Building A Functional Patio
It’s hard to imagine sitting out in the sun right now but if you want to be doing so on your brand new deck, planning starts now! A few key points to focus on when planning your outdoor living area would be function, durability, and budget.
Function is probably the #1 thing to decide on. If you are a young family you will probably want to factor in your green space as a priority for your children to play on. Where as if you are retired, green space just equals constant maintenance so either consider turf grass or a bigger deck to enjoy with friends. Our project manager, Nathan, also pointed out that creating a divide between different areas is a popular choice these days and aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. That can be done using planter boxes, retaining walls, or even shrubbery. Our Kensington project is a good example of a multi-level outdoor living space.
Patio Layout
After factoring in these elements, decide whether or not you want an outdoor cooking area would be important. These can be used all year round if done right. Placing an outdoor cooking area close to the door, and choosing to have a pergola built would mean that you can have that grilled steak any day of the year. Another idea for this space would be to build a small counter space that houses drawers and a mini fridge (shown below – our Edgewood project). Then when you are enjoying those summer months, you can stock these with outdoor utensils and drinks and no need to transfer back and forth.
Quality
When it comes to durability, you pay for what you get, and that doesn’t mean choosing top of the line for every inch of your patio. Put your money where it matters most, you don’t want to be replacing your decking in a couple years because you chose a low quality wood opposed to a high quality one that will hold-up to our Vancouver weather. That brings us to budget, and that is going to be different with each person and project. Just getting an understanding on how budget works when it comes to building new or renovating is a conversation in itself. That is why we recommend you book an appointment with us. We would be glad to meet with you and provide you with a free quote to build you a beautiful outdoor living space.
