The boring but practical side of designing your new Kansas City outdoor living space…

There is always a starting and a finishing point to outdoor living design. Where do you start with design? At what point do you consider your design choices finalized? We will help walk you through the thought process we use when we plan and design a Kansas City outdoor living space.

The first step is determining any of the physical limitations of the space.

Are there trees that limit the space? How big is the yard? Is there a swimming pool or other large elements that constrain where a space could be built in the yard? Are there retaining walls or any other features that would limit the space when drawing the footprint? The practicality of identifying any space limitations needs to be the very first thing you consider. Other limitations may include any restrictions set by the city or county. It is important to know any setbacks before beginning the design process.

How do you intend to live in your outdoor space?

The second thing to do is look at how the space will be used. This may be something you haven’t thought much about… you’ll know the opportunities once it’s built and you start spending time in the space. The problem is that starting this way is upside down. If you are going to eat many meals outside and your space isn’t large enough to accommodate a table to fit your family and guests, you will wish you had thought those logistics before building. If you are adding a porch to enjoy outdoor living many more months of the year but have not considered the angle of your backyard or the degree of shade your trees create, it is quite possible you will not be able to spend the amount of time you hope. There may be too much shade cover and a northern facing backyard that limits the sun coming in to your room to such a degree that you cannot spend many more months in your new room.

How many people will be accommodated and how comfortably?

In addition to how you will live in your new space, you need to think about traffic flow. Boring! True. Where are the exterior doors of your home? What is their proximity to where you want to build your space? Will a new roofed structure need to have 2 doors to ensure traffic spills out into 2 different areas? If so, that limits the useful space within the enclosed room. You will even need to think about any aging family members, frequent guests or dogs will get in to and out of the space. This might require wider stairs or a lower lying space.

After you’ve taken into account all of the practical considerations, you can move on to the elements that are most often thought of as the true “design” components including shapes, colors, aesthetic features, materials and more. Check back for an upcoming blog about the “fun” part of design.

Also read: How much does it cost to build a Kansas City area deck, porch, or sunroom?

Bonnie and Dan Hall, Archadeck of Kansas City Owners

If you’re considering adding a screened porch or other roofed structure to your home, give us a ring. During our free consultation, we can discuss options and provide design ideas for your new space. Give us a call or send us an email. (913) 851 – 3325 or kansascity@archadeck.net.