There are a variety of tricks to make small yards appear larger. But what can you do about actually making your yard a bit larger? Unless you're ready to buy your neighbor's house, your options are somewhat limited. However, there are ways that you can better utilize the space available on your property. Here are three ways to make your tiny yard larger.
Take Away Some Driveway
If your driveway forms a t-shape in front of the garage for additional parking, you might be able to take away some of that space to extend your yard. This is particularly likely if you have a gravel driveway, which tend to take up more and more room as vehicles spread out the rocks. If there's plentiful on-street parking, you could get away with removing your driveway altogether.
Use a rock removal service or pavement contractor such as DyTech to help with this step. Breaking up pavement or shoveling up 10 feet of rock are a lot harder physically than they sound in theory. You or your landscaper can then use the vacated area to plant more grass seed or sod.
Plant Up, Not Out
Flowerbeds add a touch of beauty to yards, but yours might not have the space for a luscious sprawl of ground-covering buds. You can still have flowers, but you will want to choose plants that grow more vertically than horizontally.
Lilies are a prime example with heights up to six feet with a very narrow width. The flowers can thrive in full or partial sun, but will require some pruning to keep the shape of the stem. Elatum delphiniums are another type of tall, stalk-based flower that can thrive in small flowerbeds, but these flowers can only grow in moist, moderate summer air so aren't a great all-year choice.
Elevate Porches
If you have ground-level porches or patios, consider demolishing the existing structure to build a higher alternative. Elevated porches or patios can be accessed by stairs and open up yard space underneath. You will want the porch or patio to either sit high off the ground -- think at least four feet -- or be long and narrow, thus opening up more space at the structure's base.
If you rarely use the porch or patio, simply remove it entirely. As was the case with the driveway, ridding yourself of the unneeded structure provides a chance to plant more seed or sod to make your yard larger.
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