No matter where you live, you can use your outdoor spaces to the fullest in any season with a few enhancements. A few simple improvements and additions can help you create a space that keeps you outside longer into the night, earlier in the spring and later into the cooler seasons.
1. Add a fire feature. Patio Town has many fireplace and fire pit kits, fire tables, patio heaters and chimineas to choose from. Enjoy hot chocolate around a fire table in the fall, and keep mosquitoes at bay with a firepit on a summer night. "Some of our most popular installations feature fireplaces on a patio or a fire ring surrounded by a seat wall," says Kelly O'Donahue, a landscape designer with Villa Landscapes, Patio Town's design-build group.
2. Create a convenient outdoor cooking space. Enjoy the tastes of summer all season with a dedicated space for the grill that is conveniently and safely accessible from the house. A complete outdoor kitchen is even better. Check out Patio Town's beautiful Ledgestone Outdoor Living Kits including a bar-grill kit, corner bar with grill and more.
3. Add retaining and seat walls. Patio Town carries VERSA-LOK Retaining Walls Systems, which are a favorite among professionals and homeowners alike due to the ease of installation and ability to create features such as curves, columns and corners. The VERSA-LOK Couch kit is perfect for a paver patio or around a fire pit.
4. Add lighting. Lighting enhances safety and aesthetics. Choose from low-voltage LED uplights along walls and structures or solar or LED downlights along pathways and walkways. Even a string of lights around a deck or a patio heater adds a warm ambience.
5. Install a paving stone patio. Interlocking concrete paving stones absorb heat faster than poured concrete or decking, resulting in faster snow melt. Permeable pavers have an added advantage as snow melt and rainwater penetrate into the ground, reducing ice patches and puddles. Due to natural surface texture in manufacturing, concrete pavers also are more slip-resistant than poured concrete walkways and patios.
6. Select year-round outdoor furniture. Patio Town carries Comfort Craft and other low-maintenance, rugged and beautiful outdoor furniture made from recycled HDPE poly=-lumber. "People like to set it out and forget about it," says Dave Johnson, manager at the Oakdale Patio Town store. "When you use it in fall or winter you can add removable cushions for added warmth and comfort."
7. Shelter's not just for shade. Take shelter from the elements with a variety of pergolas, awnings and other coverings for patios and decks that not only provide shade but also help protect from wind and inclement weather. Ask the experts at Patio Town which products might be right for your outdoor living space.