What to Consider Before Creating an Outdoor Living Space

A great outdoor living space should feel like an extension of your home. Here’s what to think about before designing a deck, patio, covered area, or backyard gathering space.

A great outdoor living space can completely change the way you use your home.

Maybe you want somewhere to have dinner outside, entertain friends, watch a game, sit around a fire, or simply enjoy your coffee without feeling like you’re sitting in the middle of the yard.

Whatever the goal is, we think the best place to start is the same place we start with most remodeling projects:

How do you actually want to use the space?

When we’re planning an outdoor living project in Johnson County or the greater Kansas City area, that answer helps guide everything from the layout and materials to shade, lighting, and weather protection.

Start With How You Want to Live Outside

It’s easy to jump straight to “we want a deck” or “we want a covered patio,” but the structure itself isn’t really the goal.

The experience is.

Do you want space for a large dining table? A comfortable seating area? An outdoor television? A grill station or full outdoor kitchen? Somewhere for the kids to hang out while the adults are nearby?

Maybe you want all of those things. Thinking about how you’ll actually use the space helps us determine how large it needs to be and how the different areas should work together.

A beautiful outdoor space is great. A beautiful outdoor space that you actually use all the time is better.

Think About How It Connects to the House

Outdoor living works best when it feels connected to the interior rather than like something that was simply added to the backyard.

We look at where you naturally enter and exit the home, how close the space is to the kitchen or main living areas, and how people will move between indoors and outdoors.

If you’re constantly carrying food and drinks outside, proximity to the kitchen matters. If the goal is to extend the family room, we may think differently about seating, sightlines, and how the two spaces visually connect.

The outdoor space doesn’t need to match the interior exactly, but it should feel like it belongs with the rest of the home.

Plan Around Kansas City Weather

Anyone who lives around Kansas City knows the weather likes to keep things interesting.

That means we need to think about more than what the backyard looks like on a perfect spring afternoon.

Shade can make a major difference during the summer. Covered areas can extend how often you’re able to use the space. Drainage needs to be considered before heavy rain becomes a problem. Materials also need to be selected with sun, temperature changes, moisture, and everyday wear in mind.

If you want to get more use out of the space throughout the year, features like ceiling fans, outdoor heaters, fireplaces, or fire features may also be worth considering.

Good outdoor design works with the environment instead of pretending the weather doesn’t exist.

Deck, Patio, or Covered Space?

There isn’t one right answer here.

A deck may make the most sense when the home sits above grade or when you want to connect directly to an elevated doorway. A patio can create a great ground-level gathering area and may work beautifully around a pool or landscaped backyard.

A covered outdoor living area adds another level of comfort by providing shade and protection from the elements.

Sometimes the best solution is a combination.

We look at the home, property, elevation, existing landscaping, and the way you want to use the backyard before recommending a direction.

The goal isn’t simply to add square footage outside. It’s to create something that fits the property.

Decide How Much Entertaining You Really Do

Outdoor kitchens and built-in entertaining areas can be amazing features, but we still want them to make sense for the homeowner.

If you cook outside several times a week and host frequently, a built-in grill, refrigerator, storage, counter space, and sink might be worth the investment.

If you mostly want somewhere comfortable to sit while someone grills burgers nearby, you may not need a full second kitchen in the backyard.

The same applies to bars, fireplaces, televisions, and other features.

We like to ask: Will you actually use it?

If the answer is yes, let’s plan for it properly. If not, we may be better off putting that investment somewhere else.

Don’t Forget Lighting and Electrical

Outdoor spaces are often used just as much after sunset as they are during the day.

That makes lighting a big part of the design.

We may incorporate overhead lighting in covered areas, step lighting, landscape lighting, sconces, or softer accent lighting depending on the project.

Electrical needs should also be considered early if you’re planning for televisions, refrigerators, fans, speakers, heaters, or other equipment.

It’s much easier to plan for those things before construction than to realize later that there isn’t an outlet where you need one.

Choose Materials for Real Life

Outdoor materials need to do more than look good.

They have to deal with weather, moisture, sun exposure, temperature changes, and whatever your household throws at them.

Maintenance matters too.

Some homeowners are perfectly comfortable with a material that needs periodic care because they love the way it looks. Others want something they can clean off and forget about.

Neither is wrong.

We just want you to understand what you’re choosing before it becomes part of the project.

The same goes for outdoor furniture, countertops, cabinetry, decking, pavers, and other finishes. We want the space to look great when it’s finished and continue performing well long after the project photos are taken.

Think About Privacy, Views, and the Sun

Sometimes the most important part of an outdoor living design has nothing to do with the structure itself.

What are you looking at when you sit down?

Where does the afternoon sun hit?

Can the neighbors see directly into the seating area?

Would landscaping, a privacy wall, pergola, or different orientation make the space feel more comfortable?

These are small planning decisions that can make a huge difference in how the finished space feels.

We’d rather think about them now than discover later that your favorite chair is sitting directly in the hottest part of the yard every afternoon.

Make the Backyard Feel Like Part of the Home

The best outdoor living spaces don’t feel like an afterthought.

They feel like another room, just without four walls.

If you’re considering a deck, covered patio, outdoor kitchen, poolside entertaining area, or another outdoor living project in Johnson County, Overland Park, Leawood, or the greater Kansas City area, you don’t need to have every detail figured out before reaching out.

Tell us how you want to use the space, what you wish your backyard could do, and what would make you spend more time outside.

We’ll help you figure out the rest.

At Average Joe Construction, that’s how we make it easy for you to love your home.