With great weather and increasingly active lifestyles, there’s a rise in the popularity of outdoor living spaces in San Diego. A lot of people are turning their backyards into living areas. There is so much you can do with your yard. You can incorporate areas for sitting, cooking, dining, or just relaxing. In this article, we’ll cover some facilities you can install to make your outdoor living space in San Diego more enticing.
Features of an Outdoor Living Space
Think about how you’d like to utilize your outdoor space, as this will determine the facilities that you will have to prioritize. Different families have different needs. At the very least, you should include outdoor features for seating, dining, and unwinding. Here we look at four such features that can turn your backyard into a fantastic usable space.
Seating
A seating area is a crucial feature in an outdoor living space. The size of your yard largely determines the arrangement and components of your seating area. The specific layout will depend on your taste, style, budget, and the materials available in your locality. Here are a few tips to guide you along:
A seating area that accommodates your family may be enough, but there are ways of expanding it to host guests. You can have additional light seats which you can set up when needed, and store away afterward. Either way, a chance to sit and relax outside adds some pomp to even the most ordinary day.
♦ Use the 90-degree corner of your yard to put up an L-shaped seat.
This idea works well in small spaces. Complete the arrangement with a table for placing food and drinks or stools for additional seating.
♦ The perimeter fence can act as a backdrop for the seats. With just a few stools or a bench placed against the wall, you already have an outline for your seating area. Add pillows and cushions for comfort and aesthetics.
♦ Set up a separate dining table next to the barbecue grill or outdoor kitchen. This makes it easier to serve guests, and they can also get up and pick their preferred pieces from the grill.
♦ Consider the portability of your seats and tables. Will you be in a position to bring them indoors to avoid extreme weather? Would you rather build a covered patio? There’s also the option of a closed patio that could effectively extend the square footage of your home. With French patio doors, sliding doors or pocket doors, and some windows, it might just be the perfect choice for your home. This way, you could take full advantage of the open space during warmer months, close it off when the time comes, and still enjoy all the benefits your patio provides, like natural sunlight, energy efficiency, and protection from UV radiation.
Barbecue
Whether you’re entertaining your family or hosting guests, a barbecue is a welcome addition to the outdoor dining experience. Cooking outside makes the process enjoyable and allows your family and guests to participate. If you’re in the process of designing your barbecue, here are some factors that you should keep in mind:
A barbecue is perfect for outdoor entertaining. Guests gather around and mingle as food is being prepared. The cook also gets to socialize, as opposed to being confined in the kitchen. When you’re cooking outside, everybody gets to participate and lend a hand in preparing and serving. You also no longer have to worry about those food choices that leave a lingering smell in the house. Outside, the smell will be gone as fast as the food. The cost of cooling during summer is also reduced when you cook outside. In addition to the fun, barbecuing ensures you’re eating healthier meat as fat drips away in the cooking process, unlike frying. With all these advantages, your backyard is simply incomplete without a barbecue.
♦ Do you want a barbecue grill only, or are you willing to invest in an entire outdoor kitchen? Going with the first option means you’ll have to keep making trips to the kitchen to fetch the ingredients, drinks, utensils, and you’ll also have to take back the dirty dishes after you’re done. If you have a complete kitchen outside, everything you need is around you – sink, working surface, storage space, refrigerator, utensils, power sockets, and so on. The experience is that much more delightful. If your budget does not allow for a complete kitchen, set up the barbecue grill right outside your kitchen, then add pass-through windows. Sliding or folding windows make a perfect choice for this as they don’t protrude. With minimum hardware, sliding windows are ideal for tight spaces as they can stack to one side or split in the middle. A fantastic option for large openings, sliding or folding windows will allow ample space for pass-through service, so your outdoor area becomes an integrated part of your home.
♦ Portable or permanent? If you own the house, you can install a permanent barbecue grill along with the other features. If you’re renting, go for portable appliances. If you plan to sell your home in the future, a portable setup might be a better option. Although an outdoor cooking facility is attractive to home buyers and significantly increases the value of the home, the prospective buyer might prefer a different barbecue style. Also, you might become so attached to it that you wouldn’t want to leave it behind.
♦ Weather-proof your barbecue area, especially if it’s permanent, so you can use it for most of the year despite the weather changes. You can use canopies or screens to shelter the barbecue from rain, sun, wind, or snow. Exposure to extreme weather conditions will not only reduce the periods when you can use the grill but also cause damage to the facility.
Fireplace
Another literally glowing feature that you can add to your outdoor living space in San Diego is a fireplace. You no longer have to hurry back indoors at nightfall due to the cold, just gather around the fireplace and keep the party going. A wood-burning fireplace also keeps the bugs at bay. Bugs can be such a nuisance, especially in the warmer months, and swatting them away every couple of seconds will only dull your outdoor experience. The fumes from the fireplace will drive them away, leaving you to enjoy your space in peace.
With a few modifications, you can use your fireplace for cooking. Other than roasting marshmallows, you can place a metallic grill over the fire and use it for roasting meat. A fireplace also adds a romantic feel to your yard. In days when you’re not entertaining guests, you can pop some champagne and cozy up with your partner in front of the fireplace for a nice romantic evening.
Potential homebuyers stand to benefit from an outdoor fireplace as well, as it raises the market value of the home. There are several types of fireplaces that you can choose from:
♦ Inbuilt
A permanent structure built with brick and mortar, usually adjoining a deck or a patio. If you wish to have your fireplace as a stand-alone unit, you need to select the location carefully since it can hardly be altered to make room for other features.
♦ Clay
A good choice if you want to create a rustic look. The durability of clay is somewhat limited though, as after years of exposure to weather and other harmful elements, the clay is prone to breaking.
♦ Steel metal
The most common choice for small yards, steel is light enough to be quickly taken out when needed and returned afterward. The steel fireplace is round in shape with a mesh screen through which the heat passes. You can also use the furnace for grilling food.
♦ Cast
This type of fireplace can be made from iron or aluminum as they’re sturdy and can withstand various weather conditions. You don’t have to keep moving them in and out of the house.
Consider your preferred source of fuel. Will you use wood or gas? Each option has its pros and cons. Wood is cheap, and you can even get it for free, depending on where you live. You need to install a chimney, though, which comes at an extra cost. You may also be living in one of those areas which restrict smoke pollution. Gas is clean-burning but requires the installation of a gas line to the fireplace, which can be an inconveniencing alteration for your home. Evaluate your circumstances and go with whatever best suits your needs.
Jacuzzi
A Jacuzzi in your yard spells class and elegance. Taking a dip after a long day relaxes your muscles almost instantly and melts your stress and anxiety away. Also, what better spot to spend time with your significant other? There are several types of Jacuzzi tubs that you can install in your outdoor space in San Diego, such as:
♦ Whirlpool bath
Pumps air or water through jets that are distributed strategically in the tub, gently massaging your skin and muscles.
♦ Air
This system incorporates air that blows through the water, creating a gentle, soothing effect.
♦ Heater
This generates blasts of hot water or air to stimulate the muscles and offer relaxation.
♦ Mobile
Set it up when you need it, dismantle and store away after you’re done. A mobile Jacuzzi gives you the option of setting it up anywhere in the yard.
A Jacuzzi allows you to set your preferred water temperature so you can enjoy a dip no matter the weatherr. If Jacuzzis aren’t your thing, there are many other features that you can add to your outdoor space, including lighting, sound, a swimming pool, playsets for kids, and so on. The limit is your imagination.
Benefits of an Outdoor Living Space
There is more to your home than what’s within the walls of your house, there’s the outdoor that you can turn into usable space with the help of features we mentioned above and more. You can effortlessly blur the transition between indoor and outdoor living, making your backyard space an extension of your living room. Sliding doors, as well as moving or stacking glass walls, open up by sliding large panels, offering ample natural light and fresh air. For a truly seamless transition, pocket glass walls are the way to go. They will effortlessly transform your home into a true open-air retreat. When open, the large glass frames disappear from view by sliding into wall pockets. When closed, pocket glass walls offer a view of the outdoors that can’t be matched by any other option. Developing your outdoor living space in San Diego has several advantages for your family:
♦ Relax and unwind
Staying indoors quickly gets monotonous and boring. You can only watch so much TV in a day. Typically, you’d be thinking of going to the park or to the mall to take a break. However, with a well-tended outdoor space, you don’t need to leave your home to unwind. Whether you have a patio, a bench on the deck, a gazebo, or hammocks hanging from the trees in the yard, stepping out through the backdoor already makes you feel at ease. Just sitting there, feeling the sun on your skin, and the breeze in your hair leaves you rejuvenated.
♦ Get the kids outside
Children often prefer staying indoors over playing outside. If you’re a parent, you’ll agree that separating kids from the TV, video games, and mobile phones is almost always a fight. As a result, it can be hard to spend some quality time with them, since their faces are constantly buried in gadgets. If you’re designing your outdoor living space in San Diego, include age-appropriate facilities for your children – swings, trampolines, portable swimming pools, playhouses, and so on. Your kids will drop the gadgets without a fuss, and they’ll be more interested in playing outside. Feel free to join them ad spend time bonding and creating memories.
♦ Relieve stress
Spending time outdoors is widely acknowledged as a mood booster. To keep mental fatigue at bay, it is recommended that you decompress daily. With a well-developed outdoor space, this is as easy as stepping out into your backyard. Just sit there and experience the stimuli – look at the greenery of your landscaping, take in the scent of the blooming flowers, feel the breeze on your skin, notice the prick of the grass on your bare feet. This simple act of living in the moment clears your mind and lowers mental burden.
♦ Additional space
That unused space in your backyard can be turned into an extension of your house, adding to the square footage. Here you can host family gatherings and parties, even with a relatively small house. Combined with the outdoor features we mentioned above, your guests won’t want to leave your party, and your social life will be that much better. Should you decide to sell, the quality of your outdoor space directly affects the value of your San Diego home. Many homebuyers will forgo a bigger house and opt for a smaller one with a developed outdoor living space.
♦ Express your creativity
If you’re renting a house, there’s only so much you can do with the design. Most tenancy agreements limit the changes that you can make to a house. The additional outdoor space allows you to express your style and design it according to your taste. Use portable items so they can move with you when the time comes. Finally, add your personal touch as you deem fit.
Construction of an Outdoor Living Space
One major challenge that arises in the construction of outdoor spaces is the possible damage from weather elements. To prevent this, most people will go for an enclosed patio. With a wide variety of frame material and window types to choose from, your options are truly endless. If you go with modern energy-efficient windows that offer protection from UV radiation, you’ll be able to use your enclosed space all year round comfortably, regardless of the climate. You will enjoy the natural light and the feel of the outdoors without having to deal with harsh weather, bugs, and excess noise.
San Diego French Patio Doors are a reliable and elegant addition to the beauty of your home. They’re made of glass, which allows plenty of natural light from the patio to the adjacent rooms. A well-lit house appears more prominent and lively.
French patio doors can be made from double-pane or even triple-pane glass, enhancing the insulation and energy efficiency of your home.
We hope this article has sparked your imagination and offered some fresh and exciting ideas on how to utilize your outdoor space. For all your window and door installation needs, consider US Window & Door.
Our customer ratings speak for themselves. Contact us at any time if you have questions, feel free to request an online quote to get started, or call for a free in-home evaluation and estimate for your window replacement and installation.
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