Wood Patio Door
When your small home begins to feel crowded, one way to enlarge the home without the expense of large-scale construction is to do more entertaining outdoors. French patio doors allow your patio to be an extension of the home.
While outdoor entertaining is not always possible, with the addition of patio heaters and a roof, that patio or deck can be used for a major portion of the year. Even without the roof, as long as it is not raining or snowing, you will find that the extension of your home is usable for eight or nine months of the year in most parts of the nation.
Many homes now have an outdoor room. This room may be recessed into a corner of the home that provides a wind break but still allows residents to get needed fresh air and still be comfortable.
Creating Functional and Cozy Spaces
Outdoor rooms are often furnished with seating that might also be found in an indoor family room. Upholstery is often water resistant in case water was to be blown into the room. Heat is provided by outdoor fireplaces and access from the home can be through French patio doors or other doors from the home. In addition to a conversation area, these rooms may also provide a dining as well as a cooking area. Even in colder climates, the outdoor room can be enjoyed several months of the year and can extend your living space.
Cooking in the outdoor room during the summer is the perfect way to avoid heating the house with the additional heat of cooking.
During the summer, the outdoor room is an excellent place to entertain and relax. While there may be times that it is too warm in the heat of the day, most people find that the hours shortly after sunset are a wonderful time to spend a few hours outside.
If you live in a dry climate, the temperature of your outdoor room can be made much more comfortable through the use of misters or misting fans. These devices work much like an evaporative cooler to lower the temperature of the outdoor room by as much as ten to fifteen degrees, making it a comfortable spot even on some very hot days. Since the room is open to the outdoors, humidity buildup is not as much a problem as it would be when trying to cool a home with an evaporative cooler.
