How to create a beautiful OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE in your own BACKYARD!

How to create a beautiful OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE in your own BACKYARD!

By Mike Gambino

Bring the Inside Outside

One of the hottest trends in real estate is transforming your outdoor space into an extension of your inside space.  An outdoor living space can be anything from a tranquil corner of a garden or it can be a full blown patio area with outdoor kitchens, water features, planting beds, and of course amazing landscape lighting.  Whatever you can dream up it can be installed in your own backyard!

How, What, Why, When, Where

HOW?

How will you use your space?

  1. How much seating space will you need if any? (Patio and deck)
  2. How will you get from place to place? (Walkways)
  3. Will you be cooking in this space? (Outdoor Kitchen)
  4. Will you need water, lighting, electric in the space?
  5. Will you be relaxing in a tranquil retreat?
  6. Will you be playing sports? (Volleyball, Bocce, Horseshoes)
  7. How much space will you take up in the yard?
  8. How much wind is in the space?  Do you need a windbreak?
  9. How much sunlight is in the space?  Do you need a Pergola or Shelter?

WHAT?

  1. What will the space be used for?
  2. Will you entertain in the space?
  3. What features do you want in your space?
  4. Will you have a plantings in your space?
  5. What is your style?
  6. What is your color scheme?
  7. What required features do you need due to your lifestyle and desired use and the layout of the property?
  8. What is your budget???

WHY?

Why are you creating the space? For what Purpose? This will help you answer the other questions.

WHEN?

When do you want to start your project?

  1. The first step in deciding when you can start is first in coming up with a budget.
  2. You may not be able to do everything on the plan at once but if you have the plan and know how much each element costs you can make an educated plan of whether to complete the whole project at once or work in stages.
  3. Don’t put the cart before the horse.  Know what elements need to come first.

WHERE?

Where in the yard will this space be located?

Design Plan:

One of the most important things you can do for your project is to come up with a design plan that will be your road map as you do the whole project at once or in stages over the months or years.  The design plan can be as simple as your own hand drawing or a 3D photo image design rendering to truly visualize your space.

How can I do it on a budget?

Decide on your must have feature that you will not compromise on.  You have to come up with a bottom line that you can live with for now and for the future.  Decide what elements need to come first such as hard scape structures, trees etc.

Can you save on materials without saving on quality?  To drill down further in this question, what is the absolute must have element without compromise & what are the lesser priority items that could maybe be substituted or less expensive products?  For example want a patio with a fire pit for now install the patio but use a store bought fire pit until you can afford to install the real deal.

Hire a contractor for the difficult elements that need to be installed correctly BUT is there part of the project that you can do yourself?  If you can’t do it all at once make a 3 or 5 year plan and stick to it.  Plan on what year you will add what new element.

Have fun with furniture, fabrics, accessories and plants to make the space your own just like you would inside the house.

And of course leave sufficient budget for lighting because when it is done right it is like icing on a very tasty cake.

This landscape lighting blog is published by Mike Gambino of Gambino landscape lighting inc. all rights reserved. Mike is a professional landscape lighting system designer/ builder and has been designing, installing and maintaining landscape lighting systems for more than 30 years. Mike resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and 2 sons. To visit his website go to www.Gambinolighting.com . To inquire about hiring Mike please click here .

Blog articles may be published with permission on other websites without editing or removing links.

 

 

 

 

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