Homeowners who haven\u2019t worked with us before tend to assume that patio renovation plans necessarily involve months of planning and execution. They think of backyards being dug up, fences and trees ripped out, and maybe even structures knocked over. In other words, they picture a complete transformation.<\/p>\n
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That\u2019s certainly possible, and there is a certain type of fun and satisfaction that comes with turning a customer\u2019s backyard into something brand new. However, it\u2019s important to know that not every patio renovation plan has to start from scratch. There are a lot of times when we work with, or around, existing elements on a property.<\/p>\n
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There are many reasons we might decide to keep some elements of an existing patio design. In today\u2019s post, I want to run through a few of them so you\u2019ll have an idea of the thought process either way. I also want to give an inside look at how, why, and when you might choose to do a smaller patio renovation plan rather than taking everything apart to begin from a blank slate.<\/p>\n
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Let\u2019s begin with something that is easy to overlook.<\/p>\n
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No two properties are the same, and no two customers want the same thing. Put those ideas together and it\u2019s obvious why there is no such thing as a cookie-cutter patio renovation plan. Nothing works for everyone.<\/p>\n
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Certainly, we have elements that come up frequently in interviews with new customers. Many of them want swimming pools, grills, and outdoor fire pits or fireplaces. But none of these are so common that we would assume someone is going to want them. Instead, we just have to ask lots of questions and listen to the answers.<\/p>\n
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My advice to you would be similar: ignore all the posts with \u201cmust-have\u201d advice, and don\u2019t worry about what your neighbors or relatives have done. Just think about what makes sense for you. Consider your preferences, your budget, and (most importantly) your dream for your patio. It doesn\u2019t matter whether that works for someone else or not.<\/p>\n
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We have customers who have been upgrading their outdoor space, piece by piece, over the course of a decade. In some ways it\u2019s easier and more sensible to follow this kind of approach than it is to do everything at once.<\/p>\n
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On television shows, homeowners talk to a design specialist and then go away for a week. When they come back it\u2019s time for a big reveal where we as viewers gawk at how some part of their property has been transformed. That\u2019s fine, but not everyone has the budget to install dozens of features all at once. And, it can sometimes be good to install the most important elements of your patio renovation plan to see how they might affect your future preferences.<\/p>\n
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In fact, that brings me to another important point in this process.<\/p>\n
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Sometimes, making one change to your patio can make you decide to add another. The shift in your thinking might be planned or it could happen spontaneously after the first round of work has been completed.<\/p>\n
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For a simple example, take the case of a homeowner who decides to have us install an outdoor kitchen, deck, and pergola. The desire is to enjoy those long summer days, and possibly to host friends and family for barbecues and celebrations. After having those pieces in place for a season, they might decide to continue with a pool or a hot tub. Then, those additions might call for a walkway with some extra lighting along the path.<\/p>\n
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These kinds of add-on requests come to us all the time. Certainly, we can use our experience to suggest little changes and additions during the design phase, but it\u2019s still possible that you might expand your thinking after your initial patio renovation project has finished.<\/p>\n
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While the example I gave in the last point was about relatively large additions to a patio renovation plan, there are also small upgrades and extras that can make a huge difference. In this case I\u2019m talking about the elements like lighting, furniture, and even decoration that can take your patio from \u201cgreat\u201d to \u201camazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
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As I\u2019ve already mentioned, though, those little extras and upgrades aren\u2019t always obvious until you have the major pieces in place. And so, you\u2019ll sometimes get better results by working in stages \u2013 while keeping some of what you have in your existing patio design \u2013 rather than doing things all at once.<\/p>\n
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I have saved the most important point for last. The best reason to avoid changing your patio all at once is to keep what works.<\/p>\n
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Often, we meet with homeowners who have beautiful trees, fences, and structures for us to work around. They might have already had a pool or a deck installed, or want to keep a patch of grass clear for playing football. They might even want to save space for some future use.<\/p>\n
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Putting a patio renovation plan together doesn\u2019t require an all-or-nothing mindset. That\u2019s especially true if you already have pieces that work for your goals or lifestyle.<\/p>\n
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My goal for this post isn\u2019t to talk you into going for a brand-new patio. I don\u2019t want to convince you to keep some or all of what you have, either. Instead, it\u2019s to think about the way you want to use your outdoor space \u2013 to share it with family and friends all year round \u2013 and then work back from that goal.<\/p>\n
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Sometimes that means spreading the project over a decade, as many of our customers have. Or, it could mean you want to take out everything that was there before and start fresh. You may just want to add a few features to what you already have and love.<\/p>\n
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