Do you dream of entertaining your family and friends during the summer? Do you want to host an outdoor wedding or a graduation party this spring? If adding hardscape to your outdoor living space is on this year’s bucket list, start planning to enjoy it in 2023.
Outdoor Kitchen and Other Hardscapes: The Benefits of Bringing Your Cooking Space Outside
Whether you’re Staycationing at home this year or you have a big family event coming up, you want to plan now for your next hardscape design. For example, you may want to add another patio with an outdoor kitchen because you enjoy eating al fresco.
There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of outdoor kitchen and hardscape ideas available to you. Pinterest, Houzz, and similar landscape design build sites will give you plenty of outdoor kitchen options to dream up. While you may want to add an outdoor room to entertain family and friends, there are other reasons why hardscapes benefit your outdoor living design.
Here are seven benefits of adding an outdoor kitchen and other hardscapes to your property this year:
1. Reduces energy bills –Your air conditioner won’t have to work as hard since you won’t use your indoor cooking appliances during the summer.
2. Keeps garlic and other strong smells outside – Strong seasonings improve a steak or chicken breast every time. However, you don’t want food smells permeating your home’s indoor rooms.
3. Makes cooking less of a hassle and more of a joy—Cooking dinner indoors while everyone else is socializing outside can leave you feeling isolated. Instead, join in the fun by cooking in your outdoor kitchen. You’ll also have more hands to help with chopping vegetables and fruit.
4. Lose weight and get healthy – You have many options for healthy cooking in your outdoor kitchen, including grilling, barbecuing, and pizza ovens that allow you to increase the flavor of your food while reducing fat at the same time.
5. Increase the value of your home with hardscapes – Outdoor living spaces increase your happiness, and adding these rooms increases your home’s value. For example, a well-built patio can fetch you an 80% ROI and helps you sell your house faster.
Go online and visit a hardscape dealer to find outdoor kitchen and living space accessories. For example, consider adding a gray sink, cooking utensil storage, a refrigerator, and side burners for boiling water to your outdoor kitchen.
6. Enjoy eating al fresco – The sun’s bright, your flowerbeds are in full bloom, and you have a brand-new patio where you can enjoy your supper every night—making a brand-new outdoor kitchen a necessity.
Put up a pavilion roof or a pergola over your outdoor rooms so you can enjoy them in all types of weather. Also, add ceiling fans to keep the air moving while enjoying a hot summer night.
7. Create an outdoor space to gather with family and friends – Finally, hardscapes create spaces to enjoy with your family and friends. You can host formal affairs, such as a bridal or baby shower, or have your friends over for a quiet dinner. Add a fire table or an outdoor fireplace to add ambiance at your next get-together.
Practical Considerations for Your Outdoor Living Spaces in 2023: Size, Location, and Amenities
Resolve to extend your outdoor living space this year by adding hardscapes. For example, walkways connect the dining, living, and kitchen areas. Walkways also guide your friends and family to the back of your home, where all the fun happens. You also can add a firepit on another level for a more rustic feel.
Watch one of our 3D renderings to get your creative juices flowing for your next hardscape project. In 2023, you will have so many choices for designing your hardscapes. Here are some hardscaping questions and tips to think about:
- You want your outdoor living space to be close to the indoor living areas of your home.
- Consider your current hardscapes. Will you need to expand an existing patio, or will your landscaping contractor need to add a second one?
- How large do you want your outdoor living spaces to be? Do you want multiple rooms for outdoor entertaining? You can add an outdoor living room with audio and an outdoor television.
- Do you want natural stone, manufactured pavers, clay bricks, concrete, or stamped concrete as the base for your hardscapes?
- Do you want landscape lighting so you can entertain at night? Do you want that lighting throughout your backyard, including in a swimming pool or pond?
- Do you want a covering for your outdoor living areas, such as a pergola or a pavilion roof? Do you want to entertain outside for most of the year?
- How extensive will your hardscapes be? Consider how often you’ll entertain and how you’ll accommodate your guests.
- Know where your water and electrical hookups are available so your hardscape company knows where to install new plumbing and electrical outlets.
- Pin ideas on Pinterest, download photos from Houzz, and other visuals of your dream outdoor living space to help your landscape designer create an outdoor room that’s perfect for you.
Finding the Best Hardscapes Contractor to Design and Build Your Outdoor Living Space
You only want the best hardscaping company in Central Pennsylvania to design and build your new outdoor living space in 2023. Here are three tips for finding the best hardscapes contractor:
- Ask your hardscapes contractor about the design and create a timeline. Can they build your dream outdoor room in 2023?
- When you first meet your hardscapes contractor, ask them how long it takes to get an estimate for your outdoor living project.
- Who will be your main point of contact? Usually, it’s the designer or salesperson who oversees your hardscape project.
Transform Your Outdoor Space with Tomlinson Bomberger
Call us at 717-399-1991 for your free hardscape consultation.
Tomlinson Bomberger offers a range of services, including lawn care, landscape, pest control, and tree care to homeowners in several Pennsylvania counties, including Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York.
Sources:
ExtraSpace.com, 6 Outdoor Living Space Features That Boost Home Value.
SouthwesternStoneSupply.com, Bring the Fun outdoors: The Top 10 Benefits of an Outdoor Kitchen.
