PROJECT: Beach party backyard

TIME: Couple of weekends

COST: Less than $250

HOW HE DID IT: Navroski's girlfriend, Cami Raimo, bought a home in Chesterfield County a few years ago and was disappointed to find a backyard that was a disaster area.

The 80-by-20-foot space was full of sand, rocks and "gifts" left by the previous owner's dogs.

"She always claimed to want to be by the beach and loves Key West," Navroski said. He decided to craft a plan to change her landscape from drab to beach fab.

He built a mock dock, actually a floating deck, spanned by a small bridge linking a tiki bar ("Camirita's") to a fire pit.

He added a hammock, some nautical touches, a horseshoe pit, an outdoor dart game and a Key West ring game that's popular in bars and grills from Myrtle Beach south.

The cedar panels for the bar and fence were picked up at a clearance sale and the composite was leftover material Navroski got from deck companies. ("People are friendly, and if you ask, you shall receive," he said.) He also built some beach furniture to finish the theme.

"I am an artist with a wide range of imagination, so I try to recycle material," Navroski said. "The less the money, the better." --Julie Young

TELL US HOW YOU DID IT: Share your home improvement or garden project in 250 words or fewer with Julie Young, Home & Garden, I Did It Myself, P.O. Box 85333, Richmond, VA 23293, or e-mail jyoung@timesdispatch.com. Include your name, address, phone number and, if possible, high-resolution photos of yourself and your project. The project must be one you actually did yourself.

ONLINE ARCHIVE: See projects on inRich.com. Keyword: Home.