Outdoor Living
As the weather starts to warm up, we start to think about getting outdoors. Living outside, eating outside, entertaining outside.
(Photo with thanks to HIA)
I know for us, one of our favourite places to eat dinner is on our balcony watching the sun go down. For Aussies generally, a BBQ is almost a right of passage, ‘putting a snag on the barbie’.
Aussies love alfresco
In the words of poet Dorothea Mackellar, many Australians ‘love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains’. For most of us, especially this year, her ballad is not only about the far-reaching variety of our land’s ‘beauty and terror’, but our innate desire to be outdoors.
Blessed with more months of blue skies than other nations, it is no wonder we crave a good outdoor space of our own. Be it the backyard, courtyard or balcony, whether we are inclined to read a book, tend to our green friends or even play some friendly cricket, we take any opportunity to catch some Vitamin D.
Nevertheless, as the average block of land has shrunk over the years, our desire to make the most of each zone hasn’t.
According to Houzz, one in two Australian homeowners use their outdoor space for entertaining, the highest percentage of the 13 countries surveyed. The vast majority of homeowners (86 per cent) update structural elements, such as decks, pergolas, terraces and verandas during an outdoor renovation project; most wanting to extend their living space outdoors for relaxation and entertaining.
Particularly here in Sydney, with a high percentage of warm weather days, its ideal to really create your outdoor space as an extension of your indoors. Many new homes and extensions are now including complete outdoor kitchens, considering not only structure but function.
Considerations
When considering your outdoor space some things you need to consider
how will you use this space and what works for your family?
what sort of appliances will you use?
your lighting, cooling, heating
type of BBQ, sink, refrigerator - thinking about their suitability for the outdoor climate
ample room for food preparation, cooking and serving
plumbing, drainage, dirt and debris, keeping the space safe and hygienic
materials you will use for surfaces - benchtops and surrounds that are going to last and withstand heat, rain, wind, all the outdoor elements
perhaps a pizza oven?
So when designing your extension or new home, this is something to consider!
*some of this information with thanks to HIA