For a patio with up-to-the-minute style, think: fire and water. The hottest upgrades to outdoor rooms this fall are fire pits and water features.
The American Society of Landscape Architects says homeowners are redesigning their patios to make them more comfortable to use all year long.
Here are 10 changes that could make your patio your favorite room at home:
1. Light the night. Manufacturers have upped their inventory of patio and deck lights to offer an array of low-voltage fixtures that are as eye-catching during the light of day as they are after dark. Think: function. Lights near stairways, steps, deck edges and on railing posts will help you and your guests navigate the area safely once the sun goes down. And shed plenty of light on your cooking and dining areas.
2. Fire it up. Fire pits and fireplaces are becoming must-haves for ambience and warmth on chilly late fall evenings. You can save the expense of building an outdoor fireplace or barbecue by installing a pre-fab version that looks just as nice as custom-built. Stone-look fireplaces and outdoor ovens come in kits that allow you to install them in just a couple of hours.
3. Go for a grill. Almost every deck has one. You can opt for a built-in version or save a few bucks with a portable, store-bought barbecue. Price range from $90 for a kettle-style charcoal grill to $4,200 for a top-of-the-line gas grill with an infrared burner and double side burners. A tip: Choose a model with some space for food prep.
4. Have a seat. If you like to eat and entertain outdoors, a table with a few chairs won’t give everyone a place to sit. Consider building in some benches, adding perimeter walls that are sturdy enough to sit on and picking out an outdoor “living room” set—a couch, chairs and coffee table—built to withstand sun, heat and rain.
5. Turn on the water. Decorative water elements like ornamental pools, splash pools, waterfalls, grottos, hot tubs and swimming pools have gotten popular as Arizonans take more “staycations” and use their patios more often.
6. Minimize maintenance. If you choose low-maintenance landscaping, including native plants that need little or no watering, you can spend your weekends enjoying your patio and yard rather than working in it. Choose a material like pavers for your patio floor, and you won’t need to spend time and money sealing it. For decks, consider composite boards that never need painting.
7. Save the earth. Native, drought-tolerant plants will help you save water, but that’s not the only way you can conserve resources when you upgrade your patio and surrounding landscape. Invest in drip irrigation that targets just the plants needing water; permeable pavers that allow rain water to filter through them to the ground instead of run off them into the street; solar-powered or LED patio lights; and recycled materials for benches and the patio floor.
8. Cover it up. Without shade, you won’t be able to use your patio on weekend days during the summer. Add an awning, put up a pergola or plant some leafy trees around your outdoor room to block the heat and the sun.
9. Get wired. You’ll use your patio more often if you can do indoor activities—like watching TV and surfing the Internet—outside. Upgrade your indoor modem to a wireless system so you can get a signal on your laptop or iPad while you’re sitting outside, and consider investing in a TV or theater system made from durable materials and designed with safety features that make it suitable for outdoor use.
10. Build a fence. Enclose your backyard oasis and protect your privacy by building a fence or wall around your yard or your patio that will keep prying eyes and curious animals from intruding on your open-air refuge. The “walls” you create will make the patio feel more like another room of your house. A tip: Don’t block your view with a wall that’s too tall or a post in your line of sight from your favorite chaise lounge.
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