Few people host many outdoor events during the winter because the cold weather makes it less appealing to spend time in the open air. Fortunately, this means that fall, winter and the beginning of spring are the perfect opportunity to complete your exterior renovations without cutting into the time of year when you want to enjoy your outdoor spaces.
If you are in the early stages of planning your upcoming patio remodel, here are a few ingenious ideas to integrate into your designs:
Tile Floor
Poured concrete is the typical patio flooring, which makes sense considering its low cost, easy maintenance and long durability. However, bare concrete is not exactly inviting or aesthetically pleasing. Many homeowners opt to cover the concrete of their patios with outdoor rugs, which can create a cozy effect, but if you want to truly upgrade the look of your patio, you should invest in tile. Tile flooring provides a finished look to your outdoor spaces, bringing them a step closer to the luxurious indoor-outdoor living that many homeowners are eager to achieve.
The tile you choose will depend entirely on your regional climate. If you live in a dry area, you might opt for an unsealed, porous stone tile, which will look and feel appropriate for the great outdoors. Wetter environments tend to require harder tiles with sealants that prevent moisture from seeping in and creating unsightly cracks.
If you do not already have a concrete patio in place — or if it is so cracked and chipped that you plan to take it out — you might replace the concrete with pavers, which provide texture and movement that can be more interesting in an outdoor environment.
Privacy Screens
Most homeowners can at least see a few other homes in their neighborhood from their patio — which means neighbors in their homes have a full view of anyone spending time on that patio. To give yourself and your guests more privacy as you enjoy the great outdoors, you might erect some kind of screen around your seating and recreation areas.
There are many options for privacy screens, to include:
- Breezeblocks, decorative cinder block walls
- Laser-cut steel, sheets of metal with intricate designs
- Greenery panels, trellises of lush greenery
- Hedges, a variety of thick shrubberies specially trimmed
- Roller shades, lengths of fabric that can be raised or lowered
- Wooden walls, wood panels in a variety of styles and heights
Ceiling Fans
The warm seasons are ideal for spending time outdoors — but you don’t want to melt in the summertime heat. To make your patio more comfortable for you and your guests, you can install outdoor ceiling fans over your patio area. Fans help the body wick away sweat to feel several degrees cooler, which can make the difference between sweltering in the summer and enjoying quality time outdoors.
Hidden Nooks
Just as you should strive to separate your indoor living areas into different zones to encourage small groups of conversation during gatherings, you should try to divide your outdoor area into various spaces and nooks. This can provide you and your guests with enhanced privacy to encourage greater intimacy. It also means that you have a variety of spaces to enjoy when you need to relax after a long day of work.
You can use privacy screens and landscaping to improve separation amongst spaces. The more secluded an area is, the more special it will feel to you and your guests. Your hidden nooks should be appointed with comfortable seating and sumptuous lighting. If the trails around your outdoor space are winding, you might offer gentle illumination to help guests navigate and find their way back to your main patio space.
Recreation
If you want your outdoor spaces to feel fun, you need to account for recreation in your backyard designs. You should think critically about what kind of fun your outdoor areas need to accommodate; for example, if you have young children, you might need wide spaces for little ones to run around and play as they get older. You might try to integrate features kids love like zones for water play or climbing walls. Then again, if you are looking to create a more adult recreational space, you might consider constructing a full outdoor kitchen and bar, replete with fire pit. These components will make you and your loved ones eager to spend time in your renovated yard.
The best suburbs to invest in always have outstanding outdoor spaces. By taking the upcoming seasons to remodel your patio and garden, you can take full advantage of your outdoor living areas next year.
