By Paul Colbert
Falling leaves and pumpkin spice lattes. Crisp nights and gloriously mild afternoons. There’s a lot to love about autumns in Pennsylvania. Daytime temperatures drop into the 50s and 60s, and at night there’s just enough chill in the air to put on a jacket. It’s a great season to lounge in your own yard and enjoy the fall colors. Here are five tips for using your hardscaped patio into the fall.
If you miss the summer and all the times you used to spend outside, don’t fret. You don’t have to wait 6 months to take your morning coffee, your brunch or your evening drink to your patio! Here are a few improvements that will allow you to enjoy your patio even during the winter.
Borders are not usually necessary, however they can be used to create visual definition within your patio or walkway project. The one situation which strongly suggests a border is when the outside perimeter is so curved that small cuts are required to complete the body of the area. In this case, a border will both hold the small pieces in place and draw ones vision away from the cuts.
When considering a border there are 3 things to keep in mind to make your choice a success: color, texture and size. In this article we will discuss all three options and how they affect the appearance of a border.
When you used to dream of owning a home, those dreams included a patio. You had the perfect patio design in your head, a place where you could host boisterous cookouts or just sit back and relax.
Now you’re a homeowner, but the patio you’ve always dreamed of hasn’t – for whatever reason — materialized yet.
That’s OK. We understand. Life gets in the way of a lot of things, including patio design. That’s why we’ve put together this list of tips for designing your perfect patio.
Everyone dreams of a maintenance free patio that always looks amazing, so yes, of course you used polymeric sand in between your joints to make this scenario more likely. You followed all the directions, and yet…it’s still soft! Why? People are quick to yell “bad batch” for the failure; turns out, that outcome is actually rare. The following variables are most likely one of the reasons your poly is still soft:
Good landscaping doesn’t happen by accident.
When we’re out and about in our neighborhoods, looking for great examples of Bucks County landscape design, we see properties whose owners put a lot of thought into their look and feel.
Are you looking for ways to improve your home’s landscaping? Start with these tips.
Travertine and Flagstone Patio
When it comes to selecting natural stone for patios, you have a lot of choices.
Brick. Bluestone. Travertine. All attractive picks, all with their own benefits.
No matter what you pick, you’ll be getting a patio that lasts for decades, requires little maintenance and adds beauty to your home. Let’s take a closer look at these patio materials so you can decide which one is right for you.
After careful planning, selecting a professional, watching the installation, and enjoying your new outdoor living environment, the season changes and it is time to move indoors. So,
Patios do require seasonal maintenance and caring for them in wintertime will ensure yet another full year of relaxing moments outdoors. Here’s a checklist for your own outdoor space, which you should ideally tick off well before the year’s first snowfall:
Outdoor living is a major trend and it’s here to stay. You read my article “A Simple Guide to Patio Planning” so you’ve made all the important decisions, identified a trustworthy professional to help you with the project, and are ready to take this patio show on the road. What else should you be aware of?
Having an open grill, a furnace, some lighting, and plants in or around your patio sounds great – and kudos to you if you can afford them. However, it’s extremely important to note that the lighting should be low voltage and very well insulated, for outdoor use. Furthermore, any sort of cooking equipment that involves an open fire should ideally be placed outside the patio, with all the proper safety measures for ventilation in place. Also, make sure the base of the patio is level, to avoid wobbly chairs and tables.
Word on the street – or, better said, in the great outdoors – is that outdoor living is a major trend and it’s here to stay. You see it in camper van remodels, the revival of camping and hiking—and, of course, in the increased number of patios popping up left and right., in gardens all over the country.
The beauty of a patio is many-splendored, as this relatively low-cost and low-maintenance upgrade to your property can serve a great number of purposes. It can be a decorative addition, with a beautiful structure and hanging plants all over it. It can stand as the new family gathering space for fun-filled board game nights outside or cozy summer lunches. Last, but not least, it allows you to enjoy time outside, either socializing or reading, without being exposed to the scorching sun and its harmful UV rays.
That said, where do you start, when you’ve already decided you want a patio? We’ve put together a quick list of tips and tricks, selected from the experts, and here’s what they have to say about your soon-to-be favorite outdoor hangout.