http://www.care2.com/greenliving/outdoor-patio-room-green-makeover.html
Outdoor Patio Room: Green Makeover
By Annie B. Bond
Outdoor “rooms” are a huge trend, and after spending an industrious weekend turning a catch-all outdoor porch into a “green” outdoor room I can see why. Our transformed porch is now a cool summer sanctuary, a refuge we’ll use continuously as it is the perfect place to have truly quality time alone and with loved ones. Learn what we did, and how we made it green, here:
Here are four guidelines for creating an outdoor room, including their benefits:
1. Create structure, a sense of at least one or two walls, or even a ceiling. For my porch I used trellises on one open side to give a sense of enclosure.
Benefit: Intimacy
2. Provide furniture and accessories such as pillows, statuary, etc.. Try out various types until you find the style that feels just right.
Benefit: Comfort and pleasing the senses.
3. Install lighting.
Benefit: Accessibility at night
4. Including all the elements: earth (plants, pots), water (fountains, bird baths), fire (outdoor fireplaces), and air (air circulation, wind chimes).
Benefit: Connection with nature.
Green Makeover:
1. Create structure using sustainably harvested woods, organic plants, and metal. Avoid plastic even if it is recycled (plastic when heated by the sun will outgass fumes) and all arsenic-containing pressure-treated lumber.
2. Choose sustainably harvested wood, or metal furniture. Try 100 percent natural fiber cushions and chairs, or recycled plastic on chairs that won’t be in direct sun (so you won’t breathe outgassing plastic). Use natural insect repellents and pure citronella/beeswax repellant candles.
3. Install solar-powered led garden lights and lanterns. Avoid nonrenewable and toxic petroleum torches. New led solar-powered garden lights can give light for 12 hours and can last for up to 20 years.
4. Find water devices that don’t use electricity, such as a simple bird bath. Alternatives to petroleum-fired outdoor fires and grills are preferable, such as outdoor fires using wood, but simple beeswax candles in glass hurricane lamps are the more eco-friendly choice while still achieving the fire element.
related stories
-
(5 comments)
-
(4 comments)
-
(2 comments)
Robyn
Melissa
Deepak
Eric
Dave
Dr. Brent
Isha
Susan
Delia
Michelle
Wendy
Megan
Hilary
Ann
Judi
Ronnie
Kelly
Lily
Terri
Betsy
Cait
Andrew
Jana
Annie B.
Veronica
12 comments
add your comment »thanks...
Kabin
Konteyner,Prefabrik
mega kabin
Konteyner
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
what an inspiration this lovely courtyard is. thanks for posting it here. I think I'll pin it up as a guide for our backyard that badly needs a make-over. How long would it take to do? Or for amatuers, would you recommend professional help?
thanks, cheryl
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
I have a small courtyard type of back yard, but since the weather has been nicer and it has been lighter, I have spent more time cleaning it up and enjoying it.Thanks
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
Thanks for the tips. I have a very large covered patio, and this will help with the hominess a lot.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
Another super eco-friendly cooking option: a solar or sun oven. True no grilled taste, but you can have an oven-baked meal in the summer with zero environmental impact & not heating the house. actually even healthier than grilled since no char & infused with the sun's energy. Plus I make herbal sun tea every day - 1-2 tea bags in a glass jar in the sun for a few hours & I don't have to heat water.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
Megan, Some ideas. If you don't want to tear out the old floor & install a new one, I would place as many new support beams as possible underneath the old floor of the deck. Using sheets of plywood lay a new floor on top of the old one. Nail the plywood down firmly into the old flooring & the new support beams underneath. You could then lay a sisal rug over the plywood floor. There are also very attractive, inexpensive outdoor rugs available. I have seen them in catalogs from Bed, Bath & Beyond and JCPenney. After you add the new support beams under the old flooring, place weed barrier fabric over the ground under the deck & extending out at least 6 inches. This inexpensive, lightweight fabric is readily available in garden centers, etc. Make sure you overlap the edges of any separate pieces by at least 3 inches. Once you have the fabric down, you will need to place heavy planters, pavers or stones to hold the edges down. Planters would provide both pretty and practical edging around your deck. Regarding the tree saplings, they will be inhibited by the fabric weed barrier; but, if you have room, I think it would be neat to have a tree grow up through your deck somewhere along an edge or in one corner. I once saw pix in a home mag of an enclosed porch with a tree growing inside. The tree was wrapped with white lights. At the point where the tree will grow create a hole in the floor large enough for the mature tree, cut a tiny hole in the weed fabric and let a sapling come up.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
I would have to disagree with the comment by Arianna that gas grills are the most eco-friendly...I would highly suggest a wood pellet grill - wood pellets are compressed sawdust that would normally get thrown out in the landfill...it is a great way to reuse our natural resources...and the food tastes so much better than being cooked over gas.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
Brenda - sounds like a great patio! You can try sectioning the space into 3 areas (approx 12'x12')for cooking, eating, relaxing. Begin by creating your cooking area near the kitchen for ease of access. Gas grills are the most eco-friendly and a recycled table or desk can make a great cooking and work surface. An old plant stand can double as a bar when entertaining. Create the division for the next space using potted plants or trellised vines and then set up a seated dining area. Benches and a recycled door on trestle legs can work wonderfully. Your next section can be made with recycled doors or windows anchored together with hinges to create a homemade screen. The height and style of the doors and windows (solid, glass) will determine how private the seating area becomes. Experiment using different styles and heights. Don't forget to alternate the direction of the hinges so that they stand up. The entire length of the space can be reconnected with a series of solar powered lights along the wall of the house and the outside edge of the porch.
The effort you put in will show tenfold. Have fun with it.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
My husband and I have an old, somewhat decrepid wooden deck in the back, which tree saplings love to grow under and through. I would love to make better use of the space, preferably without useing herbicideds or spending a lot of money. Any suggestions!
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
I have a deck the length of the house about 35 ft. long by about 12 ft. wide. It is about 8 ft. above the ground and has a full roof over it. My friends and I think I should do something to make it nicer. It is such an oblong size. It enters into the house through the kitchen sliding glass doors on the corner and the stairs to the yard are on the same end. Any ideas?
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
Facebook account: