You love your home, and it fits your every need… most of the time. If you could add just one thing to your home to make it absolutely perfect, what would it be? To many, it would be an outdoor living space. It is ideal for entertaining, plus it is a great place to relax at the end of the day even when no one else is around. Create your dream home, inside and out, by adding an outdoor living space to your home and start using each part of your home to its fullest potential.
First, You Need to Consider How the Space Will Be Used
Before you can set up any type of an outdoor living space, you need to first consider how you will be using the space. If you will only ever sit out in the area, then having a seating area is all you will typically need. On the other hand, if you will be having people over, celebrating special events, serving food, and possibly hosting parties, then you need more put into your outdoor living space.
The best way to figure out the setup for your living space is to draw it out and figure out how people would flow from one part of your backyard to the other. If this is something you are not comfortable doing, there are several places you can go to help with the design aspect of things. Once you have the general flow of your backyard setup, you can then figure out the elements to have in your backyard.
You Need Somewhere to Sit
The seating area of your backyard is probably going to get the most use. Consider who will be coming over and how often. Are you most likely going to need seating for six or eight people, or will there regularly be more like 10 to 12 people over, maybe even more? Get a good idea of the type of seating you are going to need most often, and set up the seating area to accommodate them. Adding in extra areas for seating is not difficult, but you need to have the core area set up first.
Is where you will be sitting shaded? If not, then you may want to include some type of gazebo or pergola to cover the seating area. This makes it more comfortable to sit and makes it to where you are less likely to sit down on burning hot chairs. Ideally, you want to put the seating area somewhere that will have some shade, but still, have a great view of the yard.
Plus, you want to have good airflow so the area is always comfortable, even when the weather outside is warmer. You should try and set up the main seating area that is rounded so people sitting can easily converse. Surround this area with benches or totes that hold outdoor items, but can double as seats should you need them. This gives you a usable outdoor area that also provides extra seating spaces when necessary.
Would Being Able to Cook Outdoors Keep Your Home Cooler During Hot Summer Months?
During the summer, your home gets warm enough, so adding in a hot oven for hours on end is only going to increase that problem. If you had a second area where you could cook, would you use it? Most people would love to have an outdoor grill and oven because that gives them a place to cook that won’t increase the temperature inside their home.
This should be near enough to the seating area of the home to where you can have a conversation, but not so close that you make the seating area too hot to be comfortable. The surfaces around your outdoor kitchen should be heat-safe, so you can take items off of the grill or out of the oven and set them down safely. You should also make sure everything is easy to clean so you can just hose it off before your next gathering, and the area is ready to go!
Having a home you love makes it your own personal oasis. That is what home should be for you. Add something to your home to make every aspect of it usable, including the outdoors. Create an outdoor living space that gives you the ability to entertain, plus is an extension of the home you love so much.
Make sure to add your personal style to the outside of your home, so that whether your guests are inside your home or out, they know that you put your personal touches into every detail. Create a space you are going to enjoy even when you do not have any guests over as well. That way, you get even more out of the home of your dreams.
Our company handles marketing for landscape design companies and local landscapers, if you are looking for a qualified outdoor living space professional, contact us and we can refer you to a company in your local area!
