Category Archives: Outdoor Design Ideas

Adding a deck, patio or four-season room to a residential home are all very common projects. But did you know that you can also add a porch?

Detached porches are yet another solution when you’re thinking about adding both value and efficiency to your home. Think about it: how many of your neighbors have a detached porch? Why not start a trend in your neighborhood by letting Outdoor Environments build one for you?

With a detached porch, you’ll enjoy the best of both worlds. Not only will you take pleasure in viewing your beautiful garden, but you can do so from the comfort and privacy of a completely enclosed structure. Detached porches are perfect for enjoying beauty of the outdoors without suffering from the unbearable and even dangerous heat. Best of all, you can decorate a porch just as beautifully as you would a room inside your home.

Here are some examples of detached porches we have constructed:

To discuss the possibility of adding a detached porch to the exterior of your home, contact Outdoor Environments today!

So you want to spruce up your outdoor space, but don’t want to pay an arm and a leg to do so. There are plenty of ways to add style, character and panache without breaking the bank. What do you think about these ideas?

• Instead of buying an outdoor rug that will rip and get dirty, opt for painting. With the right stencils and bright colored paint, you can fool guests into thinking it’s a real rug!
• Gather unused chairs and stools around the house and use them to position potted plants and flowers.
• For porches, seasonal rooms and gazebos, use sheet fabrics and curtains to create a bit more privacy. Plus, they look fabulous on breezy summer days.
• Are you bored with your potted plants and flowers? Buy a can or two of spray paint for less than $5 each and spray each pot a bright, happy shade.
• Speaking of spray painting, take a look at small chairs, tables and other décor you keep outside. If any of it needs a face lift, it surely can be spray painting for a brand new look.
• Don’t be afraid of thift shops and dollar stores. You can add color with fake fruits and silk flowers for just a few measly dollars!

What other cost-effective ways have you spruced up your outdoor space?

Image from Decor Pad

It’s no secret that outdoor living spaces are more commonly thought of as outdoor living rooms. They are designed and laid out much like the rooms inside the home. So it isn’t surprising that lighting plays a role. After all, a room isn’t complete without the right light, right?

With consumers looking for more ways to incorporate green and eco-friendly features, outdoor lighting provides sensible ways to do just that. LED lighting uses about 75 percent less energy than halogen bulbs while solar lighting uses no electricity whatsoever.

LED and solar lights can be used strategically to show off the design and architectural elements that truly make an outdoor space unique. Lights can border walkway paths, driveways, gardens and flower beds.

The trick, though, is to not overdo it. No one wants their outdoor space lit up like a football field. A dim glow is all that’s needed – much like the natural and unobtrusive natural light provided by the moon.

To find out how Outdoor Environments can incorporate the right lighting for your outdoor space, call us at 913-897-2706 today!

Information from The Globe and Mail

Exterior space designed by Outdoor Environments

It can become painfully obvious during the summer season that your backyard lacks the privacy you want and need. You might live near a noisy main road or maybe your neighbor’s second story has a clear view that looks right down on your yard. During this time of year, it’s important to have a private space to relax with family and friends without worrying who else may be watching.

Luckily, Outdoor Environments can provide you with a number of solutions to privatize your outdoor living area. One of the most unique solutions is to construct a customized pergola. By building this type of enclosure around your deck, patio or outdoor kitchen, “you can re-create the intimate feeling of eating or entertaining indoors, while still enjoying beautiful weather.” And if pergolas aren’t your style, gazebos can add a different touch while still maximizing the level of privacy.

If you’re looking for ideas to make your outdoor space more private, be sure to visit Outdoor Environment’s Facebook fan page. We’ve posted hundreds of photos so that you can see examples of exactly what we do.

Information from TOH

Pergola shown is by Outdoor Environments

At Outdoor Environments, we have been creating outdoor living rooms for Kansas City homeowners since 1991! We often add entirely new decks, sunrooms, screened in patios, and gazebos for our customers, but we also perform another vital service- remodeling or replacing old or badly designed decks to better suit the architecture and flow of the house. There are plenty of less-than-desirable decks out there, but you don’t have to resign yourself to living with a badly designed outdoor living area!

Take a look at one of our deck remodeling projects, below.

Before

This was a beautiful, spacious house and yard, but the deck seemed like a last-minute addition that did not relate to the scale or materials of the house at all. In fact, the tiny deck was basically just a landing for the strangely large and prominent staircase. There were not many entertaining or leisure opportunities on that staircase, to be sure!

After

As you can see in the “after” photo, Outdoor Environments created a deck that relates to the architecture of the home and simultaneously creates much more space for outdoor dining and relaxing. The homeowners now have the perfect party deck, and the back of the home looks much more intentional and complete.

If you would like to add or remodel a deck on your Kansas City area home, contact Outdoor Environments today!

Sunrooms are the perfect year-round living space, and here at Outdoor Environments, we have been designing and building high-quality outdoor living spaces for Kansas City homeowners since 1991. With hundreds of projects under our belt, as well as membership in the Kansas City chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the Home Builders’ Association of Greater Kansas City, we have the experience necessary to create a sunroom, deck, patio, or porch that will dramatically expand the living space in your home.

There are endless options for customizing your sunroom to fit your style and personality. Check out a few tips for creating a casually elegant sunroom, from Better Homes and Gardens.

• Exposed beams on the ceiling will add architectural interest to the space, as well as a laid-back, cabin-like atmosphere. Wall-mounted lanterns add to the summer cabin ambiance.
• A vaulted ceiling painted in a subtle yet vibrant color gives the space an airy feel and makes the space feel more personalized.
• Layered rugs and a variety of patterns give this room an eclectic, quirky feel that is both welcoming and fun.

photo via BHG

Sunrooms were made for this kind of weather. It’s the best of both worlds because you get to enjoy the warmth of the outdoors under the comfortable shade of a protected exterior room. If you’re in the mood for a new sunroom look this season, we’ve got plenty of ideas for you to try out.

• Maintain a similar color and design scheme to your home’s interior. A bright and sunny outdoor room followed by a dark home interior creates a confusing contrast.
• Outdoor furniture can always be transformed with slipcovers. Guests will think you’ve updated your pieces each time they arrive!
• Never underestimate the power of colorful and floral patterns. Plush throw pillows and outdoor rugs are great ways to create a summery theme.
• Not sure what colors to choose? Use your window frames or your area rug to start. Use those colors as a foundation for all of your sunroom’s furniture, décor and accessories.

For sunroom building and remodeling around Overland Park and Kansas City, call Outdoor Environments at 913-897-2706.

Image from Decor Pad

One way to take pride in your home for National Homeownership Month is to consider adding a porch. It’s a place for privacy, entertaining, relaxing and everything in between. If you’re not quite sure how to use a porch or how to bring it to life, these tips might help!

1. Coziness for everyone – A good porch will achieve two important things. First, it will be spacious enough to accommodate guests for tea, coffee, brunch, and/or pleasant conversation. Secondly, it will also be stunning enough to wow the owner and family. Dining space and plenty of seating is the key.
2. A fierce fire – Fireplaces are not confined to just family rooms and backyards. They can also be incorporated into outdoor rooms and utilized all year long and especially when days and nights get a little cool.
3. Wonderful windows – The great thing about porches is that they let you enjoy the outdoors without actually being outside. Windows are key in making this a reality. And with all of the energy-efficient options out there, you can have beautiful windows that add to your porch design while incorporating an eco-friendly touch.
4. Make it a room – Many people fail to realize that outdoor rooms are spaces just like any other room in the home. Therefore, it can be decorated as such. Since porches are often used for relaxing, bookshelves and other storage units are great for storing books, magazines, and hobby accessories.

Porches are a wonderful home addition that you should certainly consider to add value and exclusivity to your home. Call Outdoor Environments in Kansas at 913-897-2706 to find out more about our outdoor room building capabilities. We serve the Kansas City and Overland Park areas.

Information and image from BHG

There are so many ways to incorporate a pergola into your outdoor space that we don’t even know where to begin! So, let’s just dive on in. Here are a few ideas to integrate, decorate and jazz up a pergola outside your home.

1. For garden lovers, pergolas provide the perfect structure for vines and other vertically-grown greenery to flourish. As it surrounds the pergola’s poles and beams, it’ll create a natural, vineyard type of atmosphere.
2. Pergolas are your space to make all your own. Decorate if however you’d like with colorful accessories, seat cushions, flowers, outdoor curtains and other elements.
3. If you’ve already got a patio, a pergola is the perfect way to transform it into a covered, more private outdoor room.
4. Guests can make a grand entrance with a pergola constructed directly over your home’s entry doors.
5. Although we’re accustomed to seeing pergolas with square and rectangular shapes, keep in mind that you can create more visual interest with other shapes, sizes and architectural details.

Are you ready for your pergola? If so, call Outdoor Environments in Kansas City at 913-897-2706 today!

Information and images from BHG

The month of June is recognized as National Homeownership Month. Put in place by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), this month is dedicated to teaching homeowners all about the ins and outs of the American home – how to buy one, maintain it and add value. Outdoor Environments knows all about adding value to homes all around the Kansas City area.

According to the NAHB, landscaping your yard is one of the best ways to increase your home’s value.

Along the same lines of thinking as the roof, landscaping can give a great – or not so great – first impression. Backyard landscaping can transform ordinary spaces into incredible entertaining areas by including elegant water features and lush plants. Consider your area’s climate. If you live in an area that receives temperate weather year-round, you’ll find that your new landscaped yard adds value to your home and increases your living space.

Of course, landscaping can include much more than just gardening and planting pretty flowers. Backyard decks, patios, sun rooms, porches, gazebos, pergolas and shade arbors are all great additions to a home’s landscape that will also add to the value of your home.

Call Outdoor Environments at 913-897-2706 to discuss how we can help to make your home even more valuable for you!

Image from Houzz