Verandas
The Smallest Property Can Benefit From A Veranda
Verandas come in all kinds of styles and shapes. There is the gazebo style veranda, which gives an open-air feel and enables you to enjoy the fresh air while being sheltered from the sun. Then there is the curved roof verandah. This benefits from its shape of the roof, which is higher at the centre of the curve, giving a feeling of openness and extra space.
There are several other designs as well. The sunroof design enables you to benefit from the sun when you wish. The louvered design is ideal for those who don’t want to be shaded from the sun all the time. You can open and close them using a remote unit. And if it starts to rain, they will close even if you aren’t there to do it yourself. This is because the louvers have a sensor that enables them to close if the weather turns nasty.
Some people believe these verandahs are designed only for larger properties. But this is not true. Verandahs can be created in different sizes to suit the properties for which they are intended. Even if you have a small property and a small garden the right style of verandah can enhance what you have.
Making the most of a small space
Benefits Of Extending Your Veranda Along The Length Of Your Property
If you are considering having a verandah added to your home, it is well worth thinking about how big it is going to be before you make your final decision. After all, if you stay quite small you might regret it when it comes to sitting outside and not being able to squeeze the whole family underneath it!
When a lot of people think about having a bigger veranda they think of extending it out into the garden. This is a viable choice but it does take up a lot of garden space and you might not be willing to give up such a big part of your lawn.
But is there any other alternative?
Fortunately there is, and it can really enhance your home beautifully as well. The other method is to extend your veranda so that it runs along the whole of the rear of your house. In fact it can be over six metres in length if you wish. It can also extend around the side of your home, perhaps incorporating a carport for extra versatility if you don’t have a garage in which to keep your car.
Can You Really Design Your Own Verandah?
It’s an interesting thought, but why not? After all, you know more than anyone else what you want out of this new addition to both your home and your garden, so you shouldn’t rely solely on what someone else thinks you should have. If you do that you are likely to be disappointed in some respect.
The trick is to design what you would ideally have and then confirm whether it is possible with whoever is going to build it for you. Sometimes there may be limits on length or size that need to be borne in mind with verandahs, so adjustments may need to be made.
Before you get to that stage though, it’s good to think about your needs and what you think you will use the veranda for. Do you often use your garden for entertaining and you would like to enhance it in some way to make it even more practical? While we would all like to have a garden which constantly has the sun on it, it can be a disadvantage too if you have no shade at all to make use of during the summer months.
Think about shape too. Your veranda doesn’t have to be a boring square shape! Do you have the room to run it the whole length of the back of your house? Perhaps going for this idea, along with adding an extra large section in one particular area for entertaining, would work well in your garden? Sketch out some ideas and give yourself – and your family, if appropriate – some time to decide what would work best for you.
Enjoying Your Verandah In Winter
Some people are outside in their gardens right through the summer months… and yet as soon as the colder weather rolls in they shoot indoors and you won’t see them outside again until the better weather comes back in force.
But you don’t have to follow this pattern if you plan for the winter with a little more thought. There’s no doubt that you won’t want to be outside on a particularly wet and windy day, but you can use your outdoor pergola or whatever space you have more often than you might think.
For example, you might find you can still enjoy some time sitting outside with a good book when the weather allows it, even if it is still quite cold. Plan your time outdoors to coincide with the better breaks in the weather and stay wrapped up to get a good blast of revitalising fresh air.
And even when you don’t go outside you can make sure your verandah still looks stunning by adding a number of winter plants to the area. Find out what plants and shrubs will flourish under these conditions and plant them at just the right time to get the best effect.
Why Go Tiny When You Can Go Big?
So what do you think? Would your home and garden benefit from a big veranda or patio area to enjoy with the rest of your family?
There is no doubting the advantages of having a large outdoor area that is designed for people to relax and enjoy themselves in. And you can of course combine a veranda with a patio if you want to cut down on the size of the lawn you want to mow!
There is no reason why a big veranda and patio layout should overwhelm your garden if you plan it right. A home patio area extending out from your veranda – or perhaps even in a different area of your garden altogether – can look stunning, especially when you soften the look of it with some clever planting.
People also tend to assume that a patio has to be right next to the house, but that isn’t necessarily the case. A verandah is certainly better off in this position. Some of them can be freestanding but other designs do need to be supported by being attached to another building.
So why not have your verandah extending away from your house and feeding onto a path that leads to a patio area elsewhere in your garden? This idea is becoming more and more popular and allows the garden to become more pro-active. After all, how many of us never venture too far away from the house itself?
Why You Shouldn’t Clutter Up Your Verandah
So you finally have the verandah you have always wanted, and you love the reality of having a covered area in your garden that is right next to the house, and that you can enjoy virtually all year round.
But does it look exactly as it did when it was first put in?
That might sound like a strange question, but in actual fact it’s worth thinking about because some people are tempted to use the new covered area as a haven for storing things, and that can make it look untidy and uninviting as well.
Cluttering up the area can also make it dangerous; young children don’t tend to make a habit of looking where they are going for example, and if you have various things stacked out in the open they could end up being knocked over.
But there are other reasons for keeping your verandah free from clutter as well. The main one is that if you try to cram too much into the area it will make it look smaller, and it would be less versatile as well. For example, the area may be able to accommodate a table and four chairs quite easily and comfortably, whereas a larger table and six chairs might make it seem cramped and less relaxed looking. This is something you would ideally have to keep in mind before you decide on the size of veranda you are going to have.
How To Have Attractive Plants On Your Verandah All Year Round
There is nothing better or more joyful than seeing gorgeously full hanging baskets creating a splash of colour during the summer months. They can also add a nice finishing touch to any verandah and make it even more welcoming and enjoyable.
But while there is no doubt we will use our outdoor spaces more during the summer, it’s still nice to see some colour during the winter too. We may not go outside quite as often but we can still see our garden from indoors, and this means it’s nice to be able to see a riot of colour throughout the winter too.
And it’s not as hard to make this a reality as you might think. The only thing stopping you from having a gorgeous looking verandah or patio area all year round is knowledge – knowledge of what grows at what time of the year, and how to grow it.
Some people are unaware that it is perfectly possible to have hanging baskets all year round, but there is no reason why you can’t; you just need to know which plants will be coming to fruition just as your summer ones finally reach the end of their life.
How To Choose The Right Style Of Verandah For You
The addition of a verandah to your home can make a huge difference to the feel and quality of your property. Essentially it gives you another whole room to use, because it provides you with a covered area outside that you can use for many different reasons.
But of course you have to choose the right style of house veranda to have, and that isn’t always easy. The best way to begin is by looking at the amount of room you have available, as this can dictate your choice to a certain extent.
For example, not everyone has a large back garden and if this sounds like what you have you might think that a veranda just isn’t possible for you. However a curved roof veranda would be ideal, because it can stretch for the entire length of your house without having to extend too far out into your garden. You can even run it around the side of your house as well if you have the room, making it even more versatile. The curved design of the roof, which gives you more head height in the middle, also means you have the illusion of a larger space.
Alternatively there is a sun roof design which enables you to use the space you have available as a screened off area protecting you from the sun, or alternatively as a place to enjoy more of it, because the roof is made from slats which can be opened or closed as and when necessary.
Types Of Verandahs
There are lots of reasons for wanting to build a veranda onto your home, and there are also plenty of different types to choose from. But the one thing that you are sure to get as a result of your efforts – regardless of what type, size or style you choose – is the satisfaction of having a brand new area of your home to enjoy.
Once you have worked out the amount of space you can devote to this new addition, you will need to decide what style you want to opt for. The one you eventually choose may depend on what kind of property you have and how you want to make use of the space.
Here are a few examples of the verandahs you can have:
Curved
Veranda Repair
Just like any other part of your home, your veranda will probably need some repairs from time to time. This is especially true given the fact that it is open to the elements, and sometimes a good rain storm or high winds can be all it takes to warrant having to get outside to repair any damage which may have occurred.
While it’s good to do any repairs as soon as they are needed in order to prevent any problems from getting worse, it’s also important to make sure that you are able to do what’s required. If you are unsure of anything then it is always best to get the experts in. Making a shoddy repair yourself can actually make the damage worse.
It’s obvious that repairs will be necessary now and again even if you are lucky enough to escape a lot of bad weather. Wooden fixtures may need re-staining to prevent them from rotting, and the simple process of aging will require regular upkeep to ensure your veranda always looks as good as the day it was first installed. Even when wood isn’t involved you will need to keep an eye on your roof and the supporting structure to make sure it remains in good condition.
You should also keep an eye on the floor of your veranda, since this is an area which can lead to accidents if brickwork or patio areas become damaged in any way. Herringbone design brickwork looks wonderful when it is first laid, but over time the bricks can become a little loose and this generates a tripping hazard if it is not seen to.