Outdoor Living Features
Outdoor Living Features
Incorporating outdoor living features can help you achieve the perfect deck, patio, or screen room. Some recent trends include fire features, lighting solutions, and deck railing.
When you add these popular features to your outdoor living space design, they enhance the appeal of your deck or patio and allow you to infuse the project with your style.
Prince William Home Improvement does not offer the Outdoor Living Features listed below as ancillary services; we welcome you to incorporate these elements into your custom outdoor living space project for your new deck or patio.
Remember, when you work with Prince William Home Improvement, we collaborate to ensure that the resulting design for the outdoor project best suits your lifestyle.
Deck Lighting
Deck lighting is an essential element of your outdoor living space. It adds to your deck’s functionality and aesthetic appeal after sundown. While lighting extends the hours you can enjoy your outdoor space, the most important thing is that it provides safety, allowing for clear visibility and reducing the risk of accidents.
Here are some popular outdoor lighting options for your deck:
- Step Lights: Integrated seamlessly into your deck’s steps, these lights provide the necessary illumination for safety while offering an elegant touch to the stairway.
- Post Cap Lights: Fitted onto the top of deck posts, they cast a downward glow, enhancing the charm and safety of the deck perimeter.
- Recessed Deck Lights: Installed flush with the deck surface, they provide a clean, contemporary look and ensure the walking areas are well-lit.
- Rail Lights: Mounted under the railing or on the posts, these lights offer a subtle way to light up the deck edges without being intrusive.
- Spotlights and Floodlights: Ideal for accentuating architectural features or illuminating larger areas, these can be adjusted to focus light exactly where needed. They help with security for your property.
- Solar Lights: An eco-friendly option, these lights charge during the day and automatically light up at night, though their performance may vary based on sunlight exposure.
- LED Lights: These lights provide a stylish and energy-efficient way to illuminate outdoor spaces.
Deck Railing
A deck railing provides safety by preventing falls from elevated surfaces, offers a barrier to keep children and pets on the deck, and contributes to the overall appearance of your deck.
You have different materials from which to choose:
- Wooden Railings: Offering a classic and natural look, wooden railings can be crafted from various types of wood, like cedar or pressure-treated pine. They require a lot of upkeep.
- Composite Railings: These are made from a blend of wood fibers and plastic, offering the beauty of wood without intensive maintenance. Composite railings are durable, resistant to rot, warping, and insects, and available in various colors and styles.
- Aluminum Railings: These are popular for their strength, durability, and low maintenance. Powder-coated aluminum is resistant to rust, corrosion, and weathering, making it an excellent choice for outdoor use.
You also have your choice of deck rail components:
- Top Rail & Bottom Rail: These horizontal elements hold the infill in place and connect to the posts. They can vary in shape and size, influencing the railing’s style and users’ comfort.
- Infill: This is the portion between the top and bottom rails, providing safety, visual interest, and privacy, depending on the design. Infill options include balusters, glass panels, cables, or decorative steel or ironwork.
- Posts: As the vertical support for the railing system, posts can be designed to match or contrast with the rails and infill, often capped with decorative tops to enhance aesthetics.
Fire Features
You can’t go wrong with adding a fire pit or fireplace. They provide both warmth and a visually appealing focal point. They not only extend the usability of outdoor areas into cooler evenings and seasons but also add a little ambiance, making for a more enjoyable time outdoors at night.
- Fire Pits: These are versatile, popular features that offer a communal space where friends and family can gather, share stories, and enjoy the warmth. They can be made from rustic stone, metal, or concrete.
- Fireplaces: These create a focal point in your outdoor living space, providing warmth and luxury. They can be custom-built to match your outdoor area’s existing style or stand as a statement piece. They are typically built from stone, brick, or concrete.
Pergolas and Shade Structures
Pergolas and shade structures provide a stylish and functional outdoor feature that offers partial shelter, enhancing comfort by offering protection from direct sunlight while maintaining an open, airy feel.
Pergolas
A pergola is an outdoor structure, typically consisting of columns or pergola legs that support a roofing grid of beams and rafters. Its roof may be left open or covered with covers to create a shaded area, which is particularly beneficial on the hottest days. Pergolas can be freestanding or attached to a house and are often used as a garden feature to define a sitting area or pathway.
Shade Structures Beyond Pergolas
- Patio Covers: Unlike pergolas, which feature an open lattice, patio covers feature a solid roof to shield your outdoor space from weather elements completely. They integrate seamlessly with your home’s design to extend your living space.
- Gazebos: These are freestanding, roofed structures, often hexagonal or octagonal in shape. They provide a sheltered, intimate setting for outdoor relaxation or dining.
- Pavilions: Similar to gazebos but usually larger, pavilions have a solid roof and open sides, offering a spacious area for entertaining, outdoor dining, or simply enjoying the outdoors, regardless of weather conditions
Why Choose PWHI as Your Custom Deck Builder?
Stability
When you add this type of deck installation onto your house, you want it to be firmly secured in the soil. Custom deck building allows us to match the decking to the shape of your yard and the type of soil in the ground. Choosing a professional deck designer to customize the deck design results in the cleanest, sturdiest finish.
Match the Structure of Your Home
Older and newer homes tend to be very different in structure, and you want your deck to blend seamlessly with its surroundings. It also looks great to match the subtle architectural details of the house, and our deck designer can customize a deck design that does just that.
A Deck Design that Suits Your Style
Some think a deck only comes in one shape and size, but many varieties and styles exist. You can relish in the pride of personalizing something as important as what is essentially an extension of your home.
Meet Your Family’s Needs
Different families have varying needs; you may require your custom deck to be enclosed with deck railing so young kids can play, or you may want it to be on two levels with stairs to give teenagers their own bit of space.
Add Lasting Value
Choosing Trex composite decking is an investment that will last a long time. An expertly crafted deck adds curb appeal and square footage to your home, potentially raising its market value.
