Outdoor Environments Blog

`Image via Better Homes & Gardens

Now that the weather is warming up in Kansas City, you’re going to be making much more use out of your patio.  Get your patio ready for spring activities and guests by giving it a thorough spring cleaning and get rid of the layers of pollen that have gathered.

Use the following tips to clean your patio:

• Ceiling – Clean the ceiling first so that you don’t end up cleaning the floor twice. Use a long duster and clean any fans that you have as well.
• Floor – If your patio uses gravel, then rake it to straighten it out. Look for any debris and be sure to remove them. If you have a loose flagstone patio, then pull any weeds that have grown between the stones.
• Plants – Water your potted plants and trim any hedges, trees or plants around the patio that are beginning to grow over.
• Furniture – Clean your patio furniture by dusting it and wiping it down. Any patio furniture cushions should be washed or sent to the dry cleaner.

For more advice about patios in Kansas City, or to update or build a new patio, contact us at Outdoor Environments.

Image via Better Homes & Gardens

“Summertime… and the living is easy,” or so the song so aptly goes. The summer is indeed, a great time to get outside and enjoy the wonderful weather especially if you can bring all the comforts of inside with you. Here are a few suggestions for creating an outside room that has all the comforts of home and making this transition possible: 

• Use Comfortable Furniture – Face it. Most outdoor furniture is uncomfortable. Break the mold and find some that keeps your backside at ease.
• Add Colorful Rugs – Richly colored rugs create conversational spaces and add a splash of excitement.
• Decorate with Aplomb – Anything goes; art, potted plants, lanterns and even gold fish ponds. Treat this outdoor space like a room and decorate it.
• Create a Focal Point – Build the space around one singular item like a fire pit or objets d’art and you will naturally generate a meeting for family and guests.

If you need more information on outdoor living rooms and kitchens, contact the professionals at Outdoor Environments, Inc. Our designers and staff are experts at expanding the interior comforts of your home into your outdoor spaces.

Image via Flickr

Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner and after that, summer will be in full bloom. It’s a great time to be alive and have some fun hanging out by the pool or on the backyard deck.

Indeed, outdoor decks and barbecues get the full workout at this time of year so be sure that yours are safe and secure. Here are some great tips from FEMA for keeping you, your family and your guests safe while getting the most out of your backyard deck:

• Keep your Distance – Do not grill too close to the house and never in an enclosed area. 
• Watch the Kids – No one can get in more trouble faster than the little ones so keep them away from the grill, the lighters and any other potential hotspots. 
• Properly Dispose of Coals – At the end of the night, people sometimes forget. Better to let them sit overnight than risk the chance of a fire. 

For more information about keeping backyard decks in Kansas City safe or about installing or remodeling one, contact the professionals at Outdoor Environments Inc. Their staff understands all the intricacies involved in your outdoor spaces and can help create the perfect one for your home.

Image via Houzz

On the list of most wanted exterior remodeling ideas is what to do with that unused corner of the backyard. While many people will just throw up a storage shed and plant some bushes around it, a little creativity can turn that corner into a little slice of heaven for you, your family and your guests. Here are just three suggestions:

• An Outdoor Fireplace – On cool autumn evenings, a fireplace is just the thing to keep the party going. You can even keep the kids occupied with toasted marshmallows and s’mores. 
• An Intimate Seating Area – Center it on a vintage table, a water feature or an outdoor sculpture. In any event, you will have a conversation starter and great place for your friends to congregate on a warm summer evening, 
• A Trellis and Garden – Plant lovers never seem to have enough garden space. A trellis solves this problem in three dimensions. Plus, there are a amazing variety of colorful, low maintenance plants that love to climb. 

Whether you choose one of these exterior remodeling ideas or one of your own, don’t let that backyard corner go to waste. For more information, contact the pros at Outdoor Environments.

The days are getting longer and it is time to consider exterior remodeling ideas to increase the value of your Kansas City area home.

This may be the year to create a sun room on your front porch or deck. Add screening or windows to allow fresh air and sunlight to enter while keeping out pesky bugs. This gives your house friendly curb appeal.

You can still enjoy your garden while you modernize your yard. A rebuilt and extended back patio or wood deck can offer additional room for plants, hanging pots and bird feeders.

A built-in brick or stone barbecue with a food preparation area or a copper cooking pit can add a new dimension to your patio by turning it into an outdoor kitchen.  This can be a natural extension of your dinning room or family room with the addition of a pass-through window or sliding door.

Think about adding an attractive, garden tool shed to your backyard or side yard. You may even have room for a romantic gazebo or a hot tub enclosure suitable for use all year.

No matter what plans you have for styling and designing your home’s back yard, Outdoor Environments are the experts in the Kansas City area, so contact us today if you want a perfectly-designed backyard experience

Image via Houzz

The days are getting longer and it is time to consider exterior remodeling ideas to increase the value of your Kansas City area home.

This may be the year to create a sun room on your front porch or deck. Add screening or windows to allow fresh air and sunlight to enter while keeping out pesky bugs. This gives your house friendly curb appeal.

You can still enjoy your garden while you modernize your yard. A rebuilt and extended back patio or wood deck can offer additional room for plants, hanging pots and bird feeders.

A built-in brick or stone barbecue with a food preparation area or a copper cooking pit can add a new dimension to your patio by turning it into an outdoor kitchen.  This can be a natural extension of your dinning room or family room with the addition of a pass-through window or sliding door.

Think about adding an attractive, garden tool shed to your backyard or side yard. You may even have room for a romantic gazebo or a hot tub enclosure suitable for use all year.

No matter what plans you have for styling and designing your home’s back yard, Outdoor Environments are the experts in the Kansas City area, so contact us today if you want a perfectly-designed backyard experience

Image via Pinterest

To make your deck among the most beautiful decks in Kansas City you will want to make sure that you take advantage of great lighting. You will find that there is a large variety of deck lighting from which you can choose to make your deck not only look great but to also be much safer for your family as well as for visitors.

All decks in Kansas City should offer the benefits of being able to be useful after the sun goes down and with smart lighting  you can almost use your deck as if it were another room added to your home. You can enjoy eating dinner on your deck or entertaining friends and family at get togethers during the evening hours or the late night hours if your choose.

Selecting from the vast choices of deck lighting will help light up the steps to your deck so that the deck is easily and safely accessed. Lighting can also be placed along your handrails to outline your deck. You may also choose to place your deck lights in areas that you want to be focal points.

For the best in outdoor deck construction and design, be sure you talk with the experts at Outdoor Environments if you have a home in the Kansas City area.

Image via Pinterest

Are you looking to add some color to your backyard? Some exterior remodeling ideas for your yard include planting a garden that surrounds your deck. This is a good choice if you have a small backyard, since it only takes a few easy steps to have a beautiful garden wrapped around your deck.

The first step is to take a hose and lay it around beds  you have set up for your garden. This well help your garden to curve smoothly. The next step is to put some potted plants on the beds and determine where you want each plant to go. When you have made that decision you need to take the sod out of the beds and put organic matter in the soil.

After the soil is in place and the plants are firmly in the ground, you  need to install the brick edging and lay down the cedar mulch. Some people even add limestone pavers at the bottom of the stairs to their deck.

Contact Outdoor Environments today if you want to add more color to your backyard and give it a new look that will last for ages.

Image via Houzz

When you are searching for exterior remodeling ideas, peace can be attained with water features added to your landscape. Water ideas are abundant, and these ideas can depend on both the size and shape of your landscape area. You may consider a small pond with turtles, frogs and fish. Plants lining your new pond will give you the sense of being in the middle of a nature reserve, even if you reside in a major city.

Some other great ideas are waterfalls of many types, using rocks or glass as a backdrop. You may want to have a beautiful fountain in your landscape. We have even dug and formed amazing creek beds running down the midst of your yard and falling into a small pond.

Whatever water feature that you may desire for your landscape, here at Outdoor Environments we can assist you in getting that peaceful landscape. Give us a call at 913-897-2706. We do landscapes that will make the neighbors jealous.

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Those who are lucky enough to have decks in Kansas City are also able to create natural beauty and enhance their diet by growing their favorite herbs on their deck. Many herbs and veggies grow best when they are placed in containers as opposed to being placed in the ground.

Consider growing garlic, parsley, sage and even tomatoes on your deck. You will be able to move the containers around so that the plants are able to get the proper amount of sunlight or shade that they need. Container gardens are a great way to spruce of the decks in Kansas City with color and detail.

Growing herb gardens on your deck is the perfect solution if you have limited backyard space in which to grow you plant in the ground. You may find that it also makes caring for the plants easier on you when you have them on your deck.

All of the decks in Kansas CIty can be filled with everyone’s favorite herbs and vegetable that they want to enjoy freshly picked right there out their own door. You’ll love the benefits of gardening on your deck. So contact Outdoor Environments today if you want to have the most beautiful deck on your block.