Nothing beats the beauty and weather of fall in Northeast Ohio! Bright colors, vibrant sunshine and cool, crisp air make fall the perfect time to build an outdoor entertainment space at your home.
Outdoor entertainment space can have different connotations to different people:
- Maybe it’s simply a firepit with seating for warm summer nights and s’mores or cool fall evenings and hot chocolate
- Some people may prefer a new flagstone or paver patio, complete with a built-in fireplace and a water feature
- Other people’s dream outdoor space includes ecoscaping, landscaping, and a killer outdoor kitchen
- Perhaps you want it all:
As you can see, your outdoor entertaining space can be as basic or as grand as your vision and budget allow. And when it’s being built in the fall, you have a really special landscape to look forward to when spring arrives!
I’d like to share some tips we at Ohio Valley Group have learned after 30 years in the business, including building some amazing outdoor entertaining spaces. Basically, if our clients can imagine it, we can build it. And if they can’t imagine it, we imagine it for them through our exceptional outdoor design services!
Tips for a Beautiful Outdoor Entertaining Space
- Your first step is to really consider HOW you will use this space:
- Occasional casual entertaining
- Family-centered meals cooked and eaten outdoors
- Recreation/activities/fun
- Luxurious dinners and parties, perhaps even weddings
- None of the above – I want a calm and peaceful retreat just for me!
- Next, figure out WHO will use the space. You want all of it to be safe and accessible for everyone:
- Adults only?
- Children?
- Senior citizens?
- All of the above?
- List your must-haves, including:
- Patio/Walkway
- Landscaping/Ecoscaping
- Pool
- Spa
- Kitchen
- Deck or screened porch
- Pergola or other roofing
- Anything else you can dream up
- Figure out the idea locations for all of your must-haves.
- Be realistic about your space limitations (and the neighbors).
- Do you have a Homeowners Association and rules regarding building and landscape?
- You might even want to think about where the sun hits during the day, or what areas are prone to rainwater buildup.
- As you consider locations, also discern your preferred size and scale:
- Are you thinking a smaller pool or do you want a larger pool with slide and diving board?
- Do you want a full outdoor kitchen with fridge, countertops, cupboards and oven, or is space for a nice grill and workspace sufficient?
- Do you need seating for 20, or will a few built-in benches do the trick?
- Is a smaller patio with pretty landscaping and the sound of falling water more your style, or is a pavilion with golf scaping what you envision?
- Think about the materials you might want to use for the various aspects of your project:
- Are you more interested in natural or eco products, or is a stamped concrete patio just fine? What woods do you have in mind for your deck or screened porch?
- What trees and flowers do you like, and will they be used just for beauty or for other purposes such as shade?
- What colors and styles will complement your existing house and current outdoor features?
- Draw up a budget. In can be really difficult to know how much materials and labor cost, but you should at least have a ballpark figure in mind on the high end. You can always cut from there.
- Decide who’s going to do the labor. If it’s a DIY project, be realistic about how much you can really do yourself and if your buddies really will come over and help.
- Think about timing. Fall truly is a great time to do your project. If you’re using a professional landscape and design company, you can probably get better deals and timing once the craziness and busyness of summer has passed!
- Last but not least, dream about spring and summer! We’re so lucky here in Northeast Ohio to have distinct seasons, each with their own beauty. Imagine you and your family and friends enjoying the gorgeous outdoor space this spring that you dreamed up last fall!
Give us a call at Ohio Valley Group at 440-543-0500 to talk about how you can turn your outdoor dreams into reality!
