Small Patio Design | Patio Ideas for Small Backyards
Ahh, outdoor living. That's the life. Being able to enjoy life outdoors - the fresh air and sky above us – that's the joy of living on the patio. Having friends and family over to grill and to listen to the birds chirping while enjoying a glass of wine makes this experience one of the best.
There are many factors that go into patio design. This article will focus on how to create an outdoor living patio in a small space that will give you joy for many years to come.
An outdoor living space doesn't have to be 1,000 square feet to accommodate all your desires. As you'll see below, my wife and I not only fit everything we wanted into 350 square feet, but we also created a space suitable for both summer and winter, giving us additional space to live a more carefree lifestyle.
Having an outdoor living space allows us to add a room to our homes. We can therefore increase our livable space without having to move to a larger home. Patios with sitting areas and dining areas give us new places to do common household activities while enjoying the outdoors. These functional areas also give the eye a place to rest while creating pleasant design.
The first place to start is to measure the patio area you would like to renovate. Then, create a wish list of all the features you would like to incorporate in the patio design. Separate your wish list with "must have" and "nice to have" and see what you've got.
Here's a list of the possibilities:
Dining area
Grilling area
Outdoor kitchen
Herb garden
Flower garden
Built in seating
Pond with fish
Water feature
Pool with water feature
Fire fit
Outdoor fireplace
Shade cover
Wall Art
Ceramic pots and vessels
Lighting – task and ambiance
Case in point
My own patio renovation has brought tremendous rest and relaxation to my home environment. For some time my wife had been hinting that she'd like a home with a pool, but since we both love our patio home (its proximity to downtown Scottsdale and the Indian Bend bike trail), Suzanne and I did not want to move. So we chose instead to invest in a complete renovation of our patio. There were many steps in the process but we got exactly what we wanted and we didn't have to move.
Here's the how to:
From your wish list construct a floor plan or layout that would incorporate all your wants and needs. My wife and I were able to include a pool with water feature, a landscaped area, a built in barbeque, a submerged koi pond with two bridges, built in seating for five, a fire pit, a river, and seven water falls – all in 350 square feet. See the final images here. Notice the river behind the seating. You don't need to be conventional. You can create a small patio design and bring in artistic touches throughout. As confirmation that we have created something truely awesome, our project was featured in Phoenix Home and Garden May 2008.
Not sure how to design your patio? Let Dana Ball, The Art Guy, help you create a design that factors in all your wants and needs.
©Copyright 2009 - 2011| Dana W. Ball | All Rights Reserved
Dana W. Ball, The Art Guy, is the creator of The Visual Home™, a design process that allows clients to visualize their home for suitability, comfort, and style before it is built using three dimensional (3D) design technology. Dana creates custom designs for kitchens, master bedrooms, bathrooms, home offices, outdoor spaces and patios, as well as new home designs from concept through construction.
Dana, a licensed General Contractor and Architectural Designer, uses sustainable and green design concepts to create custom spaces for clients from California to Virginia and Idaho to Arizona. Contact Dana and start designing your dream home today!
Three ways to contact us:
Call Dana, the Art Guy at: 480-235-4532
Email: dana@artguydesign.com
Snail Mail: 6350 N. 78th St Suite 259, Scottsdale Arizona 85250 |
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