Water features: consider their appearance alongside upkeep and operating costs.
5. A fireplace or fire pit: check location, permitted installation and practical use.
6. An outdoor kitchen: weigh the entertaining benefit against construction and maintenance costs.
7. A gazebo or pergola: consider shade, proportion and the usable area beneath it.
8. A swimming pool: evaluate lot fit, ownership costs, approvals and the effect on the available yard.

Separate enjoyment from resale value

A project can be worthwhile for your own use without returning its full cost at sale. If the home will be listed soon, start with cleaning, maintenance and presentation before considering a large new installation.

Check the property constraints

Before ordering work, confirm setbacks, permits, drainage, utility locations and any association or property restrictions with the relevant professionals. A photograph of another home's improvement does not establish what can be built on your lot.

Source basis: verified channel/video metadata and the original accompanying article. This written adaptation is not a verbatim transcript. Where current sources are linked, their explanation updates the written article rather than changing the historical video.