3 Outdoor Area Home Improvements to Liven Up Your Backyard

The desire to create and enjoy comfortable outdoor living spaces continues to trend high. Recent reports indicate that outdoor rooms such as patios and dining areas remain the number two backyard living trend.

In fact, 98% of homeowners or buyers reportedly want to expand their living space by building terraces, decks, and patios. According to a National Association of Realtors study, outdoor living upgrades deliver between 69–80% return on investment (ROI).

Although these home improvements offer good ROI, the most important benefit is that they can also improve homeowners' quality of life. To maximize leisure time, incorporate the following design ideas into your alfresco living spaces.

Transform Outdoor Living Space With A Built-In Kitchen

Everyone loves a backyard barbecue. Believe it or not, more than a billion dollars' worth of outdoor grills are sold each year in the U.S. With such proven popularity, think of what a high-quality built-in outdoor kitchen could do for the value of a home. A standard-issue propane or charcoal grill may get the job done, but they don't bring added value to the property.

Built-in kitchens with stainless steel grills as a centerpiece can take outdoor spaces to the next level. A complete kitchen design may include countertops, additional burners to prepare side dishes, a mini-refrigerator, storage drawers, and other amenities. The benefits of a well-designed outdoor kitchen are two-fold: homeowners get to enhance the relaxation of outdoor meals, and the return on investment can be over 100% in some cases.

Upgrade Part Of Your Deck To A Veranda

Wooden decks and stone patios undoubtedly improve the quality of time spent outdoors. That quality can be improved even further by including a veranda. An overhang that covers all or just part of an outdoor living space lets homeowners unwind outside in almost any weather. The following rank among the popular benefits homeowners gains from a veranda upgrade:

• Shade on sunny days and dry space on rainy days
• Extend the life of outdoor furnishings
• Ability to safely install electronic devices such as TVs and sound systems

Along with these and other benefits, homeowners no longer need to rely on fair weather to entertain friends and family members in their backyard. A partial roof gives people the option to soak up the sun or rest in the shade.

Extend The Season By Integrating Outdoor Climate Control

A tremendous number of backyard decks and restaurant patios use propane space heaters to keep people warm. Residents and customers typically sit within the heat-throw radius as the evening chill arrives. As a convenient perk, these devices are usually portable too. It's essential to choose the right heating system inside your home, and the same applies to outside areas.

Homeowners now have the option to install fixed outdoor heating systems that use infrared technology. These systems minimize the risk of fire, and infrared technology warms objects rather than air. That basically means that a stiff, cool breeze won't sweep away someone's comfortable warmth. Heaters can be attached to a veranda overhang or mounted on walls or deck posts, and are fueled by natural gas, liquid propane, or electricity in some cases. Additionally, there are ceiling fans or outdoor air-conditioning units that can extend summer enjoyment in warm-weather areas.

Boost your enjoyment today by making improvements to the space outside of your home. It's a great way to increase home equity, and an even better way to enjoy quality time in the great outdoors.