Patios: Planning A Pleasing Outdoor Room

Patios are for the most part an extension of the home that 'flows' from the indoors to the outdoors, and is a place that is built to give all the aesthetics and comforts of an interior to an outdoor room.

Being a part of the garden and the total landscape, with proper planning, a patio can become a favourite area ideal for lounging, relaxing, playing, dining or entertaining if only for the warmer periods of the year.

Traditionally, patios were built as inner courts of Spanish style homes, but today the term patio, by common usage, refers to a number of outdoor garden rooms that includes:

• Entertaining areas
• Brick terraces
• Wood decks
• Atriums
• Gazebos
• Pools
• Lanai (an open roofed veranda)
• Attached or detached garden rooms

Planning Patio Designs: Important Issues

Adding a patio or outdoor room to a house requires careful thought and planning. The value of proper planning can not be overstated and will determine its overall success.

It doesn't matter if the plot is small or large, or if the whole outdoors topography looks easy to tackle. There is still a need for proper planning at the design stage. A good, well thought out patio design will create a beautiful result that can be enjoyed by the family for many years.

At the initial stages of the design concept, the following important issues must be addressed:

• Seclusion or privacy. Is the outdoor room meant to be totally private? Perhaps a cul-de-sac ?
• Flexibility in use of space. Is the patio design aimed at creating a multi-purpose space?
• Comfort. It is important to plan a patio that’s comfortable, no matter the theme of the outdoor room.
• Aesthetics and beauty. It must be pleasing, inviting and generally beautiful, whether the idea is a modern minimalist theme or a vintage theme.
• Safety in use. It must meet safety requirements, especially with the issues of improper installation of patio canopies, vertical screens and support beams.

Addressing these main issues while planning the design concept will go a long way in determining whether the patio construction will be a success or a failure.

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See also:

Outdoor Leisure Rooms - A Guide To Effective Patio Designs

Outdoor Rooms: Patios As Outdoor Leisure Rooms

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Based on the above issues, a successful patio design can be achieved, even without spending much time or money. Whatever the choice may be, a patio must add a pleasing architectural shift between the home and the garden.

1) Privacy & Seclusion

As an extension of the living room, a patio must have a sense of privacy and seclusion as much as is possible, almost as much as the indoor rooms do. However, there mustn't be a feeling of being in a confined space. If for example, the yard (or garden) faces a busy street, the street side can be made private without loosing its sense of being spacious. This can be achieved with the use of vertical screens made from materials such as wood, framed screens with trellis patterns punctuated with evergreen shrubs, decorative bamboo screens or simple and lively screens using beautiful flowering plants and shrubbery.

2) Flexibility

A successful outdoor room design must conform with, and adjust to the family's differing activities. It should be planned to accommodate casual gathering, entertaining, children's games, barbeques, out door dinners, reading, lounging, etc.. The best way to achieve patio flexibility is to give its design elements multiple uses, such as barbeque fire pits that double up as central low round tables, outdoor benches that also serve as storage units for gardening equipments, balls, etc., or creating more than one access from the indoors to the patio so that it opens up into more than one indoor rooms.

3) Comfort

Patios planned for use through the different climatic seasons will be found to end up being more comfortable and therefore more used all year round, except maybe during adverse weather conditions. For example, sustaining a comfortable room temperature involves using the right design elements like screens and patio overheads, and patios must be built in the right location (relating to the sun and wind), so as to modify excessive heat during the hot summer months, and strong icy winds during the colder months.

4) Aesthetics & Beauty

When searching for patio design ideas, you will discover that most of them are successful designs because a balance is achieved between their architectural design and other aesthetics on the total outdoor room scheme. Successful patios are the ones that are a continuation of the indoors to the outdoors, a balanced flow. The materials used for construction blends well with those used inside the house. Textures and tones are at harmony with plants, patio furniture and other decorative touches. During the planning stage, attention to its construction and decorative details will contribute immensely to its overall mood and atmosphere.

5) Patio Safety

If not chosen well or installed rightly, some patio construction materials may be unsafe and may encourage accidents. Its advisable to make it a point to learn about the different properties of each material desired to avoid unforeseen hazards. For example, using slippery and glazed floor paving materials may cause nasty slips and falls when it rains, and constructing a beautiful deck without ample structural support for weight may cause collapsing floor boards with a party of many guests. Also, deck rails may look architecturally pleasing, but they may not be strengthened well enough to guarantee safety.

SWhen building patios, plans must be made for safe but aesthetically pleasing traffic patterns between the house and the patio and through to the garden. Good lighting must be provided along the garden paths and the steps of the patio.

But whichever patio design idea that you eventually choose, allow yourself plenty of time to plan it carefully.

And if you want to save money and avoid having to hire a landscape designer, you can design your patio and garden yourself by using a garden and landscape design software program that will make planning and creating awesome patio ideas faster, easier and exciting. They are easy to use, highly versatile, and they allow users experiment and create new ideas at the click of a button.

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See also:

Home & Landscape Design Software. A Punch Designer Software

Resourceful Punch! Home & Landscape Design Professional

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Before commencing plans to build an outdoor room, you should know the functions you want it to serve. Then examine the landscape and decide on the best spot to place the patio.

After you've determined what will work well, and know what you want, put the ideas down on paper; so to speak. You will discover that the time taken to plan and map out your patio design ideas will pay great dividends when the patio's plan is finally executed.

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See also:

Patios: Getting Started With Patio Construction Works

Outdoor Furniture - Function, Durability & Comfort In Patio Furniture

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A great patio brings the home's living space into the outdoors. It's an outdoor room for family's and even friends activities, from dining to entertaining, or simply sitting out and enjoying the view of a well-maintained landscape.

Finding patio and deck plan that fits your home and lifestyle, Any plans of choice can be adapted for a wide variety of home designs, and your new patio or deck doesn't look added on.

• Deck Plans

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