The Key to Entertaining is Right in Your Own Backyard
by Jessica Groach
Jessica.Groach@homeimprovementideas.net
Senior Home Improvement Columnist
The long evenings in summer are the perfect time to entertain in your backyard. But is yours ready for guests? These simple updates to your deck or porch will help make your backyard the hottest place in town.
Summer calls; it's time to fire up the barbecue and call some friends. But is your backyard worth lingering in? Consider these options.
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All Decked Out
Combining the beauty of the outdoors with the comforts of the indoors, decks improve the value of your home, if built well and treated right.
- Painting requires little maintenance. Stain, while attractive, should be reapplied every year or two.
- Kids, pets and patio furniture scratch wood; consider composite wood, which resists scratches, and doesn't burn bare feet.
- Add railings and widen stairways to make your deck guest-friendly.
- Benches, planters or other accessories improve the appeal and value of your porch or deck.
- For a single-story home, or for something simpler, consider building a patio. Cement is only about $2-$4 a square foot. Brick and decorative pavers cost only a bit more, and are attractive porch additions.
Additional Simple Porch Upgrades:
- Patio furniture: The varieties are endless. Wood is usually more attractive, comfortable, and cooler on bare legs in the hot sun. There's also plastic, aluminum, cast iron and wicker. Consider look, ease of storage, heat absorption and durability.
- Lighting: Add fixtures that look good day and night, so your party can last all night. Remember to light pathways through the yard, too.
- Speakers: Make your party come alive with outdoor speakers, which are built to withstand weather, and the occasional sprinkler.
- Portable Heaters: A nice touch on cool evenings.
With some simple adjustments, your backyard could be the envy of the block.
About the author
Jessica Groach, a new homeowner herself, is a freelance writer and writing instructor at the University of Nevada, Reno. Her work has appeared in various lifestyle and business publications, including a Warner Business Book, and she has seven years' experience in advertising and television production.
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