My son bought a couple of clay chemineas for his multi-layer patio(s). They don't take up as much space as a fire pit and work wonderfully to warm the areas when needed.

Can you describe the space? How close to the K? Covered, screened? Sorry if I missed it. Two issues to consider are insects and lighting at night

I also always like having a buffet for entertaining, maybe a drink cart.

What are the outdoor colors on your house?

I think go for value and comfort on the furniture, and have fun with cushions,rugs and throws

It's outside the kitchen/breakfast area door-- so not far from the kitchen at all.

Covered and not screened-- there are a few people who have suggested that I screen it in but i will not for 2 reasons-- the almost constant breeze keeps bugs away. Bugs are really not a problem. And if i do anything, I'd take the leap to make it a true four season room. That is possible in the future but not near future. I'd do a kitchen remodel first. It's maybe on the 10 yr plan.

It is partially visible from the road-- will be fully visible to neighbors when i have the mammoth bushes removed. Their home is elevated so they get a downward view right into my porch. Also their backyard is primarily a dog pen so isn't a great view. i will want some kind of visual barrier.

Sorry, no photos.. will have some to share after the landscaping is complete.

One of the best things we have done is our pergola. We get very hot and humid here. Our pergola has a shade top we put on from spring through November or so. We have been thinking of a way to add a fan to the pergola but haven't done that yet. Privacy in our outdoor area is an absolute must for me. We are lucky to have that but have a privacy fence along the back property as there is a house further back. Due to the bugs/humidity we don't eat outside alot. We have a sunroom (the patio seating area is located off sunroom) with sliding windows (screens), so we enjoy eating in there from time to time.

Ha! You updated your post as i was typing mine! Since reading responses to my other post, and seeing some of the lower priced options, I am also leaning towards spending less on furniture and more on the other creature comforts.

I do have a decent size ikea buffet/sideboard type piece... at least the right size for the number of people I'd entertain. It isn't fancy but I expect to paint it once i have a better plan. It is 72" wide

I am not interested in a dedicated bar (but the fridge would still be helpful and nice.. for a pitcher of sangria or my fav ramona grapefruit wine spritzers!)

The house is shades of beige.. beige brick on the wall of the porch. (a completely different topic but I will have the house painted as well in the next 1-2 yr.. I am seriously considering painting the brick!)

there are gardens on one side .. heavy on the green and pink/purples. A second side is dominated by the crazy large bush. Still contemplating what i will do there--but it will eventually include a brick patio for grills and surrounded by plantings/maybe raised garden planters for herbs and vegetables. There's room for a pond also.

Colors I would bring in.. will settle on colors once i select furniture but very likely to be accented with one or more of the following: green, aqua, orange. Red works very nicely in the space but it's my least favorite!

I should sketch/watercolor it out-- but this weekend is dominated with work projects. Landcape work doesn't start until the first week of April -- and the root chipped/removed later in the season. I have a little time to figure out what to do on that side. I don't expect this to hold up any purchases though.

So many good ideas here. Since your neighbors have a view into the space from above, I'd consider a pergola which would provide privacy as well as shade. Also think about some sort of container to store cushions in bad weather. I never leave our cushions out in the rain and keep them in for the winter. Makes such a difference in their longevity.

The porch is covered-- no need for a pergola or protection for cushions.

I do plan to add curtains-- and or hanging plants to break the angle of their view.

Front Portal:

Absolute Essential was our kiva fireplace, because here in the mountains of Northern New Mexico at 6,000+ feet our evenings are almost always chilly to downright cold. But, the view from there is gorgeous. So I insisted on a fireplace area we could use all year. 28 years here and I am so glad I insisted!

Splurge out there was this wonderful statue right off the main seating area (above). I didn’t need her but she is such a joy to look at and I love art of all kinds! The chairs out here are from my apartment back in my single days Michigan. The tables are from our first home back when we married and move out here. Old, but still comfy! Comfortable seating was also essential! I get new cushions every few years for them.

Also essential for us are good lamps to read by if we want to after dark.

Oy, I'm looking out my window right now, imagining all the work.

1. Finish the mess of a space under a tree right outside my office window, which means continuing to try and remove the layers of rocks and degrading landscape plastic from around the tree. Then, if that ever happens, create a shade/bird/Japanese garden there, complete with shinto lantern and a better birdfeeding set-up than my current haphazard one.

2. Finish landscaping around our outdoor fire pit, which includes above mentioned rocks . . . but the extended area is to include a rain garden/pleasure garden and I also want to upgrade the seating area aesthetics. I have an heirloom apple tree on order for the area and since it is right beside the house, I may try and install an arbor between this area and the path that goes along the side of the house leading to it. Also have to install a rain barrel and redo the roof drainage.

3. Redo our deck. That's the 2K lb. gorilla in the room. Along with that, also have to add additional downspout that will go under the deck and dump out beyond it . . .

4. Plant all my memorial trees--a serviceberry, above mentioned apple, a yew, a white pine, a mountain silverbell, a sweetbay magnolia and a red Japanese maple. Get little markers for all my memorial trees.

5. If I manage to finish 1-3, work on upgrading the landscaping around the deck and also areas one can view from the deck/fire pit area/porch. I have the beginnings of a little storybook/fairy garden there . . .

6. And if my husband gets bored, I might have him help me put up some bird houses that he would make, and/or a little free library . . . he's a carpenter . . .

TM my dad put ceiling fans on our screened in porch when they first moved in. Best investment imaginable!!

We really like our Solo fire pit. Not big at all but throws decent heat.

Rain may not be an issue if your space is covered, but it is for us when we forget to bring the seat cushions in. I like the Ballard quick dry cushions. It’s taken me a while, but I‘ve finally learned not to skimp on outdoor furniture cushions.

We just bring our Fugoo portable speaker outside for music.

We have the retro bulb string lights and love them. I think I got mine on Amazon.

The one thing we don’t have that I would like, and will probably buy this spring, is a small buffet/bar table to place next to the grill. Currently the only space we have to set down food is the little tiny “table” attached to the side of the grill and, of course, the patio dining table.

Let us know when it’s all done so we can come over for margaritas!

PS Throw blankets! Nice to have even in summer when the evenings get cool. I bought two cheap fleece ones for my front porch last fall which came in handy for “socially distant” visits in the fall.

For our Back Portal, essential was comfortable seating with a big enough table for entertaining. And, sturdy enough that our canyon winds wouldn’t blow them over. And a gas grill. And my birdbath and feeders. Splurge was our small but pricey wood rack with a kindling holder for out there, as the back portal opens into our family room with a fireplace. After so many years of DH keeping a messy pile of firewood out there I finally splurged on a nice small rack to hold it.

Lynn, that statue is wonderful!

I will definitely want to add some kind of statue/structure but not sure what just yet. I think I need to get further with the landscaping to know for sure... and it will depend on whether I add a pond.

I do have plans for two memorial trees-- not likely near the porch. I do have a butterfly bush and a god awful rose of sharon around the corner. For the moment, they will both stay.

what fun! Enjoy the process.

Essentials:

• ceiling fan for summer and fire pit or other heating for colder months
• the most comfortable furniture you can get
• nice lighting, for the sitting areas
• shade (umbrella or other) for non-covered patio, garden sitting areas

non-essential niceties:

anything that brings you joy (absolutely love Lynn’s little lady) like:

pretty pots and lush plants

wind chimes

enticing landscaping lighting that throws mystique at night

bird feeders

rugs, if you like them outdoors (I personally don’t)

i dont like outdoor TVs and sound systems, though our house has An outdoor system, but if you entertain on game days, maybe you’ll need them

Spend your outdoor budget on comfort, period. Comfortable furniture, the most comfortable cushions you can find (or have them custom made), and temperature control are the only “must haves” IMO. Buy the little fireplaces or heaters or fountains later, if you still want them. Too much of that stuff can make a lovely porch or patio look like a garage sale!

Something I forgot about is an outdoor theater-- I had one at my last house. Ok, it wasn't a theater but i had a giant inflatable movie screen and a kickass projector and speaker system. It was GREAT when my nieces and nephews were young and there were many neighborhood kids. We had great fun with it all summer. I hosted many themed movie/dinner nights.

I could do a screen in my current space-- I'd do a retractable screen. I am just not sure how much I'd use it. I think I'd prefer to be indoors (especially because I am no longer a night owl).

Still-- for those with children and tweens, I highly recommend. It's like the drive-in experience of our youth-- but with home comforts!

I am still toying with buying an electric fireplace or fake woodstove for our porch. Partly due to wanting to extend the outdoor space season and also partly due to missing the extra living space during the months we close it off. Doesn't seem to make sense until I figure out how to enclose the space. Windows in the summer would be too hot, the space is too small for large sliding open ones. Something akin to storm windows only for the screened in walls . . . I dunno. That's what's holding me up.

FA hubs hooked up his stereo on the porch and we love sitting by the outdoor firepit next to it and chillin' to tunes. Not quite as great as having a guitar playing campfire buddy to serenade you, but at our age, this may be as good as it gets . . . ooh, I see a campfire "mix tape" equivalent in my future. I already have a Spotify station labeled "Old Hippie Songs . . . "

Last summer we put in a wind chime and small fountain. Sort of needed some white noise since our area is brimming with noise, from roads, freeway and neighbors machines . . .once in a rare moon when the wind is just right and it's not a weekend so we don't have tourist travel on our road, we can just enjoy peace and quite and nature sounds . . .

Our firepit is away from the patio area. We prefer to have a real fire. Our pit is stone and we use the adirondack chairs around it. I found some online (can't remember where) that are solid wood, but have to be assembled. No biggie and we used the marine top coat on them. We put them in the basement during the winter.

What a lovely space Lynn! The blue gate just adds to the enchantment!

Lynn, I would love a cozy courtyard or walled garden like yours!. Amazed at the flowers you were able to grow in the climate. I saw so little variety in public spaces -- nothing like you have!

Lynn, your outdoor spaces are absolutely divine.

Lynn, so lovely! Roughly how tall is your wall?

Thank you for the compliments on my outdoor spaces and gardens. I love to garden but it’s hard out here!

Indigo Rose, from inside garden, the walls run between 5‘ and 6’ high. They’re 6’ over by the fountain for privacy, as I have very large windows looking into our master bathroom and bedroom. On the other side of that wall is our large circular guest parking area. On the parking side, the wall is 7-feet tall.

Mtn: my flowers are more lush because I've very much amended the soil, contained the planting areas, and added well thought out automatic drip systems. And, outside the walled garden areas, I use only rabbit and deer resistant plantings. I‘ve learned the hard way over the years what will get eaten straightaway (LOL)!

Add me to the list of someone else who would like to splurge on a nice wood rack or even, dare I say it, a woodshed. It's a bit of a mess otherwise . . . but not high enough priority yet . . .

Lynn your landscaping is exquisite. I may check back with you when I get to the point where I am landscaping around the fire pit. I sort of envision stone pavers or fake concrete ones . . . right now it is ratty grass, weeds and moss and sandy soil. Does not need to be mowed because it barely grows due to the bad soil, but it looks tatty. I need something that if a spare fire spark lands on it it won't smolder, so wood chips are out . . .Here it is last year. We put our small metal fire pit bowl on it when we have a fire but don't leave it out. It functions as a dry well when it rains . . .

To me, beautiful landscaping is first, then comfortable furniture. What I look at is priority.

I also like to have plants with wafting wonderful scents.

At my last house, I totally re-landscaped/revamped the yard. When I bought the house, it had the outdoor seating space, a large fancy deck. But it was south facing, hot as blazes out there, and all you saw when you were out there was the top of the neighbors heads and cars. It was row house so tight quarters. The deck looked out over nothing and since it was raised, lacked privacy. I took it down, sold it, and then put in a patio. The new yard landscape plan had outdoor living space, and then across from it, something worth looking at while you were outdoors. They went hand in hand. It was a tiny yard but it totally transformed my life to redesign it. It became our tiny oasis.

I live in my parents old house now, Dad gave it to me and moved into a condo. He doesn't get what I'm trying to do with the place. I'm slowly trying to create spaces outside I actually want to inhabit. He and mom weren't that outdoorsy. I also want to create nice views when I look out the window . . . hubs and my dad don't think that way. Very little concern for how aesthetics interacts with comfort and happiness in life. My Mom used to say that Dad could look at one nice thing and appreciate its beauty, but not see how a whole group of things could fit/work together to achieve an overall look/feeling/utility.

Right now our main "utility" concern is drainage of various types, keeping moisture away from the house and repairing areas that have been damaged or neglected. But along with it, creating nice areas to look at once we are using the spaces. Here's my "big project." The rock mulch was killing the tree and also not all that attractive. But digging them all out is proving to be laborious. This is the main view in the backyard. The right side is what I have finished as far as rock removal, the left side is what's still to finish. You can see some black bits of plastic pushing up on that side in the back. I covered the right side with bark mulch at the end of last season. So this spring, back to rock sifting . . .

Given that I am looking now at such a big mess, last summer I compensated with two small spots of pleasure, my sleeping dragon and small fountain, both visible from inside the screened in porch. I just saw yesterday that something "pruned" my red rose bush this winter by eating it. Sigh. The fountain shot is way too close up, but that's the only view I have.

Something I’m dreaming about for my patio is a nicer view of the house from the back. Like so many houses, the front might be pretty but the design of the back was ignored. The front has shutters, the back does not. At least the siding choices wrap around the house.

I grew up in a house my father build behind his parents’ house. Even before we moved there, I loved walking toward the house from the very back of the yard, the back and sides had received the same design attention as the front (especially since you approach the house from the side.) And then when we built our house, we had a nice view of the back of theirs.

Right now I'm looking out at our tiny back garden, noticing a few things that survived our wretched winter storm quite well, and wondering if the things that look like goners might surprise me and make a resurrected appearance. Still a bit early to tell.

I posted at length last year about removing our grass and creating little areas in our postage stamp piece of garden. We have poured our sweat and muscles into this bit of land and were rewarded with some real loveliness, I think. I suppose we "splurged" by depleting our own physical abilities. Nothing we have done was monetarily taxing; rather it's been a labor of love that produced something we dreamt up to experience a little slice of outdoors in an otherwise limited suburban environment. That we have had birds, butterflies, bees, and toads come to live tells me we did something of value here.

I crave a bit of running water and a few elements of garden art. I love my Cosanti bell and the little fountain.

ETA: A ceiling fan on the patio was an absolute must for us. Texas summers are brutal.

The projects never end, do they, Pink?! At least you have a vision and i think that helps to keep focus-- especially for the projects that span years.

Bumblebee - I totally agree and I am investing quite a bit in cleanup, grooming and removal of the existing landscape-- but building it back up will take time. I will hit the road/public-facing area and the little gardens surrounding my porch first. Phase 1 starts the first week of April.

BPath, my house is the same. Though i can't rave about the design of the front of the house either-- the back had zero thought or attention. I will tackle the back at some point, but it's not an area where I spend a lot of time-- I am having a large shed removed (it's rotting at the base). It has a concrete base so I will likely replace it with a potting shed or some sort of useful structure. Maybe that will be the start to making a more interesting backyard space.

Ida, I remember your posts from last summer. You have surely made great progress! Love your little spaces.

Oh yes, Funky, you’ll need a Cosanti bell too. I have one (thanks to Ida) and love it. I was a little worried the clanging might be too much, but it’s very subtle, even in a couple of very windy storms we’ve had recently.

My little Cosanti bell has survived winters of being buried under the snow, where we pile it from the short walkway and the top of the driveway. And I mean, 4’ of snow and some slush, compacted. My fault for forgetting to bring it inside before a snowfall, but gee it is sturdy and doesn’t seem to mind! It rings as cheerily as ever.

You're right, Sue! I was surprised at how subtle, as you say, such a good sized bell can sound even when the wind really picks up. While my little windchime goes so berserk as to force me to tie it down, the bell just sort of gongs gently from time to time. I'd buy another one if I had a space to put it!

I saved the link way back when-- they are great but i think i am likely to need more color in my accessories. I've also had this cheap one saved forever. Probably better suited to a home on the ocean or at least a river lol.. but i love them.

Interesting discussion. I have a rather large wind chime. My biggest beef is it takes quite a bit of wind for it to even make a sound . . . sometimes good, sometimes not so much . . .

I love Music of the Spheres wind chimes.

So what's a good brand of windchime that doesn't fall apart in a high wind? I've had to restring the one I got at a local garden center a few times now, and would love to find one that's fairly small but doesn't come undone. I paid close to $50 for the one I have, and expected it to hold up better than it has. Don't recall the brand, but it's one I've seen in garden centers for some time.

This is just an added couple of experiences about wind chimes. Back when I was still single and living in an apartment in Florida, I bought a lovely little wind chime home home to hang out on my third floor (of 3 floors) balcony. At least one of my neighbors complained of the ”constant noise” (this was very close to the ocean and we had a lot of breezes there) and management made me take it down. Later I moved to a duplex even closer to the ocean. Four times I found my wind chimes cut and destroyed by (obviously) some nearby neighbor who objected to the noise. I never did find out who. Since then, I’ve stopped hanging them outside anywhere I’ve lived. Here, we are acres apart from our neighbors, but sound carries very far out here in our mountains. I belong to our local N*** door website, and even here, various community members complain about the “noisy wind chimes” of their neighbors. Am I the only one who has had negative complaints about them? I love them myself, but do try to always respect my neighbors’ noise concerns. I’m blessed to live where I don’t have close neighbors who have noisy parties, play loud music, or who live very close and watch movies outside. I feel for any who have to live with that on a regular basis! Being able to enjoy our own outside space and it’s quiet and peace is an important thing for most everyone, I think. It’s made me very paranoid about hanging wind chimes any more!

When we were in our townhouse, I hung my Woodstock tuned chimes outside the front door. One night it was really windy and they woke ME up. But I needed a ladder to get them down, so I waited till the next day. My DMIL told me my neighbors had knocked on the door while I was out and (nicely) said something about the chimes. So yeah, I try to be careful where I put them.

When I lived in a row house neighborhood my next door neighbors had some on their porch. They made a lot of noise but they were small so they didn't bother me. It sort of faded into the background. Not loud enough to wake me or whatever . . . so I guess it depends. I don't think anyone can hear mine but I'll have to ask the neighbors. They are hardly ever outside so I doubt it. I don't think they keep their windows open in the summer. Everyone has air conditioners nowdays. Mine are rather large so they seem to be silent unless it is particularly windy.

I don't know where I stashed the info. but my wind chimes came with instructions on where to send them if they needed to be restrung or tuned. So far so good.

While I would never be destructive, I might be a neighbor who nicely said something, as I despise clanky wind-chimes! Even if they are aesthetically pleasing.

I enjoy seeing the must-have lists and photos. Good ideas, all! I think I need to get a Cosanti bell. I have no photos of our outside spaces, and we're just getting over winter here so it'll be a few weeks before we set up our decks. We have two - one has our table and chairs for eating, visiting and playing games, and the other has a fire table with adirondack chairs around it. I think this summer we are going to replace the fire table with a big round ottoman, as we also have a solo stove we use at night.

I like outdoor rugs as they are easier on bare feet than hot deck boards.

Does anyone have a cantilevered umbrella they love? One of our decks gets so much afternoon sun it is unusable, so I'd like to find an umbrella to provide some shade. Thx!

Items that are important to us when we landscape include both functional and decorative elements and if that can be combined then all the better: exterior lighting, trellises, arbors, a PA bluestone patio and stacked dry wall, irrigation system and privacy. Our previous home required a lot of maintenance and when we down sized we opted for less work selecting native plants that thrive and a stone patio instead of wood or composite decking.

Wind chimes can be lovely but I'm a firm believer that they shouldn't annoy anyone. We have a 5 footer at our upstate PA home. It's on the side of the house by our bedroom where we can hear the deep tones gently sounding in the night. But it's in the middle of 135 acres of woods so the sound doesn't travel to our neighbors.

We have a large Solari that we bought when we visited the Cosanti gallery in Arizonza 35 years ago. It's a one-of-a-kind sculptural casting and very expensive. We hung it in our family room at our previous home and planned on putting it outside at this place. But I decided I'd prefer the original burnished bronze rather than let it develop patina so we have a smaller one outside.

I feel the same way about exterior lighting. We have landscape lighting around our home. The lots are small and we spent a lot of time discussing the placement and intensity of the lights. Along the sidewalk the fixtures have copper shades and the light is focused on the pathway. We have a few up lights in the front and along the side that highlight the hollies, the crape myrtles and dogwoods next to the house. In the rear of the property we have uplights shining into the woods behind the house. I like looking out the windows at night and instead of just blackness I can see soft lights highlighting the trees and laurels. Most of the lights are hard wired but DH found some solar lights that cast a nice glow.

I don't care for the 'runway' lights so often seen along driveways and sidewalks and I abhor the bright blue/white high intensity lights that a few neighbors have. We tried 4 or 5 different light bulbs on the lanterns next to the front door before selecting one that cast a soft, pleasing glow. My next door neighbor has a bright LED security light outside his back door and when I take the dog out early in the morning it lights up because the sensor is set at a wide angle. I used to feel guilty that the light was also shining into his bedroom windows but then decided that was his problem since I'm in my own yard and he could adjust his light.

These look cool... you can get different sounds...

The one I have that keeps falling apart is Woodstock. (I could not for the life of me remember the brand.) It has small nails on the underneath side of the top portion, and the strings come loose from there. The center "sail" has also broken off more than once and now currently needs to be restrung. I'll probably not fix them, as I'm tired of having to do that, and just look for another small one that's better designed.

I agree that windchimes, bells, etc. should not be bothersome, and I have never let my windchimes just go wild when it's super windy. The Cosanti bell will sound, but rarely, and intermittently even during a raging gale. It's certainly less of a bother than the neighbor's barking dogs and outdoor music.

The Music of the Spheres site lets you listen to all the different types of chimes.

When we redo our deck, we are going to have to revisit the slippery-ness issue. My Dad was the PO of our house and he attached rubber pavers all over the deck and steps. They are actually also a bit slippery when wet, particularly if moss covered. They were a disaster as far as the condition of the wood underneath, but Dad loved them. We will redo with treated lumber to replace what has been badly damaged, but I am not sure how to deal with slippery when wet. It's not a rare occurrence. I'd be interested to know how others handle the fact that treated wood finished decks are slippery when damp.

Like so many houses, the front might be pretty but the design of the back was ignored.

This.

It drives me crazy about new construction. If you've ever designed or tried to design a house or even just a big reno/addition, you quickly learn how hard it is to sync a pleasing exterior with a pleasant & functional interior. Seems ever since, IDK, the 80s? ... no one tried. Worse yet they only care about the front, not the back or even the sides. And it's not just design but finish, too. Ridiculous.

I've mentioned before, but the PO had windchimes on very tall trees throughout the property. Drove.me.crazy. We are talking cherry-picker height.

The sound is lovely, but I prefer some agency over noise. Not every day all the time.

Thanks for starting this thread, funky. Last year, we replaced our old rotting deck at the lake and, finally, bought furniture that we could actually use and that looked half decent. We had inherited a dining table and plastic chairs that took up at least half the deck and, in 4 years, we used exactly once! The rest of the space was devoted to bbq and a ridiculous assortment of small plastic side tables.

This thread and the others have me excited to continue with our deck revival and I've been googling images.

On my must have list is ambient lighting, either some tall leafy plants or hanging baskets and items to attract creatures (humming bird feeders, a birdhouse, etc.).

The other thing this thread has done is make me very regretful of my hanging chimes. We don't have any up right now, but it seems when my kids were little, people were always giving us chimes and we would hang them in the porch. We had neighbours who always seemed annoyed at us (our age but no kids) and the noise we made. After reading this, I'm guessing the wind chimes probably drove them nuts and, if I had realized, it would not have made a whit of difference to me to get rid of them. Oh well.

Listen to chimes

Hard to decide a favorite but proby Quartal Alto