• You can turn a broken refrigerator into a cute cooler for your backyard.
  • The DIY project only takes a weekend to complete, and you can use recycled materials you probably have around the house to put the majority of it together.
  • The project can cost as little as $40 to complete.
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Sprucing up your outdoor spaces doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming.

Small changes can make a huge difference in how your backyard looks and feels, and you can even use old items that are taking up room in your garage to freshen up your home.

For instance, you can turn a broken refrigerator into a cute cooler for your backyard.

fridge cooler 2

Foto: Both sides of the fridge open for the project. Source: Matthew Yeomans

For the project, a refrigerator is essentially flipped on its side and given a rustic, wood finish. You have to dismantle the fridge to make it work, as well as take some other steps to make sure the cooler doesn't leak.

Both the freezer and fridge sides of the cooler open when the project is completed, so you can hold plenty of beverages. And when it's closed, you can use the cooler as a table for snacks.

Matthew Yeomans transformed this refrigerator with the help of his sister Megan Bloom, his brother-in-law Chris Bloom, his friend Greg Pennington, and his wife Laura. The out-of-commission refrigerator belonged to the Blooms.

The group used an old refrigerator, wood pallets, spray paint, caulking tools, and a few other materials to put the project together. You can see a full list of materials used for the project here.

Foto: You can turn an old refrigerator into a cooler. Source: Matthew Yeomans

Yeomans already owned most of the items he used for the project, and all of the tools required to make the cooler are items you likely have sitting in your tool shed.

In fact, Yeomans only spent $40 on the cooler, so it's a great DIY to take on if you don't want to shell out too much cash.

You can also most likely knock out the project in a weekend, so a statement piece for your backyard is just days away.

And cute additions like the chalkboard or paint can help you personalize the project.

You can read Yeoman's full instructions for the DIY project on Instructables.