Creating an incredible outdoor living space can be done with the right products and ideas. Whether you want to spruce up your front yard landscaping or you want to create the perfect outdoor entertainment area in the backyard, you need the right ideas.
From hardscape materials to lighting to landscaping, there are many things that go into creating the best outdoor living space for your home. Some of the ideas found below will help with increasing home value and curb appeal. Others will make your home more inviting or add better function to the outdoor living area. Let’s go through the different outdoor areas of your home and look at some of the best ideas you can use to make your space more appealing.
Property Entrances
You have several entrances to your property including the driveway, your front entrance, your backyard entrance, and any walkways. These outdoor spaces can become rather inviting with the right ideas. There are many ways to make a driveway or front porch more inviting. Adding the right walkway can go a long way, and, of course, your backyard entrance can function the way you prefer for entertaining too.
Before we look at each individual entrance, it’s important to consider the terrain you are working with. You might need a specific type of setup due to your elevation or the way your entrance area is designed. For example, a driveway on a grade might require a specific design when adding a wall to the size or a patterned border.
Sometimes, when dealing with grades or specific elevations, adding the right pavers or stepping stones can make getting from one area of your property to another, easier. It’s important to consider the elevation and grade you are working with when transforming the entrance areas of your home.
Driveways
There are many ways to transform your driveway entrance. Adding a driveway apron can give you the perfect look. You can also add a driveway edge or build a wall as the border of your driveway. With the right driveway pavers, you can add contrast to get the look you desire.
In some cases, using driveway rocks can help you create the entrance you prefer. There are many design ideas you can use to connect your driveway to the front porch area, too. A walkway can be designed with the perfect landscaping or water feature to give your home plenty of curb appeal.
Walkways
The variety of walkways you can create for the entrance of your home is endless. From simple stepping stones to go from the driveway around to the back of the house to paver walkways to gravel walkways, you have plenty of ideas to choose from.
It’s rather common to create a walkway from the driveway to the front entrance of your home. This can be a simple paver walkway or a concrete walkway bordered by landscaping.
Front Porches
From the driveway to the front walkway to the front porch, you have now reached the main entrance area of your home. The front porch can be designed to look rather appealing with the right color front door, the right landscaping surrounding it, and the right seating options. Depending on the amount of space you are working with, you can design your front porch to feature comfortable seating or you can choose a more minimalistic design.
Backyard Entrances
While the front of your home will help to add curb appeal, you don’t want to forget about the back entrance. This outdoor living space will likely become an entertainment area or lead down to your backyard swimming pool or garden. A walkway, deck, or paver patio might be the first thing you step onto as you leave the back entrance of your home.
Upgrade the Exterior of Your Home to Add Value
When you start thinking about the outdoor living space of your home, you might not think about upgrading the exterior. However, the right upgrade can add value to your home and make it look amazing. You can add stone veneer to the bottom half of the exterior, to the entranceway, or as a specific design element. Of course, the right natural stone veneer or manufactured stone veneer can also be used to create arch stones or stone window sills.
Some of the best ways you can use stone veneer to upgrade the exterior of your home include:
- Outdoor Kitchen Area – Adding stone veneer to your outdoor kitchen can give you a low-maintenance, natural look for the walls, grilling area, fire pit, or seating area.
- Fireplaces/Chimneys – You can also use stone veneers on the exterior of your fireplace or chimney to add that perfect stone look without the expense of actual stones.
- Larger Exterior Walls – If you want to turn a boring exterior wall of your home into something interesting, adding stone veneer is a great option.
- Within a Water Feature – If you’re trying to create the look of a natural waterfall, you can add stone veneer to get the look you want. It can also be used as a part of a swimming pool or fountain.
- Trim/Facade – Another popular way to upgrade the exterior of your home with stone veneer is to use it as a part of the facade or trim of your home.
There are many ways to incorporate stone veneer into the outdoor living space of your home.
Front Yard Landscaping for Better Curb Appeal
The front outdoor living space of your home is going to be the area that you want to focus on when creating curb appeal. The right bulk landscaping materials can help you fill in empty spaces and help you create a low-maintenance landscape for your front yard.
You can add flower beds, garden beds, mulch, rock beds, or even use beach sand to create the look you want. With bulk mulch, you can make your front yard landscape low-maintenance and give it a natural look. Of course, you can also add edging stones to add more curb appeal to the front area of your home.
Another great material for your front yard landscape is decorative rocks. You can use rocks to fill in empty spaces where old flower beds were or in areas where plants don’t grow so well.
Backyard Outdoor Living Space for Entertaining and Tranquility
A major focus of many homeowners, the backyard outdoor living space will be the place for entertaining, especially during the summer months. You want to make sure you have the perfect design to fit your needs. There are many great ways to make your backyard area functional and beautiful.
Outdoor Patio Area
It all starts with the patio or deck when it comes to the backyard outdoor living space. Creating the perfect patio or deck area gives you a place for outdoor seating and even outdoor dining. With the right retaining wall or circle wall, you can even create a private area for dining outside.
Of course, your outdoor patio area will need an outdoor kitchen. Adding an outdoor kitchen complete with a grill island or a pizza oven can give you the entertainment space you desire. There are many outdoor backyard ideas for your patio and kitchen area to choose from to fit your specific desires.
Adding the right stone steps up from the patio or deck for your backyard outdoor living space is also important. You can use natural stone treads to create the perfect steps leading into the backyard entrance of your home. You might also want to choose a specific edging stone for your patio or to use around your swimming pool.
Add a Fire Pit, Fire Bowl, or Fireplace to Your Backyard
One of the most popular features for entertaining in any backyard is a fire pit or fire bowl. When you add the right fire pit, it provides a great option to extend the time you can use our outdoor living space into late fall or even early winter.
There are plenty of different fire pit and fire bowl designs to choose from including round and square-shaped options. A fire bowl can offer a unique look, while the right fire pit can give you the perfect classic look for your backyard living space.
If you truly want to make your outdoor living space luxurious, you can add an outdoor fireplace in Long Island. There are many great designs to choose from and you can even choose a design that works perfectly with your outdoor kitchen and patio. The right outdoor fireplace can allow you to use your backyard area longer and give you the perfect ambiance.
When you want to transform your outdoor living space, these are some of the best ideas to consider. Choosing to upgrade your exterior, spruce up your home entrance areas, or even create the perfect backyard entertainment area can help your home become more inviting.