Our Budget Patio Makeover

Welcome to our budget patio makeover in our downtown Vancouver apartment!

One of the things that sold us on our Yaletown apartment was the 500 square foot patio – bigger than our first apartment! We moved into our apartment in November and all winter we dreamed of spending sunny summer days on our patio. As spring rained on, we began gathering items for our patio so that by the time summer arrived, we would be ready.

While I’m certainly no interior (or exterior I guess!) designer, I’m so excited to share our budget patio makeover with you! This was a labour of love to source everything we wanted with a limited budget. We’re not doing much travel this summer, so I’m making the most of creating an oasis in our backyard that I want to “travel” to.

I’m already envisioning morning coffee out on the couch, barbecues with friends, planters full of flowers and fruity cocktails served in cute cups. I really want us to make the most of this space for as long as we’ve got it. Bring on the summer of patio living!

The patio dining space

Our budget patio makeover started off pretty easy with some big free items: The previous tenants had left behind a glass-top dining table and four matching chairs. We pulled it to the far end of our patio so we could set up the other side as more of a conversational area with a couch and chairs.

While the umbrella that fits in the table doesn’t quite stay up, we should have lots of shade from the trees. Plus, we could always drag our other stand umbrella (also left by the previous tenants) over if we need more cover.

So far I have scrubbed the table and chairs, but will likely need to do so again before we host people. We also bought some adorable lemon-covered plates from Homesense and a set of blue cups. I’m so excited to set the table with them! I’ve even put together a little recipe book of summer drinks I can’t wait to make.

The barbecue

Last summer (or the one before) we purchased a portable propane barbecue from our local grocery store and set it up on the small balcony at our old apartment. It did the job and we had every intention of setting it up again at our new place. But when we went to open it, we found it had totally rusted and there was mold all over! I think we didn’t clean it out properly before storing it in the outdoor storage bin when we moved in.

So since that barbecue couldn’t be salvaged, we decided to buy a full-size barbecue. This certainly isn’t a high-end barbecue; I think we paid $120 at Walmart for it. But it’s a nice upgrade from our portable one and makes more sense on our bigger patio. We also purchased a propane tank and a cheap barbecue cover.

I can’t wait for Colin to BBQ us up some great dinners this summer!

The garden

Even though we have over 500 square feet of outdoor space, we don’t actually have any grass. The patio is paved and the planters that line it are communal building property. So not only is the building responsible for keeping those plants alive but they even come onto our patio to rake leaves!

Since we don’t have any grass, I’ve decided to try my hand at container gardening. I will start by saying: I am not a gardener. A green thumb I do not have. So I have no lofty aspirations of growing things from seeds or maintaining a vegetable garden. If I can keep a few potted flowers alive, I’ll be thrilled.

All spring, I have been sourcing things for our “garden.” The previous tenants left behind a few large size planters, but most of the plants in them seem to have died. I’ve received some plants and pots from my local Buy Nothing group and I’ve picked up a couple of flowers from the grocery store.

It’s certainly nothing fancy, but the “garden” is coming along. I’d love to get a few more bright and beautiful flowers to fill the rest of the planters I have. Once all the containers I have are full of something in bloom, I’ll place them around the patio and cross my fingers they don’t die!

The patio conversation space

The patio conversation space is where we spent most of our attention…and budget! We really wanted to create something comfortable where we would want to spend time and have people over. But we didn’t want to spend a ton of money. We’re only renting, so we won’t have this patio forever. Plus, Vancouver only has a few months a year of patio weather, so it wouldn’t make sense to spend too much on our budget patio makeover.

The previous tenants left behind an awesome stand umbrella, ice bucket for wine, single patio seat without the cushion and a very colourful outdoor rug. While the outdoor rug isn’t my style, I actually enjoy how bright and cheery the area is.

The first thing we wanted to do was buy a couch that would be comfortable, yet affordable. We found a great option at Canada Tire for about $500. It’s large enough to sit three or four and I’ll have no problem stretching out on it with a book and iced coffee.

Next, we went to Homesense for some smaller furniture items, thanks to a gift card my dad and stepmom got us as a housewarming present. We were able to pick up a colourful chair, two side tables, a cute yellow solar-powered lantern, and the dining stuff I shared above. It was a good haul!

At first, we planned to use the two side tables as our main coffee table in the space. To make them match better, we painted the legs of one black. But we realized it would be better to have one larger coffee table in the middle and keep the little tables as side tables. So when I stumbled upon a wicker and glass-top coffee table on Facebook Marketplace for only $20, we scooped it right up!

Since the previous tenants had left the wicker base of a chair behind, I started the search for new cushions. Turns out, they’re really hard to find! All of the usual suspects (IKEA, Amazon, Walmart, Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Wayfair, etc.) did not offer cushions in the right size. I finally found the right size cushions at The Bay but they were $150! We decided to go for it anyway and luckily they were delivered quickly, fit perfectly and are super comfortable. Plus, our $150 cushion order made us eligible for a discounted outdoor blanket that I really wanted.

For the finishing touches, we drove out to Richmond to go to IKEA and Walmart. We picked up outdoor lights, pillows and a few more dining items. We then covered everything with a giant tarp from Amazon, which was way cheaper than a standard patio furniture cover.

The storage side

The backside of our patio is pretty neglected. Which is hilarious, because just this backside would be considered a spacious outdoor space anywhere else in Vancouver. But for us, it’s basically storage.

There’s a storage shed out there that the previous tenants left behind. Sadly, it’s on its last legs. But Colin has plans to try and fix it. Hopefully he can, because it’d be awesome to have some outdoor storage.

In the hidden back corner of our patio we have the broken umbrella, some neglected planters, an old hose, a Christmas tree stand and a broom. But we also strung up some lights, so at least the ugly side of the patio is well lit!

Tips for a budget patio makeover

Like I said, I’m certainly no interior/exterior designer. But I’d love to share some tips from our experience putting together a little budget patio makeover:

• Check free/used options first. Search your local Buy Nothing group, visit thrift stores, look on Facebook Marketplace or see if you can inherit any patio items from friends/family.
• Prioritize spaces where you’ll spend more time. I figure we’ll spend more time in the conversation space, so I wanted to make sure the couch we bought was comfortable and large enough.
• Buy in the off-season. Do you know when patio furniture is cheapest? September! But if you can’t wait until then, buy your patio furniture before summer starts. Last summer, patio furniture was sold out everywhere. And by buying early, you don’t waste a minute of nice patio weather!

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And that’s our budget patio makeover! What do you think? I’m so excited to spend lots of time out here in the summer. It still feels like we have a bit of a dead zone in the middle of the patio – between the dining area and the conversation space – but I don’t know what to put there. I tried to pitch Colin on a kiddie pool but he didn’t seem into it…

Here’s to a summer of al fresco dining and not killing all my plants!