Enjoy Your Outdoor Living Spaces

Now that warmer weather has arrived, you’ll be spending more time outside. Enjoy your outdoor living spaces more with a few simple updates to make them comfortable and ready for entertaining.

Build a Deck

A deck is an easy DIY project that adds living space to your property. Building a deck is a task you can likely tackle over a weekend, or you can hire a contractor to complete the project for you. Decks are great spaces to enjoy barbecues, relax in the sun, and spend time outdoors with friends and family. A deck can also help boost your property value, so it’s a great investment.

Container Gardening

Growing your own food is a great way to enjoy the outdoors. You’ll be able to enjoy the beautiful foliage before harvesting your own vegetables. Build or purchase planters to use on your porch, patio, or deck. Tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, edible flowers, and even squash are easy to grow in containers. Vegetable plants need on average 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day and plenty of water.

Enjoy Your Outdoor Living Spaces: Install a Patio Bar

Of course, you could step inside anytime you need a drink, but why not build a bar outdoors? If you’re outside often, create a space for enjoying cold beverages on the patio or by the pool.

Your drink service could be as simple as a portable bar cart or you could build a permanent concrete structure. Re-purpose an old bookshelf or china cabinet to store glasses, liquor, and bar tools or purchase a patio bar from your local home improvement store.

Add Ceiling Fans to the Porch

Ceiling fans help manage the airflow on the porch. Better circulation will make a humid summer evening feel more comfortable, plus, a slight breeze helps keep mosquitoes away. Available in many different styles and colors, a ceiling fan also adds to your outdoor decor.

Illuminate Outdoor Living Spaces

If you’re planning to spend more time outdoors, light up your living spaces. Choose options that fit with the style and mood of your space. Tiki torches provide light near the hot tub and also help repel mosquitoes. Install solar-powered lights along the walkway or to light the pathway to your front door. Hang string lights to illuminate the deck.

Build a Fire Pit

A fire is a cozy way to bring people together. Enjoy summer evenings roasting marshmallows and spending time with family and friends. If you have the budget, install a full-size fireplace. Smaller aluminum or terracotta fire bowls are available at home improvement stores.

If funds are limited, another option is to build a fire pit in the yard. This is a simple project you can complete in an afternoon, using inexpensive gravel and paver bricks stacked in a circle.

Exceptional Engineering Home Inspections provides home inspection services to Maricopa County, Arizona. Contact us to book an appointment.