Name: LaManda Joy Location: Budlong Woods – Chicago, Illinois

One morning, after years of living in apartments in the city, LaManda's husband turned to her and suggested they buy a yard … with a house attached. That the house was second to the yard was no coincidence. LaManda was a frustrated gardener trapped in an apartment existence, and her husband recognized how much benefit she would get from having her own outdoor space. As it turns out, the benefit has spread far beyond LaManda's own yard… More

Name: Katie (mom) & Olivia (daughter)
Location: Oklahoma City, OK

We had a narrow skinny wasted space between our garage and our neighbors. Before Olivia was born we used it to put grass clippings and junk there, but I wanted to transform it into a play space when she was old enough. More

Name: Rachel
Location: Lakeview - Chicago, Illinois

Last year the hubby and I bought a window planter and filled it with beautiful flowers… only to later realize no one could see all our efforts from the street. And while we at least enjoyed the flowers, this year we opted for something a little different. Something that, since no one else could see it, we would enjoy even more than flowers — an herb garden for our bar. More

Name: Cynthia Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Recent summer weather conditions have made me nostalgic for the backyard reno that we enjoyed only for a year and a bit before moving. We wanted a backyard space that had it all… a small pool, an outdoor gourmet kitchen, an Ipe deck, a tool shed, grass, and a play area, catering not only to my 5 and 3 1/2-year-old boys' needs as well as my husband's BBQ'ing obsession, but also to the modern aesthetics that I love. More

Name: Lynne Location: Durham, Ontario, Canada

Some of you may remember Lynne's treehouse from a previous My Great Outdoors post. This time she's sharing an outdoor kitchen with us, made from stone from an old barn foundation she discovered on her property. Read on to learn more about her creative re-use of found materials. More

Name: Arlen Location: El Salvador, Central America

Hello! I live in a tropical country, and I love to read Apartment Therapy. I'm sharing some pictures of my small backyard. It has two spaces, the garden (3m x 4m) and the terrace (3m x 2m). More

Name: Erin
Location: Denver, Colorado, City Park neighborhood

When my husband and I bought our 1907 home three years ago it had suffered years of neglect. We're still slowly restoring the inside, but have recently started to take on the exterior spaces as well.
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Name: Linda Location: Lakeview - Chicago, Illinois

Living in the city means we have limited outdoor space, but I was more than happy to sacrifice grass for screens… as in a screen porch. We even rebuilt a second one when we added on a first floor family room.
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A month ago we featured Ariela's 'Toddler Garden' balcony here on Apartment Therapy. Even on a tiny apartment balcony, Ariela was able to create a special space to grow edibles and teach her 2-year-old about gardening. Here's a 1-month update on the garden's progress — you'll be amazed at how everything has grown. More

Name: Jane and Justin
Location: Oakland, California - Oakmore Neighborhood

When we bought our house in 2006, it wasn't because of the back garden. Picture a mess of tangled weeds, a steep hill upwards, broken red concrete patio chunks everywhere, and fence holes so big our 90 lb. dog sailed right through them.

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