About Summer Home Backyard Vacations!

Forgo that summer vacation in favor of a retreat you can use right in your own backyard. Decks, patios, landscaping and gardens Monroe, and swimming pools and hot tubs can provide a daily relaxing escape from your everyday routines for years to come.

1. Decks: Outdoor Living

Decks have become an extremely popular, low-cost way to add living space to a home. They not only make it convenient to enjoy sitting outside day or night, they also open up the home and facilitate entertaining and outdoor dining.

Outdoor rooms Monroe are becoming very popular, in fact, and not just in warm weather climates. Homeowners are remodeling their decks and patios into small- and full-scale outdoor kitchens, dining and entertaining areas.

Even with a small budget you can create an enjoyable outdoor room for dining and entertaining. There are three basics to any outdoor kitchen: grilling area, food prep area and sink and, of course, dining area. Unless you have an extravagant budget to work with, the grill is a good basis for most outdoor kitchens.

But, before you can even begin cooking you will want to have a food preparation area. For many homeowners, a simple counter space will suffice for this. Another basic necessity for food preparation is an outdoor sink.

Perhaps the most important aspect of your outdoor kitchen is the dining area. Be sure to choose a location on your deck that is comfortable. If you're eating during the daytime you're not going to want the sun beating down on you or your food. A tabletop umbrella, a pergola, or even large trees will do the trick.

2. Patios: Low-Maintenance Retreat

If you don't enjoy working on your landscaping and yard work Monroe, a small, low-maintenance patio is a good solution for you.

Small doesn't have to mean dull and uninteresting. A well-designed patio, no matter how small, can be a fun escape from indoors. Use this link to install a patio.


The choice of materials for your patio is based on personal taste. Many people like the classic look of brick, which is durable, easy to install and available in many colors. Patio pavers are also inexpensive and easy to install. They are available in many shapes and sizes and are long lasting and durable. A third option is flagstone. Available in many shapes and colors, flagstone can be pre-cut for standard sizes or custom shapes.

If you would like to have box gardens or a small patch of grass on your patio, plan to have them in the areas that receive consistent amounts of sunlight.

A fountain or small waterfall will add a luxurious and exotic feel to your patio. Running water helps obscure outside noises and creates a relaxing atmosphere, especially if you are in an urban area.

There is nothing as pleasant as enjoying a meal on your patio. Design an area large enough for a table and a few chairs. If you are very limited on space, built-in planters with wide borders offer a place to sit for buffets and casual gatherings.