Hi everyone and happy Friday! Today I want to introduce my new friend Susan Lang of Designing your Dream Home. Everyone...this is Susan. (pictured here with her grandson-she doesn't look old enough to be a grandmother, does she?) 
Susan Lang is the author of Designing your Dream Home -- A fabulous book answering practically any question you may have and mistakes to avoid while building or remodeling. Her advice is invaluable during the design and building process! The checklists in her book and on her blog are very thorough, and she has mounds of great pictures on her blog for inspiration.
She is giving away a copy of her book over at her blog! Be sure to leave a comment at Susan's place too, to get in on the giveaway. Her book is a must have!
We are participating in Hooked on Fridays over at Julia's place. Thought it would be a great place to hang out for the day!
After reading her post here, be sure to visit her blog, check through her archives and labels to see what she can help you with. So, without further ado...here's Susan.
Spring is definitely in the air in Nashville, Tennessee as witnessed by blooming dogwood trees, azaleas, and tulips. Along with Mother Nature's beauty came a sinus infection. Aaarrgghh! I really do not like taking antibiotics or any kind of medicine for that matter. However, after blowing the yellow stuff out of my nose which signals an infection, I relented and got on an antibiotic. I realize many of your are still shoveling snow! :(( I don't know which is worse; a sinus infection or shoveling snow in mid-April?
My cute blogging friend, Misti, of Studio M Designs, and the talented Sknobs creator/painter, mentioned that she had thought about expanding her patio last year but did not get around to it. With Spring in the air that project is now on the front burner. She asked me for my functional and practical advice (which is my thing) on patios, porches, and decks. Ends up we decided to do a post about the advice I was giving her so that it could be shared with all of you.
There are several key questions you need to ask yourself before embarking on building a porch, patio, or deck.
1. Why are you building a porch, patio, or deck? Do you want a place for your family to gather, a place to entertain guests, a place to have morning coffee and read the newspaper, etc.?
2. How many people on average will you need to seat on the porch, patio, or deck? If you are a family of five and your parents or his parents, or both sets of parents stop by frequently, you will need a minium of either 7 or 9 seats. If you have a best friend with a family of five who visit often, your minimun number of seats would be ten.
3. Do you want a dining table that will be able to accommodate your minimun number of seats?
4. What other type of furniture do you want on your porch, patio, or deck? Don't forget swings and hammocks.
5. Do you anticipate doing a lot of grilling? If so, how large of a grill do you need?
6. Will you want other outdoor appliances? If so which ones?
7. Will your grill be built-in or on wheels?
8. Will your grill be hooked up to natural gas, a propane tank, or use charcoal?
9. Will you need to be able to contain small children or pets? If building a patio, built in seating as shown in the photo below will act as a barrier and a decorative gate could be installed at the openings. If building a porch or deck, the rails will act as a barrier and a matching gate could be added.
10. Do you want your porch, patio, or deck attached to your home or located away from your home in the yard?
11. Do you want a fireplace or fire pit? If so, will these have gas logs or need a gas starter?
12. Do you want a flat screen tv mounted on a wall or hidden within a piece of furniture?
13. Will you have parties requiring a tent over your patio or deck? If so, discuss with your builder and tent rental company what you can do to make installing a tent easier and make it more secure from wind. Perhaps installing a hole(s) in the center of the patio or deck for the
tent support pole(s) to slide into.
14. Do you want awnings on your porch?
15. Do you want multiple levels for your porch, patio, or deck?
16. Do you want an outdoor powder room?
17. Do you want a built-in trash receptacle or will you use portable trash cans. If built in, do you want one for recycling as well?
18. Do you want any type cover over your patio or deck?
*For those designing their dream home, you need to decide the approximate size of each and how many porches, patios, decks, and balconies you want in your home and off of which rooms will these be located.
*If you are designing a new home or adding a porch, patio, or deck onto an existing home, take into consideration the location of the sun in relationship to how you position the porch, patio, or deck.
(Traditional Home April 2007)
^Isn't this a great patio. I love the lamp posts, the built in planters, stone floor, and the built in bench seating area that defines the outer edge of the patio. It appears there is an opening at each end which will allow guests to walk out into the gardens.I am assuming the U-shaped area with bench seating is repeated on the opposite side of the patio that is not shown in the photo. A great addition to this patio would be an outdoor fireplace as shown below. I do think it is best to have a hearth on outdoor fireplaces for sitting, especially if temperatures in the climate you live in turns cold at night. I think having a mantle on the fireplace is a nice touch but remember it will get dirty.
(Veranda September 2008)
If a fireplace is too costly for your budget or the temperatures where you live do not warrant having one, you might consider a fire pit. They are great for roasting hot dogs as well as roasting marshmallows for a s'more. I love how the fire pit in the picture below fits right into the patio wall. Wouldn't a fire pit look great in the corner of the patio shown in the first photo? However, as I will discuss in the next blog topic: Porches, Patios, and Deck Mistakes to Avoid, you must take into consideration how windy it is where you live and the most likely direction the wind blows. You would not want the smoke from the fire pit to become a nuisance to those sitting on the patio. Sometimes it is best to put a fire pit away from the main gathering place.
Another consideration for a porch, patio, or deck is an outdoor grilling area. These can be built-in as shown in all the three grill photos shown in this blog or your grill can be portable on wheels. Options for outdoor kitchens include ovens, refrigerators, sinks, cabinets, and warming drawers. Additional equipment includes storage cabinetry, woks, griddles, ice-makers, a rotisserie, infrared sear burners, pizza stone, and even a smoker box. The photo below is an outdoor kitchen.
Additional questions you need to consider for your porch, patio, or deck involve electrical needs.
1. Do you want a ceiling fan? If so, do you want a light on the fan?
2. Will you have sconces or lanterns? If so, will they use electricity or natural gas?
3. Will you have lamp posts, table lamps, floor lamps or other outdoor lighting? Will they use electrical power or natural gas?
4. Where will you want to locate the light switch for any of the above that use electrical power?
5. What will need an electrical outlet and where should the outlet be located? i.e. a margarita machine, a fan/spray mister, appliances, table lamps, floor lamps, etc.? Should any of the outlets be connected to a light switch? Will you need a floor outlet?
6. In cool weather, will you be plugging in a heater? What about an electrical heater that is mounted near the ceiling (see photo below)?
7. Will you need an accessible outlet to plug in a cell phone charger, a cordless phone base, a computer, a blender, an electric ice cream maker, etc.?
8. Will you have an automatic drip system for watering plants that will need electric power?
9. What audio/visual needs will you have that require electrical power and where will these be located?
10. Will you have a Christmas tree or other Christmas decorations that will need electrical power?
11. Will you have retractable motorized screens that will need electric power?
12. Do you want to be able to turn on a light inside your home from a light switch located on your porch?
^This fire pit belongs to a family member . It is located away from their home with steps leading to the fire pit from the porch. The brick walls are at a level comfortable for sitting. It is wood burning with a gas starter inside. There are two more fire pits in pictures below.
(Southern Living 2007)
(Veranda April 2008)
Above and below are two more examples of grilling areas with additional appliances. In the photo above, KitchenAid utility drawers, refreshment center with ice-maker and refrigerator below. Grill in the background on the right. Also an outdoor sink. Below is a Weber grill with built-in side burner, a Vicking refrigerated beverage center, and a Franke sink.
(Veranda April 2008)
There are several plumbing questions that need to be considered.
1. Do you want a water feature on your porch, patio, or deck? A water fountain, small waterfall, fish pond, etc.?
2. How many faucets do you need and where do you want them located?
3. Do you want a drain in the floor?
4. Which appliances will you install that require water?
5. Will you use a fan with water misting? If so, it will need to be connect to a water faucet via a hose.
6. Will you have an outdoor faucet? How many and where will they be located?
A great porch for morning breakfast. Check out the herringbone pattern of the brick floor. I like the extra wide grout.
^The banquette seating in the corner of this wonderful porch creates a wonderful gathering place. The panels of fabric hung on a curtain rod add a great splash of color. If the sun is too bright or you want more privacy, the curtains can be drawn. The tassels on the curtain tieback are a nice touch.
(Southern Living 2007) There are so many wonderful elements in the photo of the porch above which is nestled in the trees. They used pieces of stone protruding from the fireplace to support the mantle which looks like a solid piece of rock or stone. The floors are a great color as is the ceiling. Phantom screens would work well in this design if bugs were to become a problem.
^In the above photo is one option for heat in an open air patio/porch. The heater has been mounted in the ceiling. Another option is the commercial grade portable propane heaters which can be rolled around.
Old or new shutters are a great decorative accessory as well as functional feature for porches, patios, and decks. If you can see the neighbors house next door from your porch and you want more privacy, installing a row of shutters is a great solution. Not only do they look good, they allow the air to flow through them.
(The source of some of the photos used in this post are unknown. Please contact me if you are the source or want it removed)
Thank you Susan for making me look good! Thank you Julia for having us today! I bet there are so many questions that never entered your mind, right?
Don't forget to come back for the "Mistakes to Avoid" post. Can't miss that one!
Come back and visit soon.
~Misti
(Cottage Living)
(House Beautiful)
(Country Living)
(either Country Living or Country Home)
(BHG Kitchen and Bath Ideas)
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