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Transforming Your Yard to Entertain Guests

A backyard is a great place to entertain guests. But this is hard to do if your backyard isn’t fixed up. You don’t want to have guests over and have them just sit on your lawn and look at your dirty yard. So if you’re interested in entertaining guests in your yard, here are a few ways you can transform it and make it more suitable for guests.

Clean the Home

You should start by cleaning the outside of your home. When you have guests over you don’t want them looking at a home covered in dirt or grime. Find a free weekend and get yourself a pressure washer. This will blast away any build up along the siding of your home and make it look like new again. Pressure washing takes some time, but the end result is well worth it. For more information on how to pressure wash your home you can visit this guide.

Redo the Siding or Roofing

Next, you should look to see if your home’s siding or roofing needs any repairs or maintenance. Getting basic home maintenance tasks like this done will not only make the outside of your home look better, but it will make it safer too. For instance, you can start off by looking for signs of dry rot within your roof. According to Guardian Roofing, a business providing commercial roofing in Houston, “Dry rot is a fungus that can cause irreversible damage to your home. In time, decay from the dry rot can cause instability of the roofing structure, leading to its collapse.” Therefore, it’s important that you get it taken care of sooner rather than later.

You may think you won’t notice things like the condition of your roof when you’re entertaining outside, but it contributes to the overall appearance. These projects can also be more expensive, so you should focus on them before moving onto simpler cosmetic changes.

Add a Patio or Deck

Giving your guests a specific space to hang out on in your backyard is a great way to transform your yard. The best way you can do this is by adding in a patio or deck. Adding in a patio or deck takes some work, and you’ll need enough space to do it. Your best bet is to call in a professional landscaper and talk to them about your options for a patio or deck. They’ll be able to tell you what’s possible in your yard and discuss pricing with you. Having a patio or deck isn’t necessary if you want to entertain guests, but it certainly makes it a lot better.

Upgrade Your Outdoor Furniture

Another key component to entertaining outside is the right furniture. You don’t want your guests sitting on the lawn or on rusted folding chairs. Instead, you should upgrade to some modern furniture that looks great in your yard. Get yourself a patio set complete with a table and chairs. Then move onto some additional pieces like extra comfy chairs or couches. You can even add in some things like standing porch swings or a hammock if you want to give yourself a place to relax when you aren’t hosting guests. Here are some great outdoor furniture options to get you started.

Add Some Lighting

You don’t want to entertain only during the day. Nighttime parties are a lot of fun, but in order to host your guests at night, you’ll need some additional lighting. Consider adding in some flood lights that can illuminate your entire backyard. Or if you have that patio or deck, get yourself some string lights than you can hang around the perimeter. It’s also a good idea to place some lights along any pathways so that people can see where they are going and not get hurt. Play around with different lighting techniques to see which ones best suit your needs and the atmosphere you’re trying to create.

Extra Yard Features

Finally, there are a few extra yard features you can add in to make things a little better. For example, you could add in some outdoor speakers so you can play music when your guests arrive. There are even speakers that look like stones so that they blend right into your yard. Another option is adding a water feature to your yard. Something like a water fountain or pond will add a relaxing element to your yard and make it a more enjoyable place to spend time. Finally, you can add an awning to give your patio or deck more shade when the sun is too bright. There are plenty of things you can add, so take some time to explore your options and add in your favorites.

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A Very Unusual Home Perches over a Japanese Reservoir

An extremely unusual house focuses narrowly on the ribbon of view of a large body of green water.

Designed by  Suppose Design Office the house steps down on three floors over a reservoir in Fukuoka, south-west Japan, bringing the clients as close as possible to the cooling water below.

House in Hibaru allows the clients to feel as close to nature as they do to the city.

But standing up on the living area floor at the bottom, the water view still feels a little obscured.

It would seem that only when seated in the living room, would the view be any more generous.

The rooms inside step up gradually over three levels.

The bedrooms are on this floor, overlooking the living room and kitchen below.

The external walls are concrete, largely concealed beneath the deep overhang of the roof.

The unusual house seems very severe – very extreme.

You almost have to wonder if there is some really disturbing sight on the opposite river bank that must be avoided.

But then you walk inside and see how the wooden ceiling frames the serene water, just as water.

Very unique approach to a watery view. Truly zen.

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A Peaceful Courtyard City Dwelling for a Tokyo surgeon is Aptly Named

The client wanted a peaceful retreat as a space to rest his body and soul exhausted from his work as a surgeon in Yotsukaido City, Japan.

The brief was for privacy and quietness for the parents and three children to lead healthy lives.

Tokyo-based Apollo Architects & Associates, led by Satoshi Kurosaki created peace within with a two story home facing inward to three courtyards.

The family space on the second floor is a single wraparound space with full-height glazing on two sides.

Because the house is on a noisy street, chunky slabs of reinforced concrete are used to make a soundproof barrier outside the interior spaces.

The family experiences the space by crossing between inside and outside, through the central corridor and roof balcony connecting the main building and annex.

Each of the three courtyards have a different atmosphere.

The smallest, towards the back of the house is a narrow space outside the bathroom.

The garage is separated behind glass from the house, and offers only a glimpse of the nearby street life.

The cars park against rubber barricades.

Other than the parking space, and a glimpse of the tree in the courtyard through glass, almost nothing is visible from the outside. Thick concrete blocks the noise of the heavy traffic and automobile emissions.

Farthest from the street side is the kitchen.

It occupies the corner on the second floor.

Pristine white, it couldn’t be further removed physically and psychologically from the heavy traffic passing by.

Connecting the living spaces, the occupants can cross over on wooden ramps, through the tree canopy.

The wood outside is the perfect antidote to the traffic, enabling the client and his family to return to a slower pace of life, for the peace they need.

Fittingly, the peaceful house is named Still.