40 Modern Rocking Chairs For Front Porch Ideas

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By justin. Patio. Published at Saturday, October 22nd, 2016 - 21:02:53 PM.

Paver Patio Design - 3 Questions to Ask Yourself When Designing a Paver Patio In the past a patio was just a patio; a concrete slab at the rear entrance of your home with just enough space to put a patio table and maybe a small BBQ grill. The terms "Outdoor Living Space" or "Outdoor Rooms" werent even heard of and the only people that had these types of outdoor spaces were the rich and famous. Today, with the demand for homeowners wanting to spend more time outdoors these terms have become more a part of daily life. This demand has not only forced landscape contractors to be more creative with their designs, but has created an industry within itself. All of your big box stores are catering to this industry with patio furniture, stainless steel grills, pre-built grill stations, portable fire pits and it is not unusual to see contractors who specialize or only design and install patios. Due to the increasing popularity of brick paving stone or "pavers", homeowners are no longer satisfied with the standard rectangle concrete slab. Pavers allow patio designers to be much more creative in implementing you patio ideas. They can utilize radial and circular designs, different patterns, borders and colors. Also, the introduction of patio block has changed the way patios are designed and used. Each manufacturer has a different name for them, but in a "nut shell" they are stackable blocks that can be used to create seating walls, columns, grill stations, outdoor bars and kitchens. If you can imagine it, you can build it with these blocks. If youre looking for a nice patio; one that you can not only show off, but also one you can use; there are several guidelines to follow to improve your chances of success. There are three questions that you should ask yourself. If you answer these questions honestly you will be able to create a patio design that is not only functional, but also beautiful. "What is my budget?" Some homeowners feel that this is a loaded question, but it is one that a good contractor will ask and one that needs to be addressed. It should be asked, not to prequalify you as a potential customer or to run the price up, but to bring the project into perspective. As a homeowner, you should not be afraid to tell your contractor your budget. A good contractors price is his price and he will design to your budget. "How will I use my patio?" Other than budget this is the most important question to ask yourself. If you plan on entertaining, you may consider seating walls around portions of your patio for overflow seating or an outdoor bar. If you have children you may want to invest in a fire pit area, either a portable or built-in. These are great to spend quality time with your children. Do you like to grill out? Perhaps adding a BBQ grill station or outdoor kitchen might be a nice addition. However you choose to use your patio, you need to convey these uses to your designer so they can incorporate them into the patio design. Make sure your designer draws your patio design to an identifiable scale. Have them draw in your patio furniture and accessories so you can get an idea if, and how, they will fit on your patio. These questions will help you decide what size of patio you need to install. Remember, bigger doesnt mean more functional. Also, keep in mind, if your wants exceed your budget, using brick or concrete patio pavers will allow you to seamlessly add on later. "What do I want my patio to look like?" This is another important piece of the puzzle and one that you should also spend time with. A good patio designer will integrate your uses into a pleasing design. One that will accentuate certain features of your home while expanding your personality to the outside. The most difficult part of a patio design idea is the marriage between functionality and aesthetics. Brick and concrete patio pavers give you a lot of design flexibility. Radial designs typically will soften corners and create interesting curves. Square and rectangle patio designs, whether parallel with the house or on a 45 degree angle, are used to accentuate dimensional features of a home. Using different colors and/or styles of pavers in different areas will help define space on your patio. For example, a circle pattern may define a fire pit area. "Do your homework!" The more time you invest at the front end of your patio project, the easier and more enjoyable the installation will be. Spending a few hundred dollars on a formal design may end up saving you several thousand dollars and aggravation. There are also websites with large libraries of pre-designed patios that you can browse and purchase for a fraction of the cost of a custom design. They typically provide you with additional information such as; material list, color palettes and product details, helpful installation tips and how tos. Remember, do your homework and enjoy your patio!
Things to Consider When Building or Remodeling Your Patio Area Having a well laid out patio area will not add extra living space to your home but it can add increased worth to the value of your home. Patio areas are a highly prized feature that homeowners and buyers covet. Buyers are willing to pay premium dollar for a house with a great patio. The National Association of Home Builders have noted that having a great outdoor space is an important home design trend in 2012. They also noted that approximately 12 percent of homeowners either remodeled or added to their patio area. By creating a great patio area, you can have a functional and utilitarian space that is an extension of your home. Patio additions are one of the highest recouping value that you can add to a home. Be Certain To Consider When designing or remodeling your patio, you need to make sure that this space is complements with the rest of your property. Remember, that your patio is an annex of your home and so when drafting this space, ensure that is harmonious with the rest of your home. It is important to balance the patio esthetic and your backyard, so there is a harmony. So do not create an overwhelming large patio area with a small green area and vice versa. Give your patio/backyard an equilibrium or symmetry so that is appears a seamless extension of your home. Also consider having your patio area closely situated to your home or near your patio door entrance. This is especially so, if you have an area for dining or eating because this provide you with a space where it is easy and convenient for prepping, cooking and serving your meals. Another factor to take into account is the weather. If live in a primarily sunny area, you can do pretty much whatever esthetic you chose; however if you live in a more damp or four season area, consider constructing your patio with a covering or install heated areas that will overcome the cold or dampness that might be present. Another option for heating your space is to install fire pits, heated lamps or benches with built in heating. Also consider easy access from your home to your patio area. Whether it be a beautiful set of tilt and turn patio french doors or a large folding glass door with large retractable folding door screen. Accessorize with Plants Plants are an idea way to accentuate and define your patio area. If you have a retaining wall, consider using hanging flowers such as angels trumpet, climbing vines, such as passionflower, honeysuckle clusters or clematis. Planter baskets with geraniums, pansies and petunias Also consider cherry or grape tomato plants, herbs or strawberry planters as they are great decorative feature and edible solution as well. Shrubs and hedges also help to divide up your space and create a definite border between your backyard and patio area. In addition, they can provide an extra measure of privacy for your backyard and patio area. Choosing new plants, bushes or flowers can add a facelift and a new look to your patio area. Additional Thoughts When designing your space to mindful of your budget and what elements that you want to add to your patio area. It is vital that your space looks uniform, complete and well thought out. There is nothing worse for a buyer than a patio area that appears like you skimped or ran out of money or ideas. Also, if you live in a relative sunny area or for those peak summer months, think about a retractable patio screen or a motorized patio screen for larger doors, to help shield the suns damaging UV rays and annoying glare, in addition to protecting you, your family and friends from annoying insects and bugs. This is especially important when you are serving food and drinks. Unique Features Since patios are prime places for entertaining, think about incorporating built in speakers for a home entertainment system. Providing music can be a bonus feature that adds ambiance and helps to create the right mood for your get together Patios also allow you to take your cooking out of the kitchen. Instead of a conventional barbecue grill, think about adding a built-in barbecue pit, patio brick or pizza oven, built-in kitchen with storage cabinets for utensils. A small refrigerator, wine or beer storage area, coolers or even a small dishwasher can be added to keep your patio and kitchen area separate, as well as have everything you need right outside and at hand. If you live in areas where patios are not weather friendly, think about using materials that will withstand the elements or a cover for your cooking area.
Patio Bar Stools Provide the Outdoor Seating and Backyard Design Finishing Touch Space is quite an issue in almost every household nowadays. And if there is a problem, the homeowner always finds a solution. Not enough work space in the garage? Well, just buy a new work bench with lots of shelves and provisions to accommodate tools. Insufficient storage area for mower and other garden tools? Well, you can buy an affordable outdoor vinyl shed. Crowded patio during parties? Well, would you extend your patio just to provide more space? The answer to that is a big NO. Having a crowded patio during patio parties is really a headache, and especially when it suddenly rains and all your guests who are frolicking in the garden would need to seek shelter in the patio itself. For some people, the logical solution to this issue is to simply extend the patio. That would be the perfect solution if you are a millionaire with ample amount of money at your disposal. However, it is not the most pragmatic solution. Why extend your patio and spend unnecessary money when you can have more space in your patio if you have the right patio bar stools. Benefits of Patio Bar Stools: Regular chairs consume a lot of space because of their bulky construction. Patio bar stools, on the other hand, have a narrow built. Thus, they can allow you to have more space in your patio bar. And that is not the only advantage of having stools for your bar. If you have the right patio bar stools, you can heighten the aesthetics of your outdoor bar. It would certainly be awkward if you have regular chairs or stools in your bar. Having matching patio stools would give your bar a more elegant look. Another benefit with having patio bar stools is that your guests would feel more comfortable while they are having their favorite drinks in the bar. Stools for the bar are not just built to provide more space and beauty to the bar design, but they are also made to give maximum comfort and convenience to guests who are fond of drinking. Patio stools are built with foot rests so that drinkers can casually seat on them. Also, some patio bar stools are equipped with arm rests that can hold a glass of beer or wine. Other patio bar stools come with swiveling mechanisms that allow the stools to be turned from side to side with ease. Materials and Types of Patio Bar Stools: The cardinal rule on choosing an outdoor bar stool is that it should match your patios design. Wooden stools are perfect for traditional wooden patios. But if you have a casual-looking patio, you might as well get casual stainless steel bar stools. Stainless stools are definitely a great choice for your home bar. For one thing, you can be sure that it will last for a long time. The problem with these stools, though, is that they are hard to move around because of their heavy construction. If you still want to have the casual look that a metal stool would offer, then you can settle for stools made of aluminum. Known for being ultra-light, you will have no problems moving them around. And because it is non-corrosive, aluminum patio stools would last for a long time as well. Ultra-modern chrome and vinyl padded patio bar stools and exotic rattan and bamboo stools are also available for homeowners with modern-looking and exotically designed patios.
Natural Stone Patios - The Best Way to Set Landscape and Swimming Pool Areas in Stone Swimming pool and other backyard patios can be largely overlooked when it comes to landscape and swimming pool designs. To the average homeowner, swimming pool patios and dining patios are valued but seriously underestimated in terms of their power to really define an outdoor living space. Natural stone works great for patios, considering it lasts longer than pavers and does not fade in color or become slippery like stamped concrete. In general, natural stone patios provide a number of opportunities to transform the most functional aspect of a landscape and swimming pool into an art-form that enhances the overall ambience. The choice of stone is the first task in defining your outdoor living space with a patio. Swimming pool patios should stay relatively cool in the hot sun, keeping in mind that you will have to walk barefoot on this surface. A grey Tennessee Crab Orchard is a popular choice for pool patios because it stays relatively cool in the sun. The color is also rather neutral, allowing the adjacent pool and landscape to really show off. For dining patios, a more formal natural stone can be utilized. Bluestone works perfectly for formal patios. Sandstone also brings formality, yet remains somewhat neutral in doing so. Pool patios can also feature these more formal stones as well. A sandstone swimming pool patio with bluestone accents can really highlight a formal swimming pool and landscape. After you choose the stone for your pool or dining patio, the next task is to determine the pattern. Around natural pools, especially pools with waterfalls, natural stone set in irregular patterns works beautifully; the natural stone patio, set in an irregular pattern, can enhance the rugged look of the pool. For formal pools, the patio can utilize the same stone and set it in a regular, geometric pattern. Any stone patio pattern can be slightly modified for a custom design. In a very subtle way, an altered pattern can offer a frame for patio furniture, for example. Finally, with the stone and pattern set, finishing touches can be applied. Small accents in any patio can tie the entire yard together. For example, a sandstone outdoor living room patio can lie adjacent to the bluestone dining patio. A slight bluestone accent in the outdoor living room can blend it with the dining patio, while still allowing it to distinguish itself as a separate outdoor "room." Accents can also blend the patio with aspects of the home and other architectural elements of the back yard. Brick can even be scattered about a natural stone patio for sharp, distinct color and contrast. To summarize, upgrading to a natural stone patio can take your swimming pool and landscape to the next level of design and style. First choose the stone for your swimming pool or dining patio. Choose a stone that fits the style of the backyard area, while paying close attention to the functional needs of the surface. Next, decide on a pattern for the stone. Remember, regular fits formal, irregular for natural. Finally, get creative. Ask your swimming pool and landscape design company to spice things up by using a combination of materials to create accents that bring unique style to the patio design. Detail, color, and creative subtleties make for the most definitive, eye-catching natural stone patios.