Enhancing Your Outdoor Environment

At this time of year, turning to the home improvement channel on television means lots of advice on spring gardening and making your patio and backyard ready for barbeques and evenings in the lounge chair. Even restaurants are preparing their patios for those warm spring evenings when guests want to have their dinner under the stars. There may still be a slight chill in the air, but that problem is easily solved. Here we will look at how to make an outdoor space, either at home or for a business, more useful during the spring and fall seasons.
Residential
Let us consider the outdoor living space in the context of an apartment or condominium. Even if your deck is 100 square feet and eleven floors up, there are things you can do to make every foot feel like a lovely oasis. First, look at the floor; is it wood or concrete? Depending on the building restrictions, consider laying down a wood floor deck. Pieces are pre-cut and simply sit on top of the existing floor. Rain, dust and small debris fall through the wood slats, helping to keep the surface clean and dry. Wood floor decks work best over concrete, but use on a wood floor is still ok. For something a little less expensive, but does the same job as a wood floor deck, try out rubber interlocking floor tiles. They are generally two feet square, black and stand up well to the elements. Once your floor is selected and installed, choose some comfortable lounge furniture. When you are making your selection, keep in mind the amount of space you have to work with. Too many pieces or furniture that is too large for the space will only serve to make it a cramped environment. If your space is a backyard patio, then you will want to think about storage options for the off-season. Do you have a shed large enough to store your patio furniture? Are the cushions weather resistant? If your outdoor living space is not sheltered and you plan to leave the main table outdoors all year, avoid glass tabletops. The glass is easily broken during extreme cold weather. If space permits, a fountain would add a lovely element of serenity to your outdoor space. The gentle gurgling sound is relaxing, plus the water will attract small birds and butterflies. Even if your space is a balcony, a small fountain is a lovely feature to have. Once your patio, balcony or deck is all set up with a new floor, comfortable furniture, potted plants, and a bubbling fountain you will no doubt want to spend every weekend and evening enjoying it. However, the cool spring and autumn evenings may prove to be just too uncomfortable. There is no need to be decked out in your winter apparel just to sit on the deck get yourself an outdoor heater. There is a big difference between a regular indoor space heater and an outdoor patio heater. To begin with, they are designed for the outdoors, so the heat is directed down onto the users using infrared heating, instead of a space heater that heats the air which escapes up and out. Whether you choose a wall or ceiling mounted heater or portable heater, the heater will generate enough warmth to make your outdoor living space useable for more than just the summer months.

Commercial
Restaurants, caf's, bistros, pubs, hotels and resorts are just a few of the commercial establishments that could benefit from expanding their useable seating space during the spring and fall. For these businesses, the summer months are always the busiest times as guests can enjoy the sun on the patio while still being served a meal or beverage. The restaurant patio becomes a social hub where groups of friends meet for dinner and a good time. Resorts thrive on their outdoor living spaces as guests get to enjoy the landscape, as well as partake in the local cuisine. The opportunity to expand the usability of your patio seating means potentially higher profits, for comparatively little investment. Install overhead heaters and your diners will love the experience of dining el fresco while not feeling a chill. If overhead mounting is not possible, then the installation-free stand-alone portable heaters will work just as well. The key is in creativity and putting yourself in the position of the customer.