New Yorkers get creative with precious outdoor space during lockdown summer

It was a trip to Target in April that made Vida Cornelious realize she needed to start her backyard renovation sooner rather than later.

“People were going crazy buying outdoor stuff,” recalls the Harlem resident. “The little bit that was in the store was almost gone.”

Plus, it was already clear that New York City wouldn’t fully reopen for summer, so she knew she was going to need someplace to retreat.

Across the country, home improvement projects have been a quarantine hobby of choice, and most DIYers have focused their efforts on their outdoor spaces — a recent survey by Porch.com found that 61 percent of renovators made upgrades to their garden, patio or exterior since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — for the same reason Cornelious did.

In New York City, where private outdoor space has always been a rare amenity, these little slices of real estate have become even more precious, and residents lucky enough to claim a piece of the outdoors as their own are taking full advantage.