Construct The Perfect Outdoor Living Space For Yourself

By Author: Jonathan Trott
Total Articles: 77
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Every outdoor living space serves different needs for different people. For some, it's a place for their children or grandchildren to enjoy, for others it's a quiet place to retreat from a long day's work or a place to entertain friends and family. Whatever the purpose, there's things you should know when you're planning your outdoor living area.
First, consider local city codes and see if there are restrictions or permits required to create your outdoor living space. Also, find out of there are buried utilities in this area such as gas or electrical lines, cable lines or even sprinkler systems. Huge tree roots can also play havoc when creating an outdoor living area. Consider several areas within your backyard before deciding on the exact location. Try to make it easily accessible to your home as you will find that you and your guests will frequent the path going to and from your home to your outdoor living space.
Shop around to find your favorite outdoor furniture and get each piece's dimension. Cut out pieces of paper or cardboard to these dimensions and lay on the ground in your proposed outdoor living ...
... area and decide where you'd like each piece placed. Be sure to consider ample room between seats, room to scoot out away from a patio table without bumping into someone behind you, and plenty of room for walkways.
Most people incorporate a gas BBQ grill into their outdoor living area, so you'll want to consider that. Get its dimensions, too and incorporate that into your patio design. Be sure to place it a safe distance from the house and your patio seating so the heat won't bother your guests, your home or plants nearby.
Consider using a glider bench or garden bench into your outdoor living design. Both benches are considered cozy pieces of furniture and looks inviting for two people to sit together and chat. You might want to add small, intimate areas with 2 patio chairs and a small table within your design too besides a larger, patio set that seats probably 4 or 6 people. This would accomplish having both intimate areas as well as a more central area for eating and conversation with a larger group of people.
Having an outdoor fire pit has become quite popular and is a growing trend among many gardeners and homeowners. There's a wide variety of outdoor fire pits available from the very rustic, southwestern décor to more modern designs. There are also chimineas available and outdoor fireplaces. Whatever you decide on to incorporate in your outdoor living space, be sure that your local city code allows for these fire pits. You definitely don't want to do something that is unsafe or against the law nor buy something that you most likely can't return. So, do yourself a favor and check your local city codes beforehand.
Another important thing to consider when designing your outdoor living space is the amount of shade it will receive. For those who want to entertain during the day or enjoy by yourself, shade may play a huge role. Some shade options are to build a pergola over a section or all of your patio. You may want to plant some climbing vines like wisteria, clematis, ivy, grape vines, etc. so it will grow into the lattice work of your pergola and provide shade and pretty greenery. There are also shade sails, shade canopies and a variety of shade options. There may also be shade from a nearby tree or from incorporating a patio umbrella into your design. Whatever shade option you may choose, try to incorporate this into your design from the beginning as you may need to install post holes, plant areas or secure attachments to your home before the construction of the outdoor living area is made, particularly if it's made from concrete, paver bricks, slate or wood.
With a little forethought and planning, you can create a spectacular outdoor living space that can bring you the solitude, relaxation and warmth you desire for yourself and your guests.
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