If you love the look of old brick, keep your eye out for someone tearing down an old house, store, school, or street. If you see this perfect opportunity, just stop by and ask if it would be okay that you take some of the old brick that otherwise will most likely just be dumped in a landfill. More often than not, they'll be happy to have someone help them get rid of it.

After you have permission, locate a friend of family member with an old truck or trailer to pick up some of the brick for you. Once you have the old brick at your site, you will need to purchase some mortar mix that you can mix with water to make the mixture that you will use to build your back yard or patio feature.

One idea would be to build a privacy wall with decorative pillars on each end. In this case, you'll probably need to add a concrete footing beneath the soil so you have a solid and level foundation to build your brick wall on. If you lay the bricks in a standard straight staggered (running bond) pattern, you shouldn't run in to too many problems. Just take your time and make sure everything is even and level as you go.

Perhaps you'd rather use the brick as the floor of your patio. Start by excavating the area several inches below grade. If you live in an area with frost, you'll probably need to add a level base of gravel. Then add a layer of sand to set the bricks in. Make sure to level and compact it all very well between steps. Lay your salvaged bricks, sweep in sand, and you're just about done!

In either case, your actual costs will most likely be limited to the mortar mix, sand, and any gravel needed to put it all together. Once the feature is finished, a little landscaping around the area will go a long way. You could add stone birdbath, small stone bench, and most importantly, plenty of plantings. When it's all finished, expect to have a beautiful and quiet place to spend time in your back yard that is unlike anything anyone else has.