Small Backyard Patio, Small Budget: My Summer Patio Glow Up

In my last blog post, I shared this image, which stoked lots of questions, mainly about where I got my sweet little pool, but also from folks wanting to take a peek at my patio.

refashionista sitting on small backyard patio pool — Oh hai.

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Since Mr. Refashionista and I are staying home a lot more than usual, I really wanted to make our small backyard patio something special…A happy oasis where we could cool off, play board games, and relax with a cocktail or two at the end of the day.

My paradise needed to be super low-budget, since, like many others, I was laid off a couple of months ago (which doesn’t make one feel super-spendy).

Welcome to my super budget small patio!

Small budget backyard patio panoramic view — Behold!

It may not look like much, but this is the product of lots of scrounging, DIYing, and planting!

Here’s how I made my budget patio makeover happen.

The Pool

Everybody wants to know about the pool! Well, I have good news and bad news. Here’s the link to purchase one. However, you can see it’s currently unavailable. It looks like lots of other people are buying pools right now, so they’re in short supply (I’m seeing a lot of price-gouging as well). If you find one, please share the link in the comments section, so I can share it too!

intex small rectangular frame pool — Not very pretty, is it?

I purchased this pool a year ago for $83. Before that, I bought an inflatable pool every year, but I wanted something sturdier that could be re-used, hence the frame pool upgrade. It’s easy to break down at the end of summer and stash it in the garage until it’s ready to be used again.

The inside has been bleached from the sun and chlorine (more on that in just a bit), but other than that, it was perfectly fine.

Except…I couldn’t get over how ugly a big blue monolith of a pool looked on my patio. :/

I found some reed fencing and twine at Home Depot for around $20.

Since I was only covering the front of my pool, this was enough. I went with the cheapest fencing I could find, but a thicker weave would have offered better coverage. I ended up having to double up my fencing to keep the blue from peeking through. You can find nicer reed fencing here.

The nice thing about this fencing is that you can easily cut it with kitchen shears to get the right height.

cutting reed fencing with kitchen shears — Snip!

After it’s cut, just tie it to the pool frame with twine, and you’re done!

It looks much better now, doesn’t it?

pool covered in reed fencing — No more big blue blob!

You don’t need a pump to keep your patio pool clean and sanitary.

To keep it chlorinated, just pop in one of these chlorine floaters with chlorine tablets.

You’ll also want to have to these on hand.

pool net and vacuum — The real stars of the show!

A pool net is a given, as you’ll need to scoop out leaves and bugs every day.

But the Aqua Broom is truly awesome. It’s a battery-powered pool vacuum and it works like a charm. Think of it as a dust buster for the bottom of your pool. Yes, D batteries are expensive, but this vacuum doesn’t go through them quickly (I still haven’t changed them out from last year).

If you keep your pool clean, you won’t have to dump it out and refill it all summer!

My Budget Patio Furniture & Decor

You might remember how I refinished an old patio set my friends tossed to the curb. They ended up giving me the chairs later, which recieved the same treatment as the table.

In other words, Mr. Refashionista and I scored a completely free patio table set!

refinished patio set — Refinished and getting lots of use now!

The settee you see in the background was given to me when I first moved in to my house by friends who were replacing their poolside furniture. The cushions were scored at Aldi for $15 apiece (the best price I’ve found for cushions like these).

I bought the umbrella three years ago for $30 in an online clearance sale.

In a recent dress-to-top blog post, I talked about how I scrounged this old bamboo coffee table that had been tossed out by a neighbor.

refashionista in car with table — Everything magically fits in my lil Yaris!

You can see how it’s been given a new life as a poolside bench/swim-up bar (once you set a tray on it)!

The cushions were originally bought about eight years ago, and have been recovered many many times. I sewed these covers for them out of outdoor fabric I purchased on sale at the fabric store for $13.

patio pool side view with repurposed table bench — View from the side!

brian in pool — Note the poolside ice bucket of rosé!

All of our small outdoor tables were purchased from junk stores, or found curbside.

You can see how we’ve repurposed items as planters too.

For example, when the City of Columbia switched from small recycling bins to big curbside ones, I decided the old little one would be a perfect home for some San Marzano tomatoes and radishes. I just grabbed some wood my neighbor tossed out (he was building a new deck, and these were scraps) to hide the blue plastic.

You can also see how I’ve repurposed a couple of old light fixtures (the bowl-looking planter on the right) into planters. The bottom hole where it would screw into the ceiling makes for perfect drainage!

The flamingoes were left over from an old apartment I used to live in. I thought they were fun and kitschy then, but hadn’t put them out in the yard of my house as I didn’t really like them being pink.