Expanding Your Outdoor Living Space With an Arbor or Deck

Expanding Your Outdoor Living Space With an Arbor or Deck

Advantages of a Deck

 

Decks are relatively inexpensive compared to whole room additions, and deck sizes, shapes and materials are easy to customize. Whether you want to create an outdoor entertaining space, complete with built-in seating, or a small area where you can set up your own Texas-style barbecue station, all of this is possible with a deck.

If you have to walk down stairs to enter your backyard, why not take advantage of the elevation to create a living space from which the stairs extend? If your yard or garden area is largely shaded, a deck may allow you to capture some sun so you can grow things to increase the appeal of your outdoor living area. A deck is an excellent place on which to place containers for growing everything from native flowers to vegetables, miniature fruit trees and other interesting plant life.

The materials from which decks are made are easy to care for and need very little maintenance. Railings can increase the privacy of your deck, give you areas on which to place window boxes and offer protection for your children, so you don’t have to worry about whether they will fall. Stone or concrete patios are much more susceptible to damage from weather, and the cost of repairing and maintaining them is considerably higher than it would be for a deck.

You may not be considering selling your home at the moment, but that doesn’t mean that when you make improvements to your home, you shouldn’t consider the value that those improvements add to your home and property. Since outdoor living is so much a part of Texas life, by adding a deck, you are making your home that much more appealing to potential buyers, whether now or years from now.

Why an Arbor?

 

An arbor or pergola is an excellent way to extend growing space, especially if your property doesn’t have a lot of outdoor space. You can also use it as an umbrella or canopy under which you can put an outdoor living space, eating area, or small sitting area that is shaded from the intense Texas sun and heat. If you have a very sunny outdoor area that extends right off your house, an arbor is a useful and attractive way to shade your house, while also adding visual appeal to your home and to the overall look of your outdoor space.

Fast-growing vines easily attach themselves to arbors, creating a living umbrella that is as attractive as it is functional. If you choose to grow vines that produce colorful nectar-rich flowers, you’ll enjoy your property even more because of the beautiful hummingbirds and butterflies that will be drawn to your arbor. If your arbor is close enough to your home to offer protection from the sun during the hottest part of the day, you may also lower your cooling costs, making the investment of an arbor even more worthwhile.

Whether you add an arbor or a deck to your property, your family will enjoy the added outdoor space, while you increase the overall value of your property, adding to the equity you get from home ownership.

 

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