Tag Archives: Outdoor Environments Kansas City

Barrels Popular on Decks and Patios this Season

Many of the nation’s leading design magazines and websites are featuring wooden barrels this season as planters and other decorative objects. Using a vintage barrel is eco-friendly and adds character. Let’s have a look at inspirational images:

  •  Barrel water garden. Country Living magazine featured a “Whiskey-Barrel Water Garden,” which is sealed on the inside.

 

whiskey barrel water garden

Image via Country Living

  • Barrel tables. Affordable and fun, barrels can be used as either side tables or something large. The popular website My Sweet and Saucey even showed a banquet being given on a long whiskey barrel dining table.
whiskey barrel tables

Image via My Sweet and Saucy

  •  Barrel planters. A creative arrangement atop a barrel makes for an impressive statement, as the chic blog 100 Layer Cake demonstrates.
barrel planter

Image via 100 Layer Cake


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For the Kansas City deck or patio to enhance your home, contact Outdoor Environments, a certified contractor in Overland Park. Visit us online at www.outdoorenvironments.com or call 913-897-2706.

Deck and Patio Decorations for Fall

As the leaves drop and a chill enters the air, homeowners are giving their decks and patios an autumnal feel with decorations. Here are some that inspire:

  • Planter. Pumpkins and gourds transform a planter. Pottery Barn takes the concept to new heights with its Bicycle Planter.
Pottery Barn

Image via Pottery Barn

  • Wreath. For exterior doors, a wreath in earth tones and spice tones conveys the flavor of fall. The Pumpkin Patch Wreath by Williams-Sonoma is a fine example.
pumpkin wreath

Image via Williams-Sonoma


  • Natural. Bales of hay and other beautifully humble natural items make for a warm and friendly outdoor gathering, as this image from Country Living demonstrates.
hay

Image via Country Living


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For the Kansas City deck or patio to enhance your home, contact Outdoor Environments, a certified contractor in Overland Park. Visit us online at www.outdoorenvironments.com or call 913-897-2706.


 

Portable Deck and Patio Warming Devices for Fall

While the most luxurious options are outdoor fireplaces and fire pits, you can stay warm outdoors this fall with affordable portable deck warming devices as well. Here are some of the leading options on the market:

  • Patio heater. A portable patio heater, like this Home Depot model, works quite well and weathers the elements. (Follow manufacturer’s instructions for usage and safety.)
patio heater

Image via Home Depot

Brookstone's Real Flame Modesto Fireplace

  • Table with integrated fireplace. Restoration Hardware‘s Laguna Concrete Propane Fire Table fires up instantly and lasts hours.
fire table

Image via Restoration Hardware

 

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For the Kansas City deck or patio to enhance your home, contact Outdoor Environments, a certified contractor in Overland Park. Visit us online at www.outdoorenvironments.com or call 913-897-2706.

Planters for Kansas City Decks and Patios

The different seasons and architectural styles in Kansas City facilitate a variety of residential design styles. This diversity is evident in the stylish planters that look great in the City of Fountains.

  • Zinc. This stylish grey metal has been seen in French-inspired planters, such as this “Les Bac Á Oranger” from Authentic Provence.
Kansas City planter

Image via Authentic Provence.


  • Wood. The wood-and-iron Versailles Planter from Restoration Hardware is perfect for small shrubs such as boxwood.
Kansas City planter

Image via Restoration Hardware

  • Terracotta. Terracotta pots work well for any home, and there are many distinctive options on the market. For example, Treillage Ltd. has a pot with acanthus leaves.
Kansas City planter

Image via Treillage.

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For the Kansas City deck or patio to enhance your home, contact Outdoor Environments, a certified contractor in Overland Park. Visit us online at www.outdoorenvironments.com or call 913-897-2706.

Espresso-Colored Decks Popular

There are many appropriate deck colors, and the key factor is whether the color complements the home’s architecture. One popular color of deck stain is espresso (or chocolate). Here are some images of beautiful espresso decks from across the nation.

  • Espresso-charcoal. This deck, which we saw on Houzz, appears to be made out of a composite material the color of espresso blended with charcoal.
espresso deck

Image via Houzz. Photo: Elad Gonen & Zeev Beech

  • Color coordination. This espresso deck in the U.S. Virgin Islands, by D Studio, coordinates with the stain color of the shutters.

espresso deck

 

  • Sleek. The espresso stain of this contemporary deck, by California-based architect Cary Bernstein, gives it an added sleekness.
espresso deck

Architecture: Cary Bernstein. Image: Houzz.

For the Kansas City deck or patio that is right for you, contact Outdoor Environments, a certified contractor in Overland Park. Visit us online at www.outdoorenvironments.com or call 913-897-2706.

Screen Porch Conversion to a 4 Season Room

We were pleased to convert a 15-year-old screen porch to a four season room recently for a client. The result is a true room that the client will enjoy more fully and for more months out of the year. To incorporate the space into the architecture, we added tile floor and kept the original finish on the interior. Updates included:

  • Enlarging the structure’s footprint.
  • Insulating the ceiling and floor areas.
  • Installing insulated casement windows.
  • Adding a  fireplace and air-conditioning.
  • Fresh coat of paint.

BEFORE

screen porch conversion

screen porch conversion

 

AFTER

screen porch conversion

 

screen porch conversion

It was a pleasure for us to work on keeping the cost reasonable while still providing full service and a high-quality structure that will last generations.

For convert your Kansas City screen porch into a 4 season room, contact Outdoor Environments, a certified contractor in Overland Park. Visit us online at www.outdoorenvironments.com or call 913-897-2706.

Built-in Planters on Decks and Patios

A deck or patio certainly adds to a home’s livability and resale value. To keep your deck or patio from looking like a plain slab, consider incorporating built-in planters. Here are some images to inspire.

  •  Contemporary. A relatively small lot in Australia was given lush privacy thanks, in part, to built-in planters by C.O.S. Design. Seating is incorporated into the patio’s knee walls.
Kansas patio

Image via Houzz. Design: C.O.S. Designs

  • Transitional. Stained pine planters complement the teak furniture on the deck of this California home designed by Sullivan Design Studio.
Kansas deck

Image via Houzz. Design: Sullivan Design Studio


  • Traditional. Start spreadin’ the news. The built-in planters in this traditional New York flat are as impressive as Gotham’s skyline. (Design: Amber Freda)
Kansas City deck

Design: Amber Freda. Image via Houzz.

For built-in planters, decks, and patios in Kansas City, contact Outdoor Environments, a certified contractor in Overland Park. Visit us online at www.outdoorenvironments.com or call 913-897-2706.

Outdoor Fireplaces and Fire Pits

As autumn and its cool nights approach, it’s a good time to prepare by building outdoor fireplaces and fire pits. Here are some useful tips, exemplified by projects we’ve completed at Outdoor Environments.

  • Stone around base. The surface around the base of a fire pit can be made of many materials. Changing the surface material underfoot from wood to stone adds visual interest. You can visually incorporate the fire pit with the rest of the landscape by matching the stone color.
Outdoor Environments

Fire pit byOutdoor Environments

  • Thick ledge. During warmer months, when the fire is not in use every night, the thick ledge of a fire pit is a place for a person to sit.
Outdoor Environments

Fire pit by Outdoor Environments

  • Seating wall. A seating wall that follows the contours of the fire pit welcomes guests and divides the deck or patio from the rest of the yard. It is a custom touch that adds a sense of permanence and quality to a property.
Outdoor Environments

Fire pit by Outdoor Environments

fire pit

Fire pit by Outdoor Environments

  • Multiple levels. A deck with multiple levels enables the fire pit to have its own zone, which becomes a destination.
firepit

Fire pit by Outdoor Environments

fire pit

Fire pit by outdoor environments.

For Kansas City fire pits, outdoor fireplaces and more: contact Outdoor Environments, a certified contractor in Overland Park. Visit us online at www.outdoorenvironments.com or call 913-897-2706.

AIA: Outdoor Living Spaces Popular

According to a recent survey by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), outdoor living remains popular, and with that has come more interest in property enhancements. In the first quarter of 2012, interest in outdoor living space increased, with almost two-thirds of architects surveyed stating that outdoor living space, covered outdoor space, and outdoor rooms are increasingly popular.

AIA

 

 

Decks, porches, and patios are often accompanied by low-maintenance, low-irrigation landscaping. Other popular and sustainable features are rainwater catchment systems, gray water reuse, and green landscaped fencing options (bushes, trees, hedges).

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To make your outdoor living space popular, contact Outdoor Environments, a certified contractor in Overland Park. Visit us online at www.outdoorenvironments.com or call 913-897-2706.

How to Fix Peeling Paint on Your Kansas City Deck

An interesting article in The Kansas City Star had tips on fixing peeling deck

deck paint

paint, and we’ve boiled these tips and others down to five easy steps.

  • Step 1: Remove as much of the loose paint as possible with a wire brush.
  • Step 2: Use an orbital sander to remove the rest of the peeling paint.
  • Step 3: Sand again using a 150-220 grit sandpaper.
  • Step 4: Clean the deck, perhaps with a power-washer.
  • Step 5: Apply a wood primer and finally, paint.
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For Kansas City decks, contact Outdoor Environments, a certified contractor in Overland Park. Visit us online at www.outdoorenvironments.com or call 913-897-2706.
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Image via greenliving