You're the owners? so at this time, are there children in your house? who might need a fresh air place...

Yes we are the owners. And yes, we have elementary age kids. We keep going back and forth on what we think we would prefer, so I was curious to get others' thoughts if they had a choice.

This decision depends on your lifestyle. My covered areai is the lounging area and is decorated with a sofa, a few chairs and a rug. I have a table with an umbrella on the sunnyside, but we (DH and I) rarely eat outside.

Personal preference. I have a lovely patio with table and chairs and a nice smoker, but hubby hates to eat outside ”when it’s too hot, too cold, too windy, too sunny, too buggy, etc.” 🙄

Really comes down to which would be a better use of space for your family. Would it be large enough for small banquette seating to enjoy breakfasts/lunches and for arts and crafts, etc still have room for a small sitting area.

Thanks for all the feedback. We're leaning toward the lounge area, but we eat *outside* quite a bit, so I like the idea of the table being more protected. We'll post pictures when it's done :)