Which Outdoor Features Do You Need For Your Custom Home

When you're creating a custom home for your family, the outdoor space is just as important as the indoor space. Making smart landscaping and hardscaping design choices can help ensure hours of fun for you, your children, your spouse and other members of your household. Knowing your priorities and also all the options available can help make design decisions more easily.

Below are some of the most popular choices that homeowners make when they're designing their outdoor space for their custom home. Which features appeal the most to you? Work with your builder and other members of your household to create an outdoor space that you'll cherish for years to come.

1. Composite Wood Deck

Gone are the pressure-treated decks of many years ago! Today, most homeowners opt to install a composite wood deck because of its longevity and durability. Composite wood decking is rot-resistant and attractive, and looks like real wood. It's made from recycled wood pulp and resins, combined into planks that are hard to distinguish from natural wood.

Benefits of composite wood decking include:

No maintenance. Unlike pressure treated and other types of wood, composite wood decking never needs to be finished or painted. It will continue to look its best and maintain its structural integrity without this type of maintenance from you.
Long-lasting. Natural wood eventually succumbs to rot, usually from exposure to moisture and the elements. This does not happen to composite decking, which can last much longer.
High value. A composite deck can add more value to your home because it's more convenient, longer lasting and more durable than natural wood.

When you're considering a composite wood deck for your home, consider these factors as you decide whether this is the right feature for your backyard:

Cost. Composite decking costs considerably more than pressure treated lumber. However, if you're planning to stay in your home for ten years or more, you'll easily recover the additional cost of a composite wood deck. Lack of necessary maintenance and repairs will make this an investment you can appreciate.

Quality. Like other building materials, composite decking ranges in quality by manufacturer. You know the saying - you get what you pay for. Lower quality composite decking can stain and warp with time. Work with your custom home builder to find a decking material that you like.

2. Hardscaping

Hardscaping can be anything from pathways and pergolas to garden beds and patios. Every backyard needs hardscaping to make the space more functional and more attractive. Some examples of hardscaping include:

Pathways help you avoid making marks through your lawn in well-trodden areas.
A Patio gives you a place to sit and enjoy your outdoor space to its fullest extent.
Pergolas provide shade and offer an attractive surface to grow vining plants.
A fire pit provides space where you can gather with loved ones to enjoy the warmth and happy times together.

The type of hardscaping you choose will determine how you use your outdoor space, so think carefully about your goals for your yard before choosing the hardscaping that works for you. Ask yourself questions ask you make this decision. Some examples of questions to ask yourself include:

Will you be gardening in the future? If so, where?
What kind of garden will you grow (flower or vegetable)?
How much access do you need to your garden, and who should be able to see it?
Will you be entertaining in your yard?
Will you do the entertaining at night, or during the day?
How many people will attend your get-togethers?
Do you wish to eat and cook outdoors?

Once you know the answers to these questions, choosing your hardscaping gets easier.

3. Trees

Once your house is fully built, you're going to want trees to make your yard complete. Many homeowners plant a combination of small, ornamental trees and young shade trees to add variation and beauty to their lawn.

Smaller, ornamental trees take less time to grow to their full size while adding beauty to the property. Meanwhile, shade trees take years to grow, but when they're fully mature can shade your driveway, walkways, and portions of your home, thus keeping your house cooler in summer.

When selecting trees for your property, consider qualities that you value most in trees. For example, maybe you want blooming trees that will add beauty in the spring. Perhaps you love seasonal color in fall, and wish to plant a maple that boasts bright red, yellow or orange leaves. For best results, select a variety of trees that contribute to the beauty year-round.

4. Four-Season Room

A four-season room isn't an outdoor feature, but it does allow you to enjoy the outdoors from the comfort of your home. Wondering what the difference is between a three-season and four-season room? A four-season room has the heating and cooling capacity to be used year-round. Three-season rooms can't be used when it's too hot or too cold outside.

Here in Wisconsin, a four-season room possesses adequate HVAC ventilation to keep the space warm in winter and cool in summer. It also means the space provides adequate insulation to avoid heat loss. A four-season room is more costly to build, but you'll love the extra use you get from the room (and the additional value to your home).

5. Outdoor Living Space

Recently, outdoor living space has become highly desirable among homeowners around the US. Outdoor kitchens are especially popular at this time, because they provide extra entertaining space and give families a breezy, enjoyable place to eat outside.

Outdoor living spaces need to be made from special materials and often need protection from the elements. Cabinets in an outdoor kitchen, for example, must be made from a composite or synthetic material, or they will become damaged from the sun, wind and rain.

Outdoor kitchens also need to be covered and sheltered from the sun. If the kitchen is not sheltered from the sun, the building materials may fade from exposure to UV rays, and may also deteriorate due to exposure to moisture.

Work with your home builder to design an outdoor living space that works for your new custom home. Your home builder can help you consider all the factors that need consideration when trying to design an outdoor living space that works.

Contact Sugar Creek Homes

At Sugar Creek Homes, we design custom spaces for homeowners seeking their forever home. To learn more about how you can build your forever home, contact Sugar Creek Homes today to start the consultation process.