Want An Extra Room in your Home? Extend Your Living Area Outdoors to your Deck

During the past decade, outdoor living has emerged as one of the most popular elements of design for homes. This trend will only intensify in the year 2021 as the concept of “home” expands to include outdoor spaces and extend your living area outdoors.

If you’re seeking to add another room to your house, then challenge yourself to think outside the box when planning for dining, entertainment, relaxation, entertainment, and children’s play areas. With some careful planning — and the use of durable and versatile capped composite building materials — you can create an outdoor oasis that acts as an extension of your home. Here’s how you get started:

Step One: Extend your Living Area Outdoors

To make the most of your outdoor living space, you must ensure a seamless transition from the indoors to the outdoors. For many homeowners, this means building a deck that’s flush with your home. If you’re starting from scratch, consider your family’s habits for this first step. For instance, if your kitchen is the most popular gathering space in your home, then it makes sense to build your deck flush with the kitchen so that family and guests can flow easily in and out. Consider, also, the positioning of the deck. Will it get sufficient sunlight? Does it face the best view of your property?

Think about how you’re going to divide your indoor and outdoor living spaces. For instance, wide sliding glass doors give a sensation of openness and light indoors, and enhance the easy flow of traffic in and out.

Next, consider the benefits of incorporating a deck roof into the design. Whether you go for a shed roof or a gable roof style, make sure you choose a material that will stand up to the elements and not add hours of costly maintenance to your routine.

While you’re at it, think about walls or siding for your deck. Adding siding not only makes your deck seem like part of your home, but also ensures the space is safe for kids and pets. Think about how to make your outdoor space have all the comfort of an indoor room. For example, screening can help you enjoy your deck without worrying about bugs while outdoor blinds can help shield you from slanting afternoon light.

Step Two: Decide on Theme & Function for your Outdoor Living Area

If you want to treat your outdoor area as an extension of your living space, then you probably already have a good idea of what you want the space to accomplish for you and your family. If you’re still deciding, we have plenty of decking ideas to inspire you. Here are some general concepts you might want to consider for your new outdoor room:

Add an Outdoor Kitchen, Bar, or Dining Room

If you love the idea of taking mealtime outside, then nothing tops an outdoor kitchen on your deck. Outdoor kitchens can be as minimalist or as decked-out as you wish, with options for sinks, refrigerators, stove top grills, and even an outdoor bar set-up.

If you’re not looking to invest in an outdoor kitchen, you can still bring mealtime outside by creating a dining room complete with a long table, comfortable chairs, and ambient outdoor lighting to entertain your guests.

Extend your Living Room Outdoors

More and more homeowners are enlarging their living space by creating a family or entertainment room outside. The opportunities are endless. Furnish the space with chairs and a comfortable couch and use the space for game night. Add an entertainment centre and an outdoor TV to watch your favourite shows outside. Or, if you’d like to leave the TV indoors, consider a fire pit on your deck to gather around.

Add an Outdoor Kids’ Area

It’s great for kids to get fresh air every single day. With an outdoor room on the deck, they can get that fresh air while still staying close by and out of the elements. If you’re using your deck space for kids, you can outfit the space with beanbag chairs, toys, and play mats. Another fresh idea is to utilise under-deck space as a shaded area for kids to play. Just remember that if you have young children using your deck your walls must be high enough to prevent accidents.

Create an Outdoor Retreat

Did you know that fresh air and green spaces have been scientifically proven to boost the mood? You can combine your love of the outdoors with your meditative or relaxing practice to create the perfect place to relax. Consider adding potted plants, comfortable seating, and dim lighting so that you can enjoy your relaxation zone in the calm hours of the morning or in the evening.

Add a Sun Room or a “Backyard”

Enjoy the outdoors year-round with a sun room. Enclose the space with screens for seasonable weather enjoyment. Add cozy elements like a rocking chairs and rugs so that you can enjoy views of your property from a comfy outdoor space.

Alternately, use a sunny deck to create a “backyard” space and grow a garden. Potted herbs, tomato plants, and flowers all make a beautiful addition to your deck garden.

Step Three: Think About Decor

If you’re truly treating a deck as an extension of your outdoor space, then you need to give decor as much consideration as you would for your indoor spaces. Here are some ideas:

• Shabby chic. Elegant, modern, casual, Bohemian — what’s your style? Shabby chic is one of the most popular trends in home decor, with grey colour themes and worn-in furnishings conveying a rustic yet elegant look. Capped composite cladding, like NexGEN’s graphite cladding, help emphasise a shabby chic look.

• Built-in Storage in Seating. If you have a relatively compact space on your deck, you can maximise space by creating built-in storage within convenient outdoor seating. Use a quality product that won’t mold, rot, or splinter to protect your possessions. For example, NexGEN’s capped composite decking can be installed in both vertical and horizontal orientations to build custom storage for your deck.

• Cozy & Warm. Cozy furnishings are not just for the indoors. Make your outdoor space cozy by coordinating with throws, pillows, blankets, and rugs that create a cozy lived-in feel — all with the fresh air of the outdoors.

• Use Greenery. If you have a sunny deck space, then using potted plants to decorate can help bridge the gap between the indoors and the outdoors. Colorful greenery keeps spaces looking fresh and inviting, and outdoor potted herb gardens meld form with function.