• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, July 6, 2010

While it's true that more Americans are looking for a little more travel-related R&R than they were last summer, marketers like Lowe's and the Home Depot are hoping to convince Americans to spend their summer downtime in the their own backyard -- and spend a little money to spruce it up. 

Both big-box stores are offering plenty of easy, affordable DIY-projects, and chains like Walmart and Target are making extra-big pushes on patio furniture and fun stay-at-home ideas, from trampolines to inflatable pools.

The Home Depot, for example, is offering easy ways to plant red, white and blue annuals, and special values on a 12-foot-high inflatable outdoor movie screen. And Lowe's is offering three "staycation packages" to choose from -- Island Retreat, complete with tiki huts, hammocks, and misting fans; Calling All Campers, with an easy-to-build sundeck, infrared grill and firepit, and a Garden Oasis, with a canopy, bamboo, outdoor shower and pergola.

A spokesperson for the Mooresville, N.C.-based company tells Marketing Daily that such projects are being promoted in stores and at its Lowes.com/CreativeIdeas Web site, and that the chain is also running its usual numbers of in-store build and grow clinics throughout the summer.

Both companies hope to build on signs of renewed consumer willingness to spend a little money on their homes, and build on the continued popularity of cocooning. Home-improvement stores have suffered through the recession more than most retailers, but in their most recent quarterly results, both chains reported sales increases, with Home Depot especially commenting on strength in seasonal categories.