ers are the best. When User MelissaL wondered whether any of you had”any must-haves/cool ideas” that she would increase her custom house, the community came up with many fantastic suggestions that I have a complete series values of ideas to share. Themes included building greener, living more efficiently, including universal design components, hiding and charging our ever-growing collection of gadgets and only making life easier with a well-planned house.
I have taken your ideas, matched them up with some photos and compiled them in some series, organized by distance. We are going to begin out and operate our way indoors. Here are your suggestions for today’s must-haves for outdoor spaces.
Solar panels. Ideas for energy efficiency were a big theme through the thread. There are many new and appealing ways these days, to incorporate these panels.
Woodmeister Master Builders
Rain barrels. Collecting water for future use is a wonderful way to keep from wasting this precious resource. This old-fashioned barrel fits right in with all the design here.
Unique Gardens and Gifts
Cascata Rain Water Collection and Storage System – $199.95
Here is a fresh rain barrel which features a terra-cotta pot look with a planter on top.
Frederick + Frederick Architects
Universal accessibility. Universal design was another popular theme. When planning your dream home, you’re going to want to plan so nicely that it is accommodating to all and will do the job for you for the rest of your life. Try to make plans for every one of your entrances to be accessible, especially if you have a door in the garage to the home.
Randy Thueme Design Inc. – Landscape Architecture
Outdoor kitchens. This has been among the hottest home classes. Outdoor kitchens have become increasingly more elaborate, including elements like gas lines to the barbeque (no longer propane tanks), pizza ovens, sinks and even dishwashers.
Dawn Hearn Interior Design
Outlets outdoors. Conveniently placed juice for vacation displays were very important to many of you, especially near the front door. A number of you also chimed in that it is suitable to have outlets on every side of the home, getting rid of the need for heaps of feet of orange outdoor extension cords.
Cushman Design Group
A front door. This is the first impression your house will make.
More painted entrance doors
Interiors
Handsome hardware. There are several gorgeous options in a lot of styles available now that there’s no excuse for lackluster handles and knobs.
ModernBackyard
Drip irrigation for outdoor plantings. Obtaining water for the plants with ease is essential.
Ballard Designs
Vine & Trellis Hose Station – $189
Extending pipes for a yard spigot. If your backyard is a few screwed-together hoses from the closest spigot, think about piping in a distant spigot close to your garden.
Land & Water Design
Landscape lighting. Hiring an expert to consult with you about landscape lighting is a good investment, both for beauty and what’s more, for security.
Outside speakers. I’m advised one or more of these”stones” features a speaker. Would you tell which one? I can’t.
Outdoor entertainment systems have become quite intricate, with big screens and surround sound systems for appreciating the big game or a movie outdoors.
Learn more about moving the TV outside
Gast Architects
A sauna. Not necessarily a strictly”outdoor” element, but I love to picture running through a snowy backyard to a sauna, as they do in Scandinavian countries.
Robert Young Architects
An outdoor shower. While there are lots of exotic and fancy manicured outdoor showers on the market these days, this fundamental beachfront model does everything you need it to perform. The functionality and appearance is very coastal New England.
Phil Kean Designs
A shower or spigot for muddy boots and puppies. A shower close to the mudroom door is a great place to clean up before going indoors.
Blasen Landscape Architecture
A safety system. Regrettably, a lot of us need these. Get peace of mind using alarms, detectors, actual cameras, fake cameras, alarm apps, stickers, motion lights and more.
Phil Kean Designs
A backup generator. You never know if a big storm will knock out the energy, and it’s very good to be ready.
Inform usDid we miss anything? Let us know in the comments section!
More:
See MelissaL’s first question and all of the responses
Style Your Perfect Outdoor Kitchen
Unexpected Edible Gardens