Tips For Creating The Perfect Outdoor Living Space

Canada has its stretches of tough winter months, but there are areas that have hot, sunny, and long summers.

The Durham Region in Southern Ontario is known for its incredible summer season. This isn’t just because the weather is bright and hot, but there are also so many ways to enjoy it.

The beautiful countryside has rolling hills and open areas, pools and patios are ideal for backyard entertaining, and of course, Lake Ontario provides some of the best views and recreational activities in the province.

For home buyers and home owners that live in the Durham Region, their outdoor space provides an amazing way to enjoy it all in privacy. Most single family homes here offer fenced-in, spacious backyards with different features, like an underground pool.

Whether it is to raise the value of your home, entertain guests, or simply enjoy year-round, here are a few tips for perfecting the outdoor living space of your home.

Brick exteriors allow for a wonderful colour pallette

There are many different home types in the Durham Region, but brick built exteriors are one of the most common.

This automatically gives the outdoor space a beautiful aesthetic, and one that can be easily decorated around. Plenty of different colours, patterns, and textiles can be played around within the backyard space. Use rugs, pillows, chairs, tables, plant pots, and more to create the exact look you want in the backyard.

Make a cozy outdoor lounging space

Creating a backyard space that looks great is one thing, but it needs to be functional.

The space should be ideal for lounging because that’s the entire point! You want a spot to relax in your lush yard, however that works best for you. Hop in the pool, read a book, enjoy a feast with the family, or quickly transform it to entertain guests for a party.

Great cushions, hedges, barriers for privacy, and more are just a few of the ways to accomplish a great lounging space.

Plants, plants, and more plants. There’s no better way to celebrate the hot sun than with summer plants to add a lushness to your outdoor space.

You can never have too many plants in your yard, but choosing the best plants and where to put them can be a huge help. A fern as a table centrepiece, hedges separating the pool from the barbecue, and succulents running along the edges of the patio add a wonderful green wall. Higher plants are a great addition to a yard to add more privacy than the fence can provide.

Invest in a summer barbecue

A summer barbecue is such a fun way to enjoy the summer, and incredibly easy to put away when winter comes. It’s also a great way to raise the value of your home without putting a large amount of money into it.

Having a grill outside, maybe with a flat top and a bar, means you never have to make multiple trips in and out of the house. It often ends up feeling more like work than a fun time.

Socializing outside and entertaining guests completely enhances the cooking experience, especially if there’s a fridge filled with ice cold drinks inside.

Add the touch of outdoor lighting

This only adds to the relaxing ambience of a summer patio. Not only does it illuminate the space at night and make it gorgeous at night, but it allows you to see at night without the boring single light bulb.

Night swims in the pool under a string of lightbulbs that feel more like flame candles than electricity is a lifestyle made possible here in the Durham Region.

Embrace the multipurpose backyard

This one depends on what you have available in your backyard, or what you’re planning to add, but embracing the multi-purpose backyard can make it functional and visually arresting.

For every area of the backyard, such as a summer kitchen pool, hot tub, deck, barbecue, garden, or otherwise, section it off. This creates a distinction between the areas, allowing for a seamless enjoyment that feels organized instead of cluttered.

Pool homes in the Durham Region are common, so that’s a given area, but place separators between other areas, like potted plants or hedges. Concrete pads under the patio furniture when the rest of the backyard is grass is another great way to do it. Just think of it as exterior design, and it’s something you shouldn't forget to do!

Add a structure (maybe with heaters?)

Structures are a great talking point, functional space, piece of art, and also a way to possibly raise the price of your home.

A few structures that you might look for, or build yourself, besides a backyard garage might be a gazebo, work studio, guest room, pergola, and so many more.

Having a covered structure over the patio furniture protects it from mother nature, like rain or hail, but also provides a place to install heaters. This way you can enjoy your outdoor space year round.

Searching for a new home in the Durham Region where you can create a beautiful backyard? Contact us online or call 905-668-1511 to speak to one of our local real estate experts today!

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