The weather doesn’t matter when it comes to making the most of your outdoor living space. With the right additions or enhancements, you can ensure that the outdoor space is comfortable no matter what the season.

Making Your Outdoor Living Space Useful All Year

• Add a fire feature: Adding a fireplace, fire pit, chimineas, fire table, or patio heaters not only provides heat for the cooler seasons but adds a unique look to your patio. Enjoy s’mores over a fire pit in the summer or hot chocolate around the fireplace in fall. Fireplaces also keep mosquitos away during the warmer months making your outdoor living space pest free.
• Create a cooking space: By adding a cooking space that is easily accessible from the house, you can enjoy your outdoor space all year round. A complete outdoor kitchen is an option if you have space and budget, otherwise, a grill will provide all you need.
• Add lighting: The right lighting can brighten your outdoor space during the winter when the sun disappears early. It can also add the right ambiance to your space. Add solar or LED lights along pathways and uplights along the walls. Be sure to install low-voltage lights to save on electricity. Strings of lights around decks or heaters also add a nice ambiance and warmth to the living area.
• Retaining and seat walls: Retaining wall systems are easy to install and make a great addition to any outdoor living space. You can create corners and columns as well as seating around your fire pit.
• Paving stone patio: Paving stones that are interlocking absorb heat faster than poured concrete, so opt for this when it comes to your decking. Paving stones also allow for rainwater and melted snow to run through the cracks to the ground, reducing pools and icy paths. These stones are also naturally more slip-resistant so are a better choice for an outdoor space that will be in use through all seasons.
• Put up shelter: Shelter does more than protect from the shade, it can also protect from wind and harsh weather. Add a pergola, awning, or other patio covers to add shelter from any weather.
• Buy year-round patio furniture: You don’t want to have to put out one furniture each time the weather changes, nor do you want to look at rusty chairs after the winter passes. Invest in all-weather furniture so your outdoor living space is inviting all year round. Simply change the cushions and coverings to fit the season.

Your outdoor living space can be just as comfortable all year through as your indoor living room. Add any of these features to make the most of your patio or deck and spend more time outdoors in the fresh air, in comfort.