Building Outdoor Living Space

Building Outdoor Living Space

Who couldn't use more living space? Happily, anyone can create an outdoor room from scratch without breaking the budget. It doesn't matter if your outdoor space is as narrow as an apartment balcony or as large as a sprawling backyard. All you need are a few basics:

Big or small, the most important design rule when you create an outdoor room is to pay attention to the scale of the available space. You may already have elements in place to play the role of "walls," floor, and "ceiling." If not, you can create a sense of enclosure with inexpensive materials (such as gravel or decomposed granite) or by using existing landscape features (such as a hedge, retaining walls,  or a balcony railing). As for furnishings? We've got a few suggestions for simple, versatile seating that won't break the bank.

Here are five ideas to create an outdoor room on a budget:

Photography by Matthew Williams for Gardenista except where noted.

1. Start on Level Ground

Above: A simple patio adjacent to a house on Shelter Island, New York creates living and dining space outdoors.

Site an outdoor living space on level ground. If you already have a balcony, deck, or patio to work with, you're in luck. If not, find a spot that looks flat (if you're unsure, check the elevation with a string level). In a small space, you can cover existing grass or weeds with a weed barrier fabric to create a base for a new outdoor living space.

Above: A 150-foot roll of Commercial All Weather Landscaping Ground Cover is $109.81 from Home Depot.

If you're designing a larger outdoor space (as shown above), dig up grass or weeds, tamp down the earth with a roller, and check the elevation to make sure it's level. Add a layer of landscape fabric (to prevent new weeds from sprouting).

Building Outdoor Living Space

Source: https://www.gardenista.com/posts/design-basics-10-steps-create-outdoor-room-budget/