Your outdoor living space is a great place to unwind.
The cool breeze of air and the warmth of the sunlight can provide relaxation to
you and your family.
There are many ways to enhance the aesthetic of your outdoor living space. For instance, the addition of a simple but comfortable furniture and a cooling misting system can turn your regular patio into a cozy haven.
However, if you’re in need of other ideas on how to
enhance your outdoor space, here are a few ways:
Clean it up.
Before turning your outdoor living space into the
patio of your dreams, you must first clean it. Getting rid of unwanted debris
and raking the leaves can prevent unwanted growth like weed and molds.
A clean outdoor space will provide you with better
air quality as well as deter insects from swarming your place.
Decorate your porch.
The outside of your home should be just as inviting
as the inside.
Simple landscaping can do wonders to your home –
specifically to your porch. Adding a few plants and trees that complement each
other will not only make your house look more appealing; it can also protect
your home from bad weather conditions.
Moreover, adding vines and hedges will make you
feel more at ease, as plants can provide you additional privacy.
Add a shade.
One of the best ways to make your patio more
comfortable is by adding a shade that will help deflect the glare and protect
you from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
On the other hand, if you do prefer some sunshine
in your patio, then adding sky lighting or a pergola to your lanai roof can
give you just the right amount of light.
If you live in an area where there are a lot of
bugs and insects, consider adding drop shades or shutters to prevent them from
entering your place.
Cool down your patio.
While it’s always nice to lounge in an outdoor
space on the weekend, some days are just more discouraging than others. The sunlight
can sometimes be too scorching for you to want to hang out in your patio.
Investing in a good quality fan or misting system
for your outdoor living space is a great way to cool you down; it can also
provide additional humidity to your patio.
Additionally, a misting system is great for the
plants in your greenhouse.
Invest in good furniture.
If your porch or patio is big enough, consider
adding comfortable yet functional furniture. There are countless designs to
choose from that will fit your style and space.
Smaller spaces, on the other hand, can still be
enhanced by adding a simple set of chairs and an umbrella.
Install an outdoor fireplace.
Colder temperatures shouldn’t dissuade you from
relaxing in your outdoor living space. An outdoor fireplace will make an
excellent addition and may also serve as the focal point of your patio.
However, if a fireplace doesn’t seem feasible, a
traditional fire pit should be a good alternative.
A seating area around the fireplace or fire pit is
a great place to relax with your friends and family.
Your outdoor living space is an ideal place to bond
with your family and friends. It is also a versatile area that can cater to
events like simple gatherings and barbecue parties.
Turning your outdoor space into a place for fun and
relaxation shouldn’t be laborious or costly. With a little investment, plenty
of effort, and lots of creativity, you can transform your porch or patio into
the perfect hangout and leisure spot.
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
As the population boom along Colorado’s front-range continues, many housing developments have been popping up throughout the area in an attempt to satisfy the need to house the burgeoning growth. While many of these new developments tout their environmental and community principles to attract buyers, one PUD (planned unit development) project we have had the opportunity to work on takes those ideas seriously and is truly committed to building a green and inclusive community.
This project, called Main Street Erie, is still in the approval process. When it is ultimately built, Main Street Erie will provide new housing options for the growing town of Erie (located in Weld County), while simultaneously following many of the environmental and community ideals that the citizens of Colorado hold dear to their hearts.
The design of Main Street Erie is informed by New Urbanist
concepts and inspired by the idealized small town of America’s yesteryear.
White picket fences blend with detached walks, traditional architecture with
inviting porches, and cozy alley homes to bring back the charm of an idealized
residential development your grandparents may have grown up in as children.
To be efficient with land area, homes are placed closer together with smaller yards. Because most of the lots do not provide a large amount of outdoor space, and also because many of the lots have extra accessory dwelling units (ADU’s), it was determined that a community garden space would be a good addition to the project. A large portion of the property was set aside for a garden area with nearly 30 garden plots. In the community garden spaces, residents can work together getting their hands dirty nurturing their green thumbs, while interacting with their neighbors.
The inclusion of ADUs in this development will help address
the need for multiple housing types. ADU’s can help provide variable housing
sizes, which in turn may lead to a more diverse cross-section of community
members.
Near the community garden plots will sit a clubhouse with outdoor gathering spaces, including a whimsically oversized chess board to entertain young and old alike.
Just north-east of the clubhouse a large communal lawn space is planned that will make a perfect community gathering spot for residents and their families to relax and have fun with their neighbors.
This project is an efficient use of the land due to the manner in which housing types are sited together. Homes are situated and designed for maximum solar gain. This will help maximize the efficiency of solar panels. But at the same time, care has been taken to incorporate vines and other plantings along the south sides of buildings to shade the structures from southern exposure, to help minimize heat gain as much as possible.
Main Street Erie has been a great project to be involved
with. With no foreseeable slow-down in development along the Front Range of
Colorado, it is good to see neighborhoods and communities like Main Street Erie
being planned with sustainable and community building aspects being included
from beginning.
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
It’s summer, which means in Colorado and other surrounding states in the Central Plains/Inter-mountain West region of the country, it is Hail Season!
Earlier in the Summer, the Denver area had several sessions of hail that ripped through gardens and landscapes late one June night. Avid gardens who’d been awakened by the cacophony of thunder, torrential rain and hail that night, sleepily rushed out in the morning to find shredded plants and debris scattered everywhere. I myself had many plants I’d been babying from seed and roots all Spring which were severely torn up by the barrage of hail stones.
This horticultural carnage got me wondering what plants are best at surviving the annual severe weather in our region? As I walked around the yard sadly inspecting the damage, it was easy to see that the native and climate adapted plants fared best from the aerial ice-bullet onslaught. So I thought it might be a good idea to create a list of “hail-proof” (or at least “hail-resistant”) plants. The following list of plants is just a cursory look at some possible plant choices that should be better able to handle hail storms:
Ornamental Grasses:
-Many, many varieties. Some of the hardiest, and easiest to grow in our region are Feather Reed (Calamagrostis spp.), Switch grass (Panicum virgatum), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), and Giant Sacaton (Sporobolus wrightii)
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
