I heard stories from my parents and grandparents about spending time outside on the porch most of the spring, summer and fall months.  In fact, as a family we would go to a lake house and my brother and I would sleep outside on the screened in porch with no additional air but the breeze off the lake.  You may think I’m talking about Michigan or somewhere cooler but I’m not.  This lake was in Central Texas where it’s hot!

Somewhere since my childhood in the late sixties, early seventies, we became a nation of indwellers.  For a long time it has seemed that most people prefer to live indoors in the nice air-conditioning, and who can blame them!  But based on some interesting trends, that may be shifting a little.

It seems that people like to be outdoors.  In fact, if given the same environment with temperature and noise, most people would rather be outside.  The challenge is to make your outdoor living space as comfortable and appealing as your indoor living space.  You can do that several different ways, which we will explore.

The first is to renovate your outdoor space.  You can create patios and kitchens, canopies and decks, walkways and swimming pools for any size, shape and climate.  This takes planning, time, and yes, it takes some cash and sometimes, lots of it.  The good news is this is extremely doable if you have the means and the want too.  If you don’t know where to start, you can hire a designer and or landscape company to help.

If this solution is beyond the scope of your space and/or wallet, there are many other options that can fit into most any budget.  For those landlocked in apartments and condos, there are some fantastic mini greenhouses that allow you to plant and grow your favorite blooms, herbs and vegetables on your balconies or decks.  You can use planters and a small table and chairs to create an oasis right outside your sliding glass door.  Hang a couple of outdoor speakers and pipe in your favorite music or nature sounds and relax.

For those of you that have smaller yards that bump up to the next house, there are some great tall plant options that grow quickly and can block that brick wall right out of your view.  Run down to your favorite plant shop and ask them what they recommend in your area.  Make sure you let them know you need “skinny” plants that grow dense and tall.  Bamboo works great in many areas but check first before you purchase and plant.  You will also have to thin bamboo in a few years as it can grow too dense.

After securing your view, you have several choices of using planters, window boxes, small or mini greenhouses or raised beds to brighten up your yard.  These can all be mixed and matched as you like and are affordable.  You can grow some of your own food year-round with the greenhouses if you choose.  Just make sure you leave room for a good quality table and chairs.  The size will depend on how many you normally entertain.

The current day neighborhood home is one of the hardest to deal with since in so many areas you purchase the home and the landscaping is either complete and you hate it; or in some sort of disarray.  One of the best ways to tackle this problem on a budget is to break the yard into segments and tackle each segment one at a time as you have the money.  Make sure you give yourself plenty of patio and/or deck space.  There is nothing as frustrating as finishing an outdoor space and it’s not big enough!

You want to be happy an able to enjoy this new outdoor space, at your leisure, just like you enjoy your indoor space.  You will also want to show it off and brag about it to all your friends.  Now that’s bringing the indoor out with the perfect space!