What Does Your Dream Patio Look and Feel Like?
If you have found your way to this article then there is a good chance you’ve been dreaming about upgrading your patio or renovating the outdoor space around your home. However, it’s not enough to know that you just want your yard to be “better.” You shouldn’t break ground until you know exactly what your dream patio looks like.
This is something a good patio contractor can help you figure out. In fact, I often find that great ideas arise when talking to new customers during the initial design and consultation phase.
Maybe you aren’t quite that far along in the process yet. If so, here are a handful of questions you might want to consider…
What Do You Like (or Not Like) About Your Current Outdoor Space?
Sometimes the best way to look forward is to examine where you’re at for the moment. It could be that you renovated your patio once in the past and want to do so again. Or, it might be the case that you’ve never been through this process before, or that you only acquired the home recently.
Whatever the situation, think about what you do (and don’t) enjoy about the patio you have now. What stands out to you as being useful, beautiful, and a good fit for the way you want to live? Which elements seem dated, unsafe, or a poor fit for what you and your family need?
Although I always want my customers to think about the space they have first, it can also be helpful to reflect on other patios you have seen. Is there anything that jumped out at you as being particularly good or bad? Have you ever come across an outdoor space that made you feel particularly welcome or uncomfortable?
These impressions are all great starting points when putting together a vision of the dream patio you want to create.
How Will You Use Your Patio Once Work Has Finished?
This question goes in tandem with the first one, but I like to get my customers thinking about things from both perspectives. Sometimes, it’s easier to think about what we want to see in a back patio. Other times, thinking about how we will actually use the space – day to day, and season to season – generates more specific ideas.
When you consider the future of your backyard, don’t only consider your own wishes. Also imagine yourself having guests. Perhaps you have friends who could come to visit, not to mention children or grandchildren. You might host partners, or even use your dream patio as a social hub for others in your business or community. How would any of these groups use the space? What would be more or less attractive to them?
Your wishes are always going to be the most important. But, if you imagine others coming to enjoy your outdoor space with you, then it only makes sense to incorporate certain elements (like pools and water slides for grandkids, for example) so they can make the most of the area, as well. Then they’ll come to love your patio just as much as you do.
What Elements Are Most Important to You?
By now you are probably starting to think in terms of specifics. Let’s narrow in a little further and consider some specific features you might want to see included in your patio.
These days, there are very few limits on what you can accomplish with a bit of planning and the right investment. However, from experience I have learned that most of my customers think about at least a few of the following:
- A pool, hot tub, or sauna for deep relaxation on hot and cold days
- An outdoor kitchen to enjoy warmer days and beautiful scenery
- Trees at strategic points for shade, privacy, and a touch of nature
- A family game area that could include basketball or tennis courts
- Low-voltage or landscape lighting for mornings and evenings
- Focal points that draw the eye or enhance property values
It’s worth pointing out again that these are only starting points for your inspiration. How you plan on using your space, and with whom, will determine which specific elements are valuable to you. The point is to build your dream, not to build a patio that necessarily mirrors the other properties around you.
Are There Any Constraints to Deal With?
There isn’t really any such thing as a patio construction project that doesn’t have any constraints. Everyone has to deal with budgets, uneven ground, zoning laws, finding the right materials, and other factors. Finding the right balance between your dream and any realistic limits you have to work with is just part of the process.
If you are already aware of some constraints you have to deal with, you might want to list them on a piece of paper. You could have a hard budget, for instance, or some feature in your property that can’t be compromised. Additionally, your patio contractor might have to help you prioritize your wishes during the design phase.
With that being said, I always encourage my customers to dream as big as they can – at least when we are starting out. You can always take things away from your design as you work on a budget and plan. But by thinking about as many different wishful elements as you can early on, you make it far more likely that you’ll end up with an outdoor space you love at the end.
Additionally, it’s important to remember that most homeowners can do more than they think with a patio and backyard. In other words, you might not have to scale back your vision nearly as much as you would expect to. With the right plan and a good patio contractor on your side, you might be able to create something that’s even more beautiful than you imagined.
Looking for Help With Patio Design and Construction?
If you are located in Northeast Massachusetts and want to bring your dream of a perfect outdoor space to life, then we can help. Contact the team at Stefanos Landscaping today to arrange for a free design consultation at your home.