Many homeowners initially—and often hastily—invest in an outdoor living space without thinking about what elements will bring them the most enjoyment. In essence, this means they don’t factor in the benefits they would like to gain from adding or enhancing an outdoor living space. This may be due to various reasons. The rationale of “putting the cart before the horse” and not considering how your outdoor space should function or flow may be due to the eagerness and excitement of first-time homeownership and finally having your own “custom” space to call your own. However…
There comes a point for all homeowners when they are ready to take their outdoor living space design to the next level. For some, that time comes when they realize they want to settle into a home and make it livable for years to come. Others reach that decision after children have grown a bit and family entertaining becomes more focused on “quality time” rather than running about. And still for others, an outdoor living structure investment comes later in life when homeowners desire to mold the home and landscape of their dreams, a refuge for relaxation and spending time with the ones they love.
Whenever this time comes for you, and you are ready to improve your outdoor space, it is important to carefully consider what you want to achieve from your investment.
The first step to enhancing your existing outdoor living space or starting anew is to use your imagination. We encourage our clients to DREAM. It may sound corny, but pretend your backyard is a canvas and your imagination is the brush. What do you want to create? Ask yourself what activities you wish to enjoy within your outdoor living space. Such as, would you like to cook and dine on the deck or patio under the stars instead of going out for date night? Do you invision spending fall evenings with the kids making s’mores or singing songs around an outdoor fire pit? If this method doesn’t help, we then suggest going indoors and look out the windows to envision what you’d like to see when you look outside. Initially, we encourage dreaming without constraints. There will be plenty of time to prioritize and set practical, workable goals, but your long-term vision will help identify the necessary steps to achieve your outdoor living dreams.
The next step is to compartmentalize. If you find it overwhelming to look at your backyard as one big void to be developed, we can help! Through our experience we have found that with many clients it may be easier to imagine your outdoor living space as several different “rooms” in the same way your indoor space is broken up. For instance, as we take notes during your initial consultation, we might document an area where you might like to have an outdoor fire pit or a built-in seating or retaining wall. Compartmentalizing the wants for your outdoor living space will prevent planning overload and make your vision more attainable. You and your outdoor living space builder can then develop a plan to bring each area to life all at once, if possible, or in stages over time as your lifestyle and budget permit.
The final step is to prioritize. If you choose to create your ideal outdoor living space over time, know that our goal is to give you the best value so as to save you money while providing the greatest lifestyle impact in the long run. For instance, if you eventually wish to add an outdoor kitchen but want to install a simple patio first, it is helpful to know where plumbing, electric and gas lines should be installed before the patio is built. “Archadeck of Central SC”: http://central-south-carolina.archadeck.com/can help you prioritize the projects in a way that will stay within your budget parameters and still give you the most immediate satisfaction.
If you are having trouble prioritizing, we can be the trusted advisor you turn to for help. We can sit down with you and help identify the key components you want out of your outdoor living space addition that will bring you the most enjoyment now and in the future!
Contact Archadeck of Central SC today to get started at (803) 784-1566.
