HomeKeepr Blog

Turn Your Porch, Patio, or Backyard Into the Ultimate Warm-Weather Hangout

When the sun is shining and the days are long, there's nothing better than enjoying your own personal outdoor retreat. Whether you have a sprawling backyard, a small balcony, or just a sunny corner, summer is the perfect time to upgrade your space for relaxing, entertaining, and soaking in the season.

Here are some easy, inspiring ways to transform your outdoor area into a summer-ready space you’ll love.

Adding space outside to enjoy warmer days can create fun and long-lasting memories. However, choosing between installing a deck or a patio can become overwhelming. There are many factors to consider before deciding. First, it is important to understand the key differences between the two. A deck is an elevated structure connected to your home's first or second floor. It has a railing along the edge for safety and is typically made from wood, composite, or vinyl. Unlike a deck, a patio is built on the ground floor, either attached to the home or as a separate structure. They are comprised of concrete or bricks, as opposed to wood, making them durable and long-lasting.

Now that spring is fully here, this is a perfect time to prepare for how you want your home’s exterior and property to look and function for the summer. It’s also fun to find new activities to pre-occupy your time as an excuse to be out on warm, sunny days. You could choose to do renovations or purchase new outdoor appliances and furniture if that is within your budget. However, there are many easy and less costly ways to enhance and beautify your yard and exterior without calling on a professional landscaper or contractor. At the same time, you can hang out and have fun. Before considering the kinds of projects you want to undertake, evaluate one or more of these four basic processes: longevity, productivity, activity, and tranquility. Ask yourself what you would like to accomplish. Are you looking to improve functionality, such as fixing and refurbishing, or are you looking to produce something that can keep renewing itself every year? Do you enjoy outdoor activities and entertaining, or do you prefer to chill in a calm and intimate environment? You may be interested in a little of all four. Here are some suggestions for summer projects that can assist you in your goals for accomplishing one or more of the processes.

There are few things that carry the feel of fall like sitting by a fire on a cool autumn night. Of course, not everyone lives somewhere where they can just build a bonfire or even set up a little campfire at a moment’s notice. Fortunately, there are options available for those who want the ambiance and experience of sitting by the fire without the hassle and liabilities that go along with building bigger fires. The best option is installing a firepit in your yard or even on your deck for those days you want to just relax by the fire.

If you have any kind of outdoor space, the chances are good that it’s the perfect place to hang out in only limited windows throughout the year. Although you probably imagined something like a backyard oasis when you chose your home, the reality is a little different when the sun gets a bit too bright and bears down a little extra enthusiastically.

Maybe you’ve just moved into your new home and you’ve got a patio of your very own for the first time, or maybe you’ve had one for a while and just didn’t know what to do with it. Patios are magnificently flexible spaces, if not a little boring by themselves. Think of your patio as a three-dimensional canvas that you can literally create anything on that you’d like. From tiki hot tub paradise to casual outdoor dining space, patios are only limited by your imagination. Here are some things to think about when you’re trying to dress yours up!

It’s finally spring! Time to break out the grill and the patio set and spend your evenings cooking out under the stars. Except, you don’t have a patio, you have a backyard that’s currently a soppy, muddy mess from spring rainstorms. You’d love to get outside, but it’s just so mucky and sticky out there.

Every summer, you find yourself saying the same thing month after month: “Boy, it’d be nice to have a big deck…” So far, one hasn’t spontaneously manifested in your backyard, no one has shown up offering to trade a deck for some magic beans, nothing like that. It’s high time you get out there and put your dreams into motion!

The groundhog has seen his shadow, Cupid has shot his glut of arrows, now the only thing between you and spring are a few lousy weeks of unfortunate weather. Spring is just around the corner, are you going to be ready to fire up the grill on day one? You took the time and effort to carefully put your outdoor kitchen to bed before winter’s cold came, soon it’s going to be time to wake it up again.