I Gotta Have It! Friday

I gotta have.....the Barlow Tyrie Dune Daybed and Ottoman!

This furniture screams 'permanent Caribbean vacation in your backyard!'

Photo courtesy of Barlow Tyrie

To find a dealer near you to purchase the Dune Daybed and Ottoman please visit http://www.teak.com/ or visit http://www.curranonline.com/ to purchase online.

Outdoor Room Eye Candy

If you are looking for inspiration on how to design or renovate your outdoor living room this spring/summer you must check out EP Henry's 2009 Hardscaping Project Guide! This is the must-have book for the season.

Even if hardscaping materials are not on your landscape project building list, you will benefit from paging through this 132 page brochure full of beautiful photographs of actual outdoor projects at "real homes owned by people just like you."

The photographs of patios, pool decks, outdoor kitchens, etc are a 'feast for your eyes'.

In addition to design ideas, the Project Guide also includes helpful hints on space planning and advice on how to build or upgrade your outdoor space one phase at a time.

If you are not familiar with the EP Henry brand, acquaint yourself with this 105 year old company at http://www.ephenry.com/. You won't be sorry.

I am unable to include pictures from the brochure on this post due to copy right issues with EP Henry and their authorized hardscaping contractors. You can see them for yourself and request your own brochure at http://www.ephenry.com/HomeOwner/

One last note: This post is not a paid advertisement or product review initiated by EP Henry. As a outdoor living enthusiast and trend watcher....I do believe EP Henry sets the sales and marketing standard for homeowners.

I Gotta Have It! Friday

I gotta have...... the LaCosta Fire Pit and Patio Table!

Photo courtesy of California Outdoor Concepts

The fire pit and patio table is the perfect reason to 'get away' to your backyard! It will make an elegant addition to your patio or deck.

But wait....not only is this fire pit and patio table elegant.....it can multi-task like 'nobody's business'! Check out the additional accessories you can purchase...

Is it a fire pit? Is it a grill? Is it a beverage cooler?

Photo courtesy of California Outdoor Concepts

The LaCosta Fire Pit and Patio Table can be purchased online or through a local Dealer. Email or 'Comment' me to locate the absolute best price for the La Costa!

Additional product detail can be found at http://www.californiaoutdoorconcepts.com/

Elements of an Outdoor Room

Photo Courtesy of Fire Stone Home Products

I got so excited writing about pergolas that I completely forgot to go back to the basic question - what elements make up an outdoor room?

There are a number of elements that are used to create an outdoor room but the most important thing to remember is that you do not need to incorporate all of the elements to make up an outdoor room and/or you do not need to do it all at once. That is the beauty of an outdoor room...just like furnishing and decorating an indoor room. You can do it in stages.

The basic question to ask yourself regarding creating your own outdoor room is how am I going to use this space? Relaxation? Entertaining? Quiet oasis?

The two basic elements of any outdoor room is shelter and flooring.

Options for a shelter element could be: a pergola (but of course!), awning, cabana/pool house, gazebos, etc.

Options for flooring: pavers, decking (wood and composite), stone, concrete (stamped and stained), etc.

The remaining elements to beautify and add comfort to your outdoor room are: cooking (grills, refrigerator, pizza oven, sink, etc), hearth (fire pits, fire places, chimneas, etc), furniture (dining tables, chairs, couches, hammocks, etc), accessories (heaters, artwork, sculptures, ceiling fans, planters, outdoor TVs and stereos), and lighting (table lamps, lanterns, sconces, etc).

Remember - adding an outdoor room can enhance the usable square footage and raise the resale value of your home by as much as 30 percent! In today's economic times...that makes cents!

I Gotta Have It! Friday

I gotta have the.....S'more Maker!



Making s'mores over your fire pit has never been easier.

Say goodbye to sticky fingers and watching marshmallows incinerate in your fire pit leaving nasty smelling black ash all over your logs! Yuk!

The S'more maker is made by Rome Outdoor Living Products and can be bought online at Amazon and Best Nest.

Pergola Materials. So Many Options. So Many Decisions.

Deciding on what material to build your pergola is an important decision. You are investing your time and money and you want to get it right the first time!

As stated by our friends at Backyard America -

" There isn't one material that is perfect for everyone. Cost, structural properties, and ascetics are just a few of the differences that are important in considering what you want your pergola to be fabricated from"

Backyard America put together the below material comparison chart to help their customers choose the best pergola material/kits. Please note: not all pergola material available is listed in this chart (redwood, yellow pine, etc).

* Vinyl with treated wood or aluminum reinforcement

** Prices vary with sizes, type of column, and other options. Price range is for rough comparison only.

*** Use a paint designed for vinyl such as Sherwin Williams exterior paint with VinylSafe® Technology or Krylon's Fusion for Plastic®

What the Heck is a Pergola?

For the Merriam-Webster geek in all of us a pergola is pronounced:
\ˈpər-gə-lə, pər-ˈgō-\ and is defined as "a structure usually consisting of parallel colonnades supporting an open roof of girders and cross rafters".

I like to pronounce 'pergola' as \purr-ga-la\ or purr (happy cat)- ga (baby's first word) - la ("a note to follow so").

For the purposes of this blog and all future posts - a pergola is a garden/patio overhead structure that is typically built with posts and beams. Pergolas can range in size from small enough to just cover a walkway to large enough to span a deck or patio area.

A pergola is not an Arbor or Trellis.

This is a pergola:
An arbor is a smaller structure usually placed over walkways and/or attached to a gate.

This is an Arbor:
This is a Trellis:

19 Days Until Spring??????

I have been getting excited with the anticipation that spring will soon be here and the start of the Outdoor Living season. Business signs all along the road ways are counting down the days until spring. Hmm I guess Mother Nature is in no mood to be rushed.