There are some lovely suburban areas in Philadelphia, such as Gladwyne and Lower Merion, where homes are blessed with outdoor living spaces families can use to relax and take advantage of the hot and humid summers.
If you have a Philadelphia home with a tired-looking outdoor living space, here are a few ideas to help you style it up. With a bit of time and money, you can create an outdoor living space the whole family will enjoy. It will likely add value to your property too, which is useful if you are trying to sell in the current competitive Philadelphia property market, where the average property price is around $235k.
Redesign the Space
Take a good, hard look at your outdoor living space. How can it be improved? Chances are, there are several things you can do to make the space you have more functional and better suited to your needs.
Many family homes have a backyard where most of the area is turf. A lawn looks attractive when it is well-maintained, but the hot summers of Philadelphia will make it hard to keep your lawn looking green unless you make use of a sprinkler system. Sprinklers are effective but can be expensive to run and use a lot of water.
Keep at least one area of lawn for the kids to play on and to give the dog somewhere to go but consider creating different living zones. It is easy to make separate zones outside. Patios and decking create defined lines between different areas, but you can also use planting to achieve the same effect. Plant a hedge or border around an area, so it sits apart from the rest of your garden. Pathways also help define different zones.
Outdoor Dining
An outdoor eating area is a great idea when you are the kind of family that enjoys dining outside in the summer. Build a decking or patio area where you can place outdoor furniture, such as a table and chairs, an outdoor sofa, and a small table for drinks and books.
Install an outdoor kitchen so you can prepare food when you are dining outside. Outdoor pizza ovens are a great investment in a modern home. Pizza doesn’t need much effort to prepare, and the kids will enjoy eating pizza cooked outside in the summer. It makes events like pool parties a lot more fun.
A fire pit is another fun accessory you can add, and it won’t cost a great deal of money. With a fire pit, you can sit outside when it is cold. Fire pits create a lovely ambiance, even in the summer when the weather is warm. Burn logs or bits of scrap wood and enjoy snuggling up with a blanket and a glass of wine in the evening, while the stars twinkle above.
Garden Lighting
Lighting is very important in a garden. Lighting enhances natural features, adds a layer of security, and makes a garden usable in the evening.
Consider all types of lighting when reconfiguring your garden in Philadelphia. Light up pathways and add additional lighting around outdoor living areas, so you can dine outside once the sun sets. Solar lamps for tables are a fun way to create ambiance and you can have fun with colored lights around gazebos and hot tubs.
Because the winters in Philadelphia are cold, it means many families don’t get as much use out of their gardens once summer becomes fall and winter. It’s too cold to sit outside and it can also be wet and snowy. This means you have a large outdoor space going to waste.
However, with some careful use of outdoor lights, you can still enjoy your garden from indoors. Fix string lights in trees and highlight special features with some spotlights. Solar lights are cheap options, but hard-wired lighting will last longer. At night, you can leave the blinds up and enjoy the colorful lights in your garden. It’s a free form of entertainment!
Fit an Awning
An awning is an excellent addition to any home in Philadelphia. Retractable awnings in Philadelphia are a great way to give your outdoor living space some extra protection from the elements. An awning can be installed above the doors between the house and the garden. In summer, this protects the interior from the sun, and in cooler weather, you have somewhere protected to sit outside if you like being in the garden but prefer not to get wet.
Awnings are a good investment if you love outdoor dining. It isn’t much fun eating outside in the garden when the sun is blazing down, and with summers in Philadelphia typically very hot, outdoor dining is impossible without some kind of shade.
Use your awning when you hold a party in the garden, whether it is for a birthday or some other special day. An awning provides somewhere shady for guests to sit, which is especially important if any of them are elderly or have babies.
Don’t underestimate the value of an awning if you work from home, too. Lots of people enjoy working from home these days. Hybrid working is now more popular than ever. With an awning installed, you have the option of working in the garden because the awning provides shade so you can see your screen. Imagine how much fun it will be working in the garden, taking part in Zoom calls with the birds chirping in the background. Your colleagues will be jealous!
Install a Hot Tub
Our final suggestion is a bit more expensive, but a good investment. Hot tubs are fun and offer plenty of health benefits. If you suffer from stress and anxiety, soaking in a hot tub will help you relax. Hot tubs are also useful for people with arthritis and other muscular ailments. Feeling sore after a hard workout in the gym? Soak in your hot tub!
Buy one for the garden and your outdoor living space in Philadelphia will be transformed into an oasis of relaxation.
Any outdoor living space can be improved with a bit of time and money. Follow the tips above and enjoy your new and improved outdoor living space.