Hello World! Welcome Friends! If you’ve always wanted an outdoor living space with its own cover, there are plenty of reasons why you should get one. Patio cover additions keep you connected to nature in a shaded spot while expanding your living area for day-to-day activities or big parties. When patio covers are done right, they can raise your home’s value and reduce energy costs. You can check out Texas Home Improvement for ideas after you explore these ten reasons for adding a patio cover to your home.
Shade When You Need It
While everyone loves the summer sun, homeowners without a shady spot tend to spend more time indoors during the hottest days of the season. If you’ve spent the past two hours working in the yard, the shade from a covered patio is not only welcome, it’s a must-have. Patio covers turn your outdoor space from a glaring hot-spot into a refreshing retreat. Shaded areas are 10% cooler than open areas during periods of high temperature.
Think outside the box when you’re designing your shade oasis. Consider using plants, cloth drapes, and slatted materials to create an outdoor respite from the blazing heat of summer. Shaded areas are priceless all year round. They are a beautiful place to enjoy the cool breezes of spring and the lovely autumn season. When your children have a shaded area to play during the summer months, they are more likely to spend time outdoors.
Return to Nature
No matter where you live, nature is around you. People with a covered patio space spend more time outdoors. Many homeowners surround their patios with garden spots that attract birds and helpful insects. Others go even further by adding bird feeders and birdbaths to the area. Thoughtful additions bring nature directly to your door.
Patios on the west side of a home provide a great place to listen to bird songs at the end of the day, while east-facing covered patios are the best place for a morning cup of coffee while you listen to the natural world wake up with you. You don’t have to wait for the weekend to enjoy nature and its many benefits. Outdoor living spaces let you experience the life that surrounds you daily.
Entertainment Central
Nothing says party like a well-decked-out, covered patio. When friends and family arrive, you can greet them inside but move the festivities to a welcoming outdoor space. Outdoor parties tend to be more relaxing than indoor parties. Plus, your guests can have it both ways. They can slip inside for private conversations and rejoin the larger party later.
To set up your patio for outdoor entertaining, be sure to add lots of comfortable seating. Options include big pillows, built-in bench seating around the edges of your patio, and outdoor furniture. Make sure to add tables for food and drink and you are set up for a good time. It’s that simple. Best of all, outdoor parties are easy to clean up after the festivities end when you include a few strategically placed waste bins to the area.
Value Added to Home
Let’s face it. Not all home improvements add value to your home once the bills come due. Covered patios are the exception. They are highly affordable when compared to other additions and can be built in a fraction of the time. There are a few things to keep in mind to add the maximum to your home’s value.
First, the design of the covered patio space matters. It should complement your home’s exterior and flow into the interior of your home. Secondly, the size of the outdoor addition matters. It should fit into the surrounding environment naturally. Think of it as a three bears problem: not too big, not too little, but just right. Finally, when you do decide to sell your home, make sure that the decorations aren’t too cumbersome so prospective buyers can see themselves enjoying the area you’ve added to the home.
Heat Reduction
Covered outdoor living spaces will provide a more relaxed place in the summer. But, did you know that they can also keep your home’s interior cooler during the warm weather season as well? It’s not something most homeowners think about when they build their patio cover with aluminum patio cover kits, but it’s a real benefit.
Large patio doors act as conduits for heat absorption when they are directly exposed to the sun. Those doors are fantastic for opening up a room to the outdoors, but they come with an energy cost during the hotter months of the year. When those doors are shaded, they aren’t exposed to the same heat levels. The net result is that your home remains cooler during warm weather, and you still get the feeling of openness that you love.
Increased Living Space
The quickest and most affordable solution when you need more living space is to head outside and start expanding there. These outdoor spaces are especially important to homeowners with less indoor square footage. In just a short time, it’s possible to add a new hobby spot, family room, or outdoor kitchen.
Covered patios can even be designed for four-season living by including screens and windows to the mix. Instead of paying through the nose for more area for the kids to play or for a large family room for entertaining, the affordable option of using your existing patio is ready and waiting for you. Of course, owners of both large and small homes appreciate having a well-appointed outdoor room, but when adding living space matters, covers work.
Added Style
Think about the first time you walked onto a covered patio. What was your reaction? Did you ooh and ah and feel just a tad jealous? You likely felt that way because covered spaces are a stylish addition to a home. They add an element of sophistication to the house.
The style you select should make your entire home look better, both on the inside and the outside, and that style should reflect your personality. Are you looking for a place to party into the wee hours? Add stylistic choices that promote your joy when friends come over for the evening. Do you seek a quiet place for reflection? Factor that in when you select the materials included in the design and construction.
Quiet Time Retreat
After a long day, there’s nothing better than enjoying a retreat from everyday stress. A carefully selected chair positioned in just the right spot can be your reading nook or savoring space. Surrounded by nature, it’s time to take a deep breath and just live for a few moments. It’s challenging to relax inside with all its many tasks waiting.
Even if the primary purpose of your patio is for entertaining, with just a few changes, you can make this outdoor space the perfect spot for quiet enjoyment. Some families use it for dining outdoors after a long trying day. Others enjoy a morning coffee or early evening drink. These outdoor spaces work their way into your daily life and can help you better cope with problems. Add plants and soft lighting to make it a comfortable spot.
Shelter from the Rain
Who hasn’t attended an outdoor party that’s ruined by a sudden rainstorm? When you’ve added a covered patio to your home, you will never have that problem. Instead of cramming together inside the house, the party just moves a few feet into the shelter. Once the rain lets up, it’s a simple matter to move back outside.
Plus, there is something unusual about experiencing a Texas rainstorm when you’re outside. It refreshes the air and cools things down. Without a covered space to move to, your party must move inside and miss the experience. With a covered patio, the rain becomes an exciting addition to the fun. Many homeowners love the fact that they can sit outside when it rains, whether they have guests or not.
Privacy Matters
If you’re like many homeowners, your backyard isn’t all that private. A backyard patio can change all that with just a few design changes. A popular choice is the addition of shades. Shades do double duty. They provide additional privacy while keeping you fresh. There are more ways to increase your privacy, though.
Homeowners with green thumbs often add plants to shelter from prying eyes. Posts and railings block the view of others. Curtains are a stylish addition and add privacy affordably. Screens keep mosquitoes out and add an element of coziness without reducing airflow or sunlight. Hedges can be planted as well.
There are so many good reasons to add a covered patio to your home. They add square footage while providing additional space for parties or plain and simple living. Outdoor living spaces keep you connected to nature while offering protection from it during a rainstorm. These spaces add value to your home at an affordable cost because of the shade they provide while lowering the amount of energy you need to cool your home during the hot summer months. What are you waiting for?
Click the links below for any posts you have missed:
Fun Things you Can Do in your Backyard
How to Give your Bedroom a New Look
Finding the Top AC Contractors Near You
Top 5 Reasons People Like Home Gyms
Tips for Polishing and Cleaning Floors
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Toodles,
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