How to Plan Your Outdoor Dream Space

Professional advice from one of the top screened porch builders in Atlanta, GA.

Your front yard may be all about curb appeal but your backyard is all your own – a place to entertain, play, and a relaxing refuge for years to come. So instead of rushing to create your dream space, consider the space holistically — from how you want to use the yard to how much time you want to spend working in it. One of the top choices for Atlanta area homeowners is a back deck, patio, or porch. Here are a few tips for building a backyard makeover master plan.

Dream

Ask yourself some basic questions. What do you want out of your yard — a playground for kids, a private/cozy retreat, or an entertaining patio? What materials do you like — Georgia Southern Pine, brick pavers, water, sustainable plants? Open yourself up to dream a little, then see what you can afford and have time to maintain. Be honest about your level of involvement. Think about how to simplify your plan to fit your lifestyle and commitment.

Take a Second Look Around

Walk your property and consider what you like and don’t like about the space. Make a list of what’s salvageable (the 100-year-old oak tree) and what’s not (an old ‘builder-grade’ deck), as well as how permanent storage or other structures (e.g.: outdoor shed, swing set) are positioned and whether they need to be moved, camouflaged, or discarded. Don’t forget to factor in geographical considerations. For example, you might love roses but live in an area with a lot of wildlife — which means your roses might be dinner for the deer. Consider planting something else or build a fence to protect your precious buds.

Know the Rules

Your city or homeowner’s association may have specific regulations, like maximum fence height or projects that require permits. It’s best to know what’s allowed before you begin work, because if you break the rules and get caught, not only will you have to take down your project, but you will probably incur hefty fines.

Put Your Plan on Paper

Take a tip from designers and sketch an aerial view of your backyard. They often draw bubbles to represent generic spaces like a house, patio, playground, and pool — then designers link the bubbles together with pathways, lawn areas and gardens.

Look at the relationships between spaces, then draw them to scale. Each individual space should flow into the next, moving people from the front yard to back, from a primary space like an expansive screened porch, to a secondary location like a garden arbor swing.

Check Your Dream Plan From Inside

Your future screened porch should bring pleasure every day – even when you’re inside your home. If it’s designed right, your back porch becomes a beautiful addition to your residence (and resale, later).

Begin with your home’s back windows and doors to assess placement. Then assess traffic patterns to make sure your plan allows folks to move in and out of the home to your new screened back porch.

Step Back and Take a Wider View

Examine your yard in relation to your house and to your screened back porch plan. Flowers, hardscape and even your lawn frame the overall image of your outdoor room. Choose paint and/or stain with your overall color palette in mind.

Take Logical Steps to Improve Success

Remember, just because you’ve created a comprehensive plan for your screened porch, you can still imagine future projects. Take on one area at a time, but make sure you’re always thinking ahead. For example, if you’re constructing a new back porch and eventually want to do an extended deck with a BBQ shed, don’t wait to install the gas hookup. It’s more cost-effective to do that when the ground has already been dug up. Remember, the better your plan, the more you’ll save yourself heartache, time, and money. Plus, you’ll have a beautiful backyard to enjoy for years to come once all your planning and work has finished.

As one of Atlanta’s top porch builders, we can help you save time and start planning smarter for your Outdoor Dream Space. Call us today at 770-781-4641 for a free, no-hassle design consultation. It’s the perfect time to get started!