One of the best parts of building your own custom home in the Des Moines area is being able to include great outdoor living space for your family to enjoy warm summer evenings and crisp fall mornings. Once you find the right location to build your family home, your design-build team should take a close look at your property to develop a home and landscape design that takes advantage of your property’s natural assets.
Natural Trends Increase Interest and Eco-Awareness
Your outdoor space can be so much more than just a traditional grassy expanse! Earth-friendly trends like xeriscaping—landscaping that includes a mix of more eco-conscious plants and design features—can both save energy and reduce your outdoor maintenance requirements. Planning your outdoor space to include natural or “wild” areas, gardens, sitting areas, and outdoor living areas allows you to use all of your property in an interesting, attractive way.
Augmenting your home with planned outdoor living spaces also allows you to get the best value for your property dollar. Multi-level decks attached to your home, ground-level attached and detached decks and patios, and privacy decks are ideal ways to extend your space outside your home’s footprint. You can bring many of the comforts of indoors to the outside.
Things to Think About When Designing Your Outdoor Spaces
To get the most out of your outdoor living space, follow these tips.
- Plan for Your Needs. If you have a large family or want to use your outdoor space for entertaining, planning deck and patio space that is big enough to accommodate the right size tables and features is important! And if you want to put a hot tub, kitchen island, or other heavy feature on an attached deck, you’ll need to make sure that it is structurally planned to be strong enough to handle the weight. Before you start, talk with your design-build team about how you want to use your outdoor space.
- Use All-Weather Features. Iowa weather can make outdoor comfort challenging all year long. Making sure that your outdoor space includes various kinds of overhead covering can help protect you from the sun, rain, and snow and allow you to use your space comfortably throughout the year. Build in seating areas and storage for soft goods (seat cushions, pillows, umbrellas, etc.) to make seasonal transitions easier. Incorporate fire and heating features, too!
- Try Privacy Decks, Screens, and Walls. A ground-level privacy deck can allow you to have a usable, private outdoor space. Walls, screens, coverings, or tall natural planted features can shade you from the sun on a deck or patio and preserve your family’s privacy.
- Watch Levels and Separations. Designing multiple levels and separate areas will not only add visual interest and beauty to your space but will also help you use your whole space better. Plan your outdoor space to echo the architecture and layout of your home so that it looks like it flows naturally rather than being an afterthought. Using planters is a beautiful, natural way to break up the space and provide railings or barriers between “step down” areas.
- Choose Appropriate Flooring and Surfacing. Using a mix of ground coverings can make your space both interesting and more usable. Concrete patios are easy-care options for outdoor tables and chairs, while gravel, mulch, and pavers are sustainable, eco-friendly choices that allow good drainage on paths and walkways. Ground-level wooden decks can even out variable terrain and ensure step-free transitions from inside to outdoors (and can even incorporate a ramp or slope to accommodate changes in grade). These universal design elements can help make your home easily accessible for all ages and mobility levels.
In addition to planning the layout, make sure to incorporate features and upgrades that make it beautiful and functional! In our next blog post, we’ll take a look at accessories and design elements that help you get the most out of your outdoor spaces.
The design-build team at Homes by Brill Des Moines custom home builders believes that innovative, contemporary landscape design is an essential part of your custom home! We’ll help you design an outdoor space that’s perfect for you and your family. We can even help you find the right land to get started on your new home. Contact us today to find out more!
{{cta(‘5f4ef9e1-75b5-4df9-ba9d-c0eeb59f8894’)}}
