Budget-Friendly Patio Makeover (With Price Breakdown)

Whew, this patio space needed (& still needs) lots of love. There was so much potential for my back deck and I loved this space the first time I walked out here during a viewing. It’s so peaceful and quiet, which was incredibly important for me after my last year.

For those of you who aren’t aware, I bought this house after leaving my ex-husband in 2023. I’ve shared a bit about this and have saved it to a IG story highlight. He’s someone with a lot of anger issues (amongst other things), and moving into a home where there isn’t someone yelling constantly, slamming things, physical intimidation – it’s hard to describe the feeling when you’re finally away from that dynamic. The peace this space has brought my kids and I, it’s absolutely immeasurable. It’s just so quiet outside and the pretty sunrise that comes over this field every morning.. absolute bliss.

I mean, this was one of the first sunrises after moving in, the prettiest right!

Back to the patio, there is an upper and lower portion to the deck, this lower space DID come with the gazebo (crusty bug laden curtains and all). We immediately ripped those off and my mom and I moved the gazebo to the back part of this deck to create a little separation and define the space a bit.

I feel absolutely beyond lucky with the size of this deck, there is soo much potential right!

Since it was a giant blank slate,

I knew I wanted to make it really cozy and a spot my kids could play around in or read books and simply relax. I didn’t have much of a budget and was also starting at ground zero regarding decor and furniture for this space. I had a few things from my parents and that’s about it. I scoured for sales and affordable price points and I think it turned out pretty great!

What do you think?

The gazebo was here from the previous owners (yay!), so after the curtains that came with it were pulled off and tossed, I knew I wanted some light and airy sheers for this space. It would give a bit of privacy from our lovely neighbours too (I lucked out again with them. I don’t think I’ve had a horrible neighbour experience as an adult yet – knock on wood!)

Since the sheers would be outdoors AND slightly dragging on the deck, I wanted cheap. Something I wouldn’t care about if they ended up a little rough looking. I picked up some really affordable sheers from here that were maybe around $6-$8 per panel. I used a total of 11 panels here. I think I might pick up a couple more though to fill it out a bit on the sides more.

Also note that when you buy airy sheer curtains they end up just that. Super airy. These things are flying all over the place. I’m thinking of maybe adding two table weights per curtain, or bucking up and sewing in some curtain weights into the hem. I really don’t want to do this option though, it feels incredibly tedious for something I wanted to be easy to-do lol.

My favourite score for this space though drumroll

This rug! It’s an 8×10 and I bought it for $50 from HomeSense on clearance. While it’s not exactly the style and colour I was wanting originally, I needed a rug and didn’t want to spend several hundred dollars on something just yet. It’s perfect for now (I’ll eventually get something larger to fill the space better, and in a different colour palette.) The ribbed planters were from HomeSense as well. The large terracotta plants were on sale for $11 from Rona (including the drainage tray). I’ll link everything else I can below for you!

Next up on the list for this space is replacing some of the damaged wood planks and giving the space a fresh coat of stain (any colour ideas?) I hope you have a great Canada Day and 4th of July!

xx Megan