6 Top Reasons for Remodeling Your Outdoor Living Space

By Patti Walsh of Lawn Starter

Homeowners in the Buckeye State enjoy getting outdoors to soak up the sun. It’s one of the best ways to relax and wind down after a long day at work. Updating the outdoor areas of your home gives you an excuse and the opportunity to spend more time outside with friends and family. Here are the six top reasons for remodeling your outdoor living space.

Expand Your Square Footage

Remodeling your backyard is a great way to expand the square footage of your home. Creating an outdoor living room complete with chairs, tables, and dining options is like adding another family room. Some outdoor remodels look so much like a living or rec room, you have to look twice to realize that it really is outdoors. Something as simple as adding a covered deck will allow you to use the space even when it rains. Add an outdoor kitchen, and you may never want to cook inside again. When you blur the lines between indoor and outdoor space, you have more areas to entertain.

Gather with Friends

A mixture of great weather, cold drinks, and a sizzling grill are the perfect ingredients to entertain outdoors. Updating your outdoor areas will naturally encourage you and your friends to hang out outside instead of being stuck indoors. Eating dinner underneath a pergola while sharing a laugh with friends is a great way to get to know people. You’ll find yourself inviting old and new friends over to the house to enjoy a barbecue in your new outdoor space.

Enjoy Nature

Spending your evenings out on the patio or deck will give you the benefits of enjoying your landscaping. Spice things up by planting a flower garden with flowers and plants native to Ohio. Native flowers like Joe Pye Weed and Purple Coneflower attract pollinators like honey bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. You’ll also attract plenty of birds to your home. Go a step further and surround your deck with container plants to add a pop of color. (Hint: marigolds and citronella plants will naturally repel mosquitoes.)

Improve Your Health

Spending time outdoors can actually improve your health. The combination of sunshine, fresh air, and the sounds of nature help to decrease stress. You may even want to start an impromptu yoga session on the back deck or catch up on your golf skills on a newly planted lawn. Speaking of the lawn, there’s something therapeutic about lawn mowing. Pushing the mower back and forth reduces stress. There’s also the feeling of accomplishment you get when you see your turf thriving throughout the year. Some homeowners find that planting edible plants in their new outdoor space is a great way to encourage nature to work for them by producing fresh vegetables that are perfect for healthy snacking.

Add Value to Your Home

You’ll see a dramatic uptick in the value of your home by investing in the outdoor areas. Outdoor living spaces are often on the checklist for potential home buyers. Ample outdoor living space is a growing trend that won’t be going away anytime soon.

Less Maintenance

An ignored backyard can become an eyesore. Create a plan for your yard that is low maintenance and worry­ free. Consider expanding the hardscapes or deck so you have less grass to mow, and more room for lounging or dining. Landscapers use specific plants chosen not only for their beauty but also for their low maintenance qualities that accentuate the space. Working with a remodeler will help you create an area that you can enjoy instead of spending your weekends pulling weeds.

Investing in your backyard will add value and create a personal oasis that you can enjoy for years to come.

Patti Walsh is a home and Garden writer who takes pride in her own organic vegetable garden landscape. When she’s not gardening in the backyard, you’ll find her firing up the barbecue for her friends and neighbors.