Have you or your significant other ever looked out the back window and thought, “I sure would love to have an outdoor living space?” It’s not to late to start planning your dream home improvement project. When planning an outdoor living space, it’s important to create an environment that will meet your families need. Another thing you will want to take into consideration, will this outdoor living space increase the value of the home?
Deck
The most common outdoor living space a home owner will have is a back deck. The feature allows the home owner to have a BBQ grill and patio furniture to entertain family and friends. Remodeling Magazine estimated a wood deck structure of approximately $13,333 would increase the value of your home $10,084 a 75.6% increase. The feature is very popular to new home buyers. Porch.com completed a survey that showed 51.1% of new home buyers thought a back deck was an important feature. A back deck is the most cost efficient outdoor environment for a home improvement.
GC: Outdoor Environment LLC
Multi Level Deck
Much like the single level deck, the multi level deck increases the value of your home. The benefit for a multi level deck is mostly esthetics and convenience. The multi level deck allows the home owner and guest to enter the deck from different levels of the home. You can choose from a variety of decking materials to give your home the visual appeal you are wanting to create. The lower decks can also provide a deck that is covered for wet weather and outdoor kitchen.
GC: Outdoor Environments LLC
Pergola
A pergola can be a stand alone structure or added to a current deck. Pergolas add an element of grace and elegance to your back yard outdoor living space. Not only do they add a visual appeal, they add a minimal of 20% more value to your home. If you are looking to define an outdoor space, a pergola is a practical choice financially. They give shade, while giving the area more natural light.
Screened Porch
A screened porch will increase living space, while adding the benefit of the fresh air. They provide a bit more privacy than a deck and the protection from the elements on your outdoor furniture. You can increase the value of your home up to 75% with a screened porch. There are also various ways to heat the screened porch to extend the use of this living area into winter. In those summer months, the screened porch provides protection from the pesky bugs. Most home owners agree, the visual appeal of the screened porch is a benefit as well.
GC: Outdoor Environments LLC
3 or 4 Season Room
My personal favorite, due to my love of plants, is the 3 or 4 season room. This home addition can increase the value of a home, due to the variety of options it is difficult to say exactly how much the increase will be to a home. 3 & 4 Season rooms offer additional functionality to a living space. Openness and visibility being the main attractive features. Many home owners use them for living room, media room, exercise room, play room and breakfast rooms. They are the perfect home addition.
We hope these ideas will inspire you to create an outdoor living space for your home. The winter months are a perfect time to dream and plan for building in the spring. If CH Construction can assist you with any questions or needs please contact us.
