Planning an Outdoor Living Space

Outdoor living spaces help make the most out of your home.

Summer is here. And for some of us, we finally start paying attention to our long neglected deck or patio. So instead of just hosing off the dirt and grime, take a look at some of the reasons to remodel your outdoor living spaces.

Add Value to Your Home

According to the annual “Cost vs. Value Report” from Remodeling Magazine, a deck addition or remodel is one of the top 5 projects that will give you the highest return on investment. In fact, building a wooden deck could recoup more than 75% of the cost during resale.
Since we live in an area with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains, an attractive outdoor living space can help differentiate your home on the market. It’s also a smart way to maintain or improve your home’s value because it’s an affordable option to updating the space while allowing you to increase your square footage.

Extend Your Home’s Living Space

Many people want to get more out of their deck than they used to – it’s not just a place for storing the grill and sitting in plastic lawn chairs anymore. For some, it’s a kitchen; for others, a living room. Decks and porches can be places for large gatherings or quiet retreats.
Whatever your needs are, you can easily add square footage and extend your home’s living space by simply designing outdoor spaces that flow from the interior. Think about what the space will be used for and how your family and guests will interact with the space.

Improve Your Home’s Safety

Older decks and patios can be prone to wear and tear over the years. In addition to ensuring no one will take a nasty fall or catch themselves on a loose nail, new and improved building products will help you improve your deck’s safety and lower your maintenance costs. Be sure to choose a licensed and reputable contractor to ensure your project is code compliant.
So what are you waiting for! Go outside and start dreaming of how we can help you get the most out of your outdoor living space.

A Tale of Two Decks

We recently completed two decks for clients in Blacksburg. One is a small screened porch which is an extension from the kitchen and existing deck (above). The other is large outdoor living space that completely transforms the rear elevation of the house (below).

In both cases, the client had specific needs for how they would use the space. They both also needed to flow with the existing structure of the home. The last thing you want is for a deck or porch to look like a random after thought on the back of the house. Therefore, we had to carefully think about the scale and materials used in order to continue the natural flow of the home.

When considering your outdoor living area, think about how you plan to use the space, as well as how it will change the look of your home from both the inside and outside.