Today's patio is more than simple barbecue space.

A round Weber grill on a concrete square worked well in the 1950s and 1960s, but today's homeowner is looking for much more than simple barbecue space.

According to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, outdoor living in the 21st century means bringing all the comforts of the indoors outdoors. In order to bring the indoors out, homeowners need a cooking appliance, a table and chairs for dining and a hearth product to extend the season.

This entire "leisure lifestyle" industry is now a $6.2 billion industry, up 5.4 percent compared to 2002. One-third of nearly $150 billion on home remodeling went towards outdoor living areas.

"Our clients are making their outdoor space a No. 1 priority since it expands their family living area as well as their entertainment space," says Marion Gorski, a senior designer for JR's Creative Landscaping of Naperville, Ill. with over 36 years of experience

designing residential patio and landscape areas.

Before any work is even begun, Gorski feels homeowners must ask themselves a few questions.

 

Key patio-planning questions:

 

• How do you envision the area? Will it be used for cooking, entertaining, quiet space, play space for children or sunning? Are you looking for privacy from other homes?
• Would a fireplace or fire pit allow you the extended use of the area for evenings or cooler seasons?
• How big do you need it? How many people are in the family, and how many friends and neighbors would you like to accommodate?
• When will it be used? Will the area be used mornings, afternoons or evenings?
• What is your budget? What spending parameters have you planned for your project?

 

Before any work can be done on the project by a designer or a handy homeowner, it is crucial to know the elevations from entry and exit points, property size and local codes. This will help you determine the materials that can be used, how much space is permitted and how the correct design will harmonize with the home.

 

Material choices

Factors to consider when selecting materials include, not only your budget, but also the cost of cleaning, sealing or repairing through the years.

 

Many homeowners still select concrete as their material of choice for their patio. "Today’s concrete patio is as unique as its owners. Modern stamping, texture and coloring techniques complement any landscape and provide a touch of individuality to the back yard," says Jim Peterson, president of The Concrete Network in Yucaipa, Calif., publisher of a Web site that covers the concrete industry. "Across the country, companies that specialize in concrete patios are seeing an enormous increase in elaborate outdoor living spaces -- all kinds of landscaping and landscaping projects, including decorative concrete, are quickly emerging as the new material of choice for today’s patio."

 

Many homeowners are combining concrete with other materials such as brick, tile or flagstone. In addition, wood, steel or copper dividers can be used as control joints to help prevent cracking. Some homeowners prefer decks to either concrete patios or pavers. According to Gorski, today’s homeowners don’t want to invest the time or effort involved in staining wood decks so they are looking for other materials to use. There are a variety of looks available in synthetic decking. "Today’s resin, all types of plastics or fiberglass -- which have no wood in them at all --give a wood appearance and have the texture of wood. Although it’s initially more expensive to install than an actual wood deck, these materials are an early investment versus continuous maintenance

 

Natural stone, such as limestone or bluestone, is still used today on custom projects. Although timeless in its appearance and resistant to the elements, natural stone has its limits regarding installation, budget and material costs. 

 

Kitchen design

Today, homeowners are deciding to create an "exterior kitchen" for their homes. Built-in grills, refrigerators and beverage tappers are growing in popularity. The 30-inch high, specially-built outdoor refrigerators are small units that are completely stainless steel. They fit under the 30- to 36-inch countertops and are unplugged in the winter. Beverage tappers are used to cool beer, wine and even iced tea.

Homeowners don't want to stand alone over a stove inside, when they can cook with friends and family together outside on a nice summer day. According to Gorski, an outdoor kitchen can be created in as small a space as a 10-foot by 10-foot patio. This allows the homeowner to also place a 48-inch table with four chairs on the patio. Homeowners considering installing an outdoor kitchen should know that it can cost $10,000 to $15,000.

Some homeowners want a roof over the patio such as an arbor pergola. This free-standing roof has four posts or columns and a roof that is open to the sky. People installing a pergola may have vines climbing over it.

 

Fire and water features

"Fire and water are two elements that attract our senses," Gorski says. "Sharing a warm, toasty fire with friends on a crisp evening or reading a favorite book while listening to the trickle of water from a serenity pool are elements frequently wanted in outdoor space." A fireplace or fire pit allows families to use their outdoor living area much earlier or later in the season. A small pond or bubbler has a soothing effect and can even attract wildlife. Beautiful songbirds will simply stop and take a drink.

There are multiple ways to put in a small pond. Most homeowners want it built right into the patio -- cutting out the area before placing down the actual patio floor. Some submerged ponds have an upper basin with water that trickles down to the lower basin.

Many manufacturers offer stone products that look like urns spilling water. They can be placed on the patio and bubble over or trickle down onto a gravel basin, which has a pump assembly underneath. Urns can be as small as 30-inches by 30-inches.

The bubbler, providing small visual and sound effects, just trickles over the stone and runs down. It requires less maintenance than a pond, which needs chemicals to stay clear. For people on a budget, a bubbler is priced from $150 to $300, while a small pond purchased and installed could cost $5,000.

 

Landscape plantings

Plants are chosen to provide screening from neighboring areas, add shade to escape from afternoon sun, bring color and fragrance to the living area and, in general, create a "living room" feel. Evergreens provide privacy and a continuum of green. Shade trees can help create a canopy to make the homeowner feel secure and sheltered. Selecting multiple flowering plants and perennials can contribute to a full season of color and fragrance, and even add winter interest.  One of the most effective ways to personalize your outdoor room is to add planters or urns. In Europe, planters add personal touches of color and fragrance to balconies, window boxes, terraces and entry ways. A planter placed in a highly visible location on your patio can be planted with bulbs for the spring, annuals in the summer, filled with mums in the fall and holly branches in the winter.

 

Landscape lighting

An extremely effective way to extend the use of any outdoor area is by landscape lighting. By providing soft, indirect lighting, the outdoor space can become more inviting, less intimidating and safer in the evening hours. Low-voltage systems can be installed at focal points like walks, steps or trees to bathe an area with soft light.

 

It seems that in the 21st Century, the options available for making your patio to make an enjoyable "extra room" are almost endless