If, like me, you love to entertain, dine, cook, relax and just live in your own outdoor living area during the warm seasons, you have probably pored over all the magazines that display the wide range of gorgeous options available, creased the corners of pages and made plans in your head for the dream patio that will be yours one day.
All that is required to achieve that dream is the appropriate space and sufficient money.
However, if also like me, you do not have that money yet, you need a plan for your outdoor living area that will keep your future options open but also meet your present needs and desires.
You need to know how to design a functional, comfortable, attractive patio on a tight budget.
Three key considerations exist in the process of achieving this goal:
After the down payment, the purchase of some much needed new interior furniture and the installation of a pool in the backyard, the available funds were used up and the dream patio was slated for future consideration.
We needed an interim patio design that would fit our very tight budget; the task of designing and creating that patio fell to me.
My first step in this process was to figure out the potential and the limitations of the patio areas that came with the house we had purchased.
I had to begin by measuring the dimensions and taking into account the logistical layout of the existing space.
This space consisted of three distinct areas: one cedar deck 12 ft.
x 12 ft.
with a lattice roof; a second open cedar deck 12 ft.
x 16 ft.
, adjacent to and one step down from the first; and finally, one flagstone patio area 12 ft.
x 18 ft.
another step down from the second deck and running perpendicular to both decks.
Both decks run alongside the property line with a wooden fence border; the flagstone patio runs along the back of the house.
The dimensions of these three spaces seem quite large and loaded with potential but their logistical layout puts significant limitations on each one.
The first deck is approached by a matching 4 ft.
wide cedar deck walkway that runs along the side of the house to a doorway off the kitchen.
Traffic flow dictates that this walkway be carried on across the first deck to the second one reducing the usable area of the first deck to 8ft.
x 12 ft.
; that same traffic flow then turns and runs along the edge of the second deck where it turns back and steps down to the flagstone and turns back once again into the stone stairs leading down to the pool.
The second deck therefore has now become an 8 or 9 ft.
x 16 ft.
living area.
The flagstone patio also loses 4 ft.
along its entire length as a gate to the street at the far end leads to this area and the same steps to the pool; thus, this patio space is now 8ft.
x 18 ft..
The significant limitations of each area become apparent because each 8 ft.
space bordered by traffic flow is not an expansive space to work with.
My challenge was to know what I wanted out of my outdoor living area and how the available space could accommodate my desires.
Obviously, my second step was to figure out how the patio areas I wanted could fit into the usable space available to me.
First, I had to consider the problems.
Dining areas need extensive space because dining tables are large and chairs require ample space to move in and out, plus traffic flow needs to be accommodated all around them.
An outdoor kitchen or cooking area needs less space but still enough to meet the needs of the cook (in this case, me) and it should have relatively easy access to both the indoor kitchen and the outdoor dining area.
Ultimately, a comfortable sitting area became my final consideration in terms of current priorities.
The first cedar deck then with its 8 ft.
x 12 ft.
area became my outdoor kitchen as it was just large enough to fulfill my needs and it allowed me to set up a sit up counter on the other side of the railing down on the adjacent flagstone patio, an option that was high on my list of desires.
The second deck, one step down became the dining area because of its proximity to the cooking area and because its layout best allowed for ample traffic flow.
The flagstone patio then would contain the sit up counter I wanted and a small comfortable sitting area.
Now all I had to do was fill my three areas with the furniture and appliances available to me.
The final stage of my design process then was to fill my various outdoor living areas with dining and patio furniture, and with outdoor kitchen appliances.
My budget required me to make use of whatever I already owned and had brought with me from my previous house.
In the dining area I set up an old cedar table salvaged from a workshop that I had refurbished and adapted to this purpose; it is a bit small and showing its age somewhat but will do until I can purchase new.
A set of inexpensive patio chairs make an adequate compliment to the table for the time being.
The kitchen required a bit more creativity.
I have a good gas barbecue that I set at the end of the first deck perpendicular to the railing that borders the flagstone patio; this setup forms a wall of sorts between kitchen and dining areas and also allows me to look out and down to the pool area while I cook.
At the end of the barbecue opposite the railing, I placed another very old, small, wooden laundry room table with an enameled steel top that I have owned for years.
My camp stove sits on this table to provide me with full cooking facilities out of doors; one day I will have a more elaborate system but, again, it is adequate for now.
Opposite this table, against the railing I have a wrought iron stand holding a good steel cooler as a makeshift refrigerator.
It keeps foods cool enough while waiting to be grilled and holds the beverages I enjoy while cooking.
Beside the cooler on the railing side sits an extra workmate workbench (I don't need two in the garage) on top of which I have large wooden cutting board; thus I have a handy work counter on which to prepare food.
Against the back wall, the house wall, for shelving purposes, sits a bakers rack that could not find a home in our new kitchen when we moved.
Two chairs sit here as well for the cook and a friend.
All these pieces of furniture therefore form a small U-shaped kitchen with a tight work triangle and with easy access to both the dining area and the indoor kitchen.
Finally, I needed to set up my sit up kitchen counter.
For this purpose I used an old heavy duty cedar potting table discarded from a friend's greenhouse business.
It is 72" x 30" and when butted up against the railing so that it runs perpendicular to it, it provides counter seating for five right beside my cooking area - a very popular spot when we are entertaining.
The counter stools are also leftovers from the previous house, without a home here until now.
The sitting area, for now, has been relegated to the far end of this counter table; it is comprised of a refurbished cedar adirondack love seat and a patio swing set that face each other plus provide a view out over the garden to the pool.
There it is: three areas created with no new purchases until our budget is healthy again.
Make no mistake: in the future, when the budget allows, I will make improvements.
I will roof over, perhaps add on and screen in, and definitely buy new patio furniture.
Never the less, the outdoor living area that I have now is functional and attractive and provides a great deal of enjoyment for myself, my family and our friends.
Having a dream patio is a good thing but we all must be able to enjoy what we have while we work hard to afford the dream.
Remember the three key steps:
All that is actually required is a bit of soul searching, some careful measurements and observations, a touch of creativity and, most importantly, a fair degree of forethought and planning.
All that is required to achieve that dream is the appropriate space and sufficient money.
However, if also like me, you do not have that money yet, you need a plan for your outdoor living area that will keep your future options open but also meet your present needs and desires.
You need to know how to design a functional, comfortable, attractive patio on a tight budget.
Three key considerations exist in the process of achieving this goal:
- Understand both the potential and the limitations of the area available.
- Determine how this space can best meet your needs and desires.
- Assess what you already own and still need to furnish your desired outdoor living area.
After the down payment, the purchase of some much needed new interior furniture and the installation of a pool in the backyard, the available funds were used up and the dream patio was slated for future consideration.
We needed an interim patio design that would fit our very tight budget; the task of designing and creating that patio fell to me.
My first step in this process was to figure out the potential and the limitations of the patio areas that came with the house we had purchased.
I had to begin by measuring the dimensions and taking into account the logistical layout of the existing space.
This space consisted of three distinct areas: one cedar deck 12 ft.
x 12 ft.
with a lattice roof; a second open cedar deck 12 ft.
x 16 ft.
, adjacent to and one step down from the first; and finally, one flagstone patio area 12 ft.
x 18 ft.
another step down from the second deck and running perpendicular to both decks.
Both decks run alongside the property line with a wooden fence border; the flagstone patio runs along the back of the house.
The dimensions of these three spaces seem quite large and loaded with potential but their logistical layout puts significant limitations on each one.
The first deck is approached by a matching 4 ft.
wide cedar deck walkway that runs along the side of the house to a doorway off the kitchen.
Traffic flow dictates that this walkway be carried on across the first deck to the second one reducing the usable area of the first deck to 8ft.
x 12 ft.
; that same traffic flow then turns and runs along the edge of the second deck where it turns back and steps down to the flagstone and turns back once again into the stone stairs leading down to the pool.
The second deck therefore has now become an 8 or 9 ft.
x 16 ft.
living area.
The flagstone patio also loses 4 ft.
along its entire length as a gate to the street at the far end leads to this area and the same steps to the pool; thus, this patio space is now 8ft.
x 18 ft..
The significant limitations of each area become apparent because each 8 ft.
space bordered by traffic flow is not an expansive space to work with.
My challenge was to know what I wanted out of my outdoor living area and how the available space could accommodate my desires.
Obviously, my second step was to figure out how the patio areas I wanted could fit into the usable space available to me.
First, I had to consider the problems.
Dining areas need extensive space because dining tables are large and chairs require ample space to move in and out, plus traffic flow needs to be accommodated all around them.
An outdoor kitchen or cooking area needs less space but still enough to meet the needs of the cook (in this case, me) and it should have relatively easy access to both the indoor kitchen and the outdoor dining area.
Ultimately, a comfortable sitting area became my final consideration in terms of current priorities.
The first cedar deck then with its 8 ft.
x 12 ft.
area became my outdoor kitchen as it was just large enough to fulfill my needs and it allowed me to set up a sit up counter on the other side of the railing down on the adjacent flagstone patio, an option that was high on my list of desires.
The second deck, one step down became the dining area because of its proximity to the cooking area and because its layout best allowed for ample traffic flow.
The flagstone patio then would contain the sit up counter I wanted and a small comfortable sitting area.
Now all I had to do was fill my three areas with the furniture and appliances available to me.
The final stage of my design process then was to fill my various outdoor living areas with dining and patio furniture, and with outdoor kitchen appliances.
My budget required me to make use of whatever I already owned and had brought with me from my previous house.
In the dining area I set up an old cedar table salvaged from a workshop that I had refurbished and adapted to this purpose; it is a bit small and showing its age somewhat but will do until I can purchase new.
A set of inexpensive patio chairs make an adequate compliment to the table for the time being.
The kitchen required a bit more creativity.
I have a good gas barbecue that I set at the end of the first deck perpendicular to the railing that borders the flagstone patio; this setup forms a wall of sorts between kitchen and dining areas and also allows me to look out and down to the pool area while I cook.
At the end of the barbecue opposite the railing, I placed another very old, small, wooden laundry room table with an enameled steel top that I have owned for years.
My camp stove sits on this table to provide me with full cooking facilities out of doors; one day I will have a more elaborate system but, again, it is adequate for now.
Opposite this table, against the railing I have a wrought iron stand holding a good steel cooler as a makeshift refrigerator.
It keeps foods cool enough while waiting to be grilled and holds the beverages I enjoy while cooking.
Beside the cooler on the railing side sits an extra workmate workbench (I don't need two in the garage) on top of which I have large wooden cutting board; thus I have a handy work counter on which to prepare food.
Against the back wall, the house wall, for shelving purposes, sits a bakers rack that could not find a home in our new kitchen when we moved.
Two chairs sit here as well for the cook and a friend.
All these pieces of furniture therefore form a small U-shaped kitchen with a tight work triangle and with easy access to both the dining area and the indoor kitchen.
Finally, I needed to set up my sit up kitchen counter.
For this purpose I used an old heavy duty cedar potting table discarded from a friend's greenhouse business.
It is 72" x 30" and when butted up against the railing so that it runs perpendicular to it, it provides counter seating for five right beside my cooking area - a very popular spot when we are entertaining.
The counter stools are also leftovers from the previous house, without a home here until now.
The sitting area, for now, has been relegated to the far end of this counter table; it is comprised of a refurbished cedar adirondack love seat and a patio swing set that face each other plus provide a view out over the garden to the pool.
There it is: three areas created with no new purchases until our budget is healthy again.
Make no mistake: in the future, when the budget allows, I will make improvements.
I will roof over, perhaps add on and screen in, and definitely buy new patio furniture.
Never the less, the outdoor living area that I have now is functional and attractive and provides a great deal of enjoyment for myself, my family and our friends.
Having a dream patio is a good thing but we all must be able to enjoy what we have while we work hard to afford the dream.
Remember the three key steps:
- Understand the space you have to work with.
- Know what you want and how it fits your space.
- Decide how to furnish your space without too many major purchases.
All that is actually required is a bit of soul searching, some careful measurements and observations, a touch of creativity and, most importantly, a fair degree of forethought and planning.
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