Since the downturn in the economy many people are now entertaining at home.
Most homeowners want a relaxing spot to enjoy the outdoors and hang out with family and friends.
No longer relegated to just children's toys and overgrown grass, the backyard is being reclaimed as an extension of the interior of the home.
There is a growing trend of moving the indoors outside and creating comfortable living spaces such as living rooms and dining rooms in the backyard.
Here there are some important considerations to help you with the makeover of your backyard: 1) Be realistic.
There are many possible options: pool areas, Zen gardens, outdoor lounge areas, playground areas, outdoor hot tubs, etc.
It depends not only on your space and investment, also on the needs of inhabitants of your home.
For instance, if you have a dog will be difficult to maintain a Zen garden.
If there are small kids, you probably will think in them providing safety areas to play 2) Choose proximity.
Locate your outdoor lounge area in direct connection with your living room.
In that way, it will be an extension of it, you will improve the views from indoors, and it will have an easier flow of traffic between spaces.
The same if you are installing a barbecue or a picnic area, it should be close to the kitchen.
Pool areas should have access to a bathroom without crossing the entire house.
3) Define the dimensions.
Being outdoor doesn't mean it have to take the entire space of your backyard or terrace.
As in any other space, define "walls" and "floors", and even "ceilings".
The floor should be easy to clean and low maintenance, a good choice is colored concrete or stone tiles.
A teak deck outstands for its elegance, durability and low maintenance.
For the "walls", consider lower vertical elements that may be more attractive/functional, as raised beds, container gardens, or hedges.
If you don't want to wait for hedges to get tall enough to afford privacy, install lattice screens, instead.
To satisfy your requirement for plants and provide further privacy, train vine plants to grow up the lattice.
The "ceiling" is very important to provide shade and shelter from rain.
A vine-covered arbor may be more inspiring to gaze up at than a lawn umbrella, but the latter will keep you, and the books you may be reading, dry.
If you'd like something more solid than an umbrella, consider installing a pergola and covering it with fiberglass.
4) Make it cozy.
You can say goodbye to standard wooden lawn furniture by replacing it with stylish, low-maintenance alternatives.
The choices in outdoor table-and-chair sets seem endless, Choose a small table and spring-assist chairs featuring fully welded cast aluminum frames with a beautiful bronze finish.
Or, go with a comfortable wicker dining collection that features soft cushions, so your guests will settle in and stay a while.
Pick up cushions and pillows from your local home improvement store to brighten your outdoor furniture or create your own with an outdoor fabric, such as canvas, from your local craft store.
If you have a porch that's unusable because it gets too much sun, make it usable again and create extra shade by installing an outdoor curtain panel.
And do not forget storage items where to hide covers.
A small outdoor fireplace or fire pit can be a great focal point and will help to keep the bugs away when you are relaxing in your outdoor living space at night.
Dinner parties will take on a whole new vibe, with sitting around an elegant patio fire pit table.
Most have enough room for dinner plates, glasses and dishes to sit comfortably on the frame of the table, with the fire itself being covered and contained by a protective mesh dome.
This allows you to have patio chairs right at the table, and enjoy sitting at the table safely, without any sparks from the fire touching you.
5) Do not forget lighting and power supplies.
The design process should begin with a site map, drawn to scale, showing all landscape features and areas that need lighting and power supplies.
Fixtures and lamps are chosen for each area based on the desired effects.
Path lights for safe passage along walks and stairs, wash fixtures for silhouette effects against a wall, power socks for outdoor lounge areas or dining areas, etc.
One common mistake is to over-light; low levels of light create subtle beauty, and are often also sufficient for safety and security.
Use brighter lighting effects for focal points, and consider the effects that different light intensities will have on the overall design.
A common practice among lighting designers and installers is to allow for plenty of movement of the fixture locations.
By leaving extra cable at each fixture, changes can be made to the system after installation, and after several years of plant growth.
Use photo sensors with fluorescent, high-intensity discharge, or low-pressure sodium lights.
Make sure outdoor light fixtures have reflectors, deflectors, or covers to make more efficient use of the light source and help reduce light pollution.
Use timers and other controls to turn decorative lighting on and off.