9 Outdoor Patio Design Ideas to Consider for Your Custom Home
August 6, 2019When planning a new home, most homeowners consider the need for some kind of outdoor space behind the home. A patio or deck is a prime area for recreation or socializing. Plus, there are plenty of options available to customize a patio space and truly make it your own. Here are a few outdoor patio design ideas to consider for your custom home:
1. Integrate Water Features
If you’ve ever taken a tropical or beach vacation, you know that the inclusion of water features can enhance just about any atmosphere. The same applies to your new home. Integrating some type of water into the design scheme of your outdoor patio is a great way to create an enhanced environment.
If your new home will feature a pool, consider extending the patio to it in order to create additional space for outdoor furniture and a provide a seamless flow from the rear entrance/exit of the home. There are swimming pool pros and cons to consider. If a swimming pool isn’t a feature you want for your custom home, there are many other options available that create their own unique set of benefits.
Consider a small Koi pond with a fountain or even a small rock and waterfall garden. These types of features can be integrated into the landscaping around the home and provide a unique theme. Creative stonework around these features provide a multi-level landscaping aesthetic and do wonders to beautify this outdoor living area.
2. Include Plenty of Seating and Dining Room
When thinking about your outdoor patio design, you want to make sure you consider all the possibilities the space. This should mean including a place for your family and friends to gather and eat. If you plan on doing any entertaining, you will want to include enough space for adequate seating for guests. This is also one of the things to consider for your outdoor kitchen design.
You may also consider if a customized cooking/grilling area is warranted, which may include permanent, custom features that make serving larger groups of people easier and more efficient. As with anything, there are pros and cons of outdoor kitchens too. And, if you include a grill, you will need to account for grill maintenance. But, if an outdoor kitchen is the right feature for you, including one could be what takes your outdoor patio to the next level.
3. Incorporate Technology
Many homeowners may want to preserve the natural feel of the outside areas of the house and keep it free from digital interference. But, technology doesn’t always have to diminish the outdoor experience.
In fact, technology can open up a lot more opportunities to implement even more creative outdoor patio design ideas. Having adequate sources of electricity incorporated into the design and build of the patio area will open up many opportunities to enhance this outdoor living space.
Outdoor speakers are a great addition in order to provide surround sound to the patio for playing music. An evening spent out on the patio with some relaxing tunes softly playing in the background is a great way to end a summer day.
If you wish to step it up a notch, a big screen TV can turn a patio area into an outdoor family or living room or a great place to entertain company for the big game. This, coupled with adequate and comfortable outdoor furniture, will be sure to turn the patio into a destination spot where the entire family will congregate.
4. Consider a Roof or Pergola
Adding some protection from the elements is another great outdoor patio design idea. It’s also one of the patio ideas for ranch-style homes. Having shelter from rain is always a plus and it will allow for more options in terms of furniture choices and technology. If you’re including something like a big screen TV on your patio, you’ll want to provide some protection and shelter for it.
A covered patio also adds to the overall aesthetic and can add an interesting architectural feature to the home. If you don’t want to go with a full roof, a pergola is another one of the types of backyard structures that can serve to provide some refuge from the sun’s rays, especially later into the afternoon.
Pergolas can go very well with certain landscape styles and themes, and they even provide the opportunity to incorporate climbing varieties of plants or vines with your home’s architecture.
5. Get Creative with Lighting
Another positive aspect of making sure there are adequate power sources around your new home’s patio area is that it allows for more creative outdoor lighting options. Outdoor lighting can be hardwired and permanently installed to provide near maintenance-free operation or they can be more temporary with outdoor electrical outlets.
Lighting has the ability to transform a patio space into something truly special. Creative lighting options can help to set the mood and atmosphere of this outdoor social area and the options are plentiful. Not only can you choose lighting fixtures that complement a décor style or theme, but choices abound in terms of what kind of lighting you wish to use.
LED rope lighting along the overhang of a covered patio, motion-triggered lighting on the stairs of a walkway, hanging lights, and even freestanding light fixtures are all options that will help transform the patio area of your home into something truly spectacular. You can also take deck lighting ideas you like and incorporate them into your outdoor patio.
When choosing outdoor lighting options, it is a good idea to select ones that are compatible with a dimmer switch. Having the ability to tone down the amount of light these fixtures provide, once the sun sets, is a great way to enhance a relaxing atmosphere and wind down for the day. You can even integrate your lighting with smart home technology in order to create presets, change colors, and more all from your phone or with a voice assistant!
6. Think About Getting Creative With Concrete
Concrete is a versatile material and there are many ways to incorporate concrete into your custom home design. It’s also a popular material for outdoor patios. But, you don’t have to go for a plain concrete pad as your patio foundation if you don’t want to.
Between stamped concrete, concrete pavers, and new pouring methods, you can get creative with the concrete on your patio. There are many stamped concrete patio ideas and you can create interesting designs with stamped concrete or with pavers, play around with different finishes, and more.
7. Consider a Multi-Level Approach
Depending on how you want to use your patio, it may make sense to take a multi-level approach with it. Although it’s definitely one of the outdoor patio design ideas to consider, you don’t have to have a complete second story to your patio or deck.
You can have a raised area for specific seating, dining, or an outdoor kitchen, or to highlight a specific feature. You can even opt for a small slope or ramp instead of stairs or a step for better accessibility and easier movement between the levels.
8. Add Some Plants
Your outdoor patio should be a relaxing, comfortable space. Adding some plants for a touch of nature and greenery is one of the outdoor patio design ideas that can help you create that space.
You can add a few plants in creative planters here and there. Or, you can dedicate a portion of the patio to a garden. You can even build the garden around a small water feature to combine a few design ideas and create a soothing natural element.
9. Focus on the Furniture
In addition to making sure you have enough seating for your outdoor patio, you can also enhance the aesthetic by focusing on the overall design and style of your patio furniture. Patio furniture trends can help inspire some looks for your outdoor patio.
You can go with built-in options for something permanent that makes a statement or you can stick with more standard options and update decor with the cushions, pillows, and other items you use.
Different materials can give you a completely different look; metal tends to be more industrial and can be modern or vintage while wicker, wood, or other natural materials give a more rustic or farmhouse vibe.
When you are planning your new home, don’t settle for a run-of-the-mill patio design. There are so many great outdoor patio design ideas that forgetting to consider the possibilities and potential of your new home’s patio area is truly a missed opportunity.
A functional, stylish, and well-planned patio area essentially serves as an increase to the square footage of useful living space in your home as it promises to become an area that receives regular use and enjoyment.
If you’re ready to turn your dreams into a reality, the first step is starting the conversation with an experienced home builder so they can assist you with all the details and keep the project fun and rewarding. To start that conversation, contact Custom Home Group at 717-284-4090 today!