A veranda or patio can provide the perfect setting to enjoy and even frame your view. With a few stylish additions, your patio area can become a sanctuary to enjoy and enhance your view.

Try these five stylish solutions to make the most of your view:

1) Awning

It can be difficult to enjoy the view from your patio in any weather extremes. An awning or shaded pergola will allow you to enjoy your view rain, hail or shine. With so many different varieties available, you will be able to find one that suits your taste and budget. If you have an ocean view, why not try shade sails for a nautical theme. If you have a country or garden setting you could go for a traditional pergola with protective weather roofing. If your landscape were tropical, then perhaps a natural wood structure would blend in nicely. A city view would be framed perfectly by a slick, metal structure with shaded glass or paneling.

2) Plants

Plants are great way to bring your view closer. Choosing plants with large, flat shiny foliage look fantastic in a tropical setting and would enhance a city or urban view.

Plants with delicate and variegated leaves are suited to country settings while Australian natives would bring your bush view right on to your patio.

There are many ways to display your plants so they will enhance and frame your view. You could try hanging baskets on the side of the patio to add greenery but not obstruct the view. Ficus trees planted in classic terracotta pots will add a touch class to any country inspired view.

If you have vast ocean side view, then placing a selection of potted succulents such as aloe and agave will add a touch of greenery without being too distracting from your water views.

3) Lattice

A lattice installed on your patio can enhance your view and out door experience when you use plants to create a wall of colour. You could place a lattice on the sides or behind your view to add privacy from the next house or simply to look beautiful. A lattice can also be a clever way to increase shade and privacy without obstructing airflow and light.

Bougainvillea, jasmine and wisteria can provide vibrant colour and fragrance when in bloom, and dappled shade when they are in leaf. Keep the plants trimmed and take care not to let the plant overrun your lattice and you will enjoy its beauty all year round.

4) Furniture

What better way to enjoy the view from your patio than to sit in a comfortable chair? If your verandah looks out on to a scene of beauty or interest then it is well worth investing in some quality seating.
Good quality out door furniture will not only look great, but also they will last longer and be more comfortable.

With any sort of furniture, people have strong preferences, if not always definite ideas. With an outdoor area, however, people are also prepared to be more adventurous, and a range of pieces will find their way on to the veranda or patio simply because they like them, or for a particular aesthetic.

Outdoor furniture really is about what you want, and the things you like. For example, many people prefer cane furniture outdoors, because it’s easy to move, very comfortable, and long lasting. These are the trains of thought that can lead to some very enjoyable shopping expeditions. Take your time, look for bargains, and find what you want.

Where to get the best deals

The best outdoor furniture is easy to maintain and easy to move around when required. A quick run around the furniture stores online will tell you what’s available, and give you a good idea of prices. Comparing prices and quality is also easy, and you’ll find you’ve soon created a short list of preferred options.

Remember that these stores always have sales at some time, usually quarterly. You can pick up an entire outdoor suite for anything up to 40% off, if you keep an eye on the retailers. Some retailers are also much better businesspeople than others, and will give you discounts on packages.

The unexpected way to get furniture, cheap or even free

There’s another trick or two in terms of outdoor furniture. If you have a piece of furniture which is taking up space, all you need to do is put a weatherproof cover on it to turn it into outdoor furniture. This can also save you shopping time and money, and open up living space inside.

Local moving sales are also a great way to snap up good outdoor furniture. These local sales can provide you with almost anything you could possibly need, for the price of spare change.

Creating your space, your way

It’s good to experiment with placing your furniture, and finding the best settings. Start with where you want your tables, because everything else will be centered on them. Next, the chairs. Need some side tables or maybe a cane bookcase? The more you experiment, the more you’ll discover about what you really want.

The result will be a masterpiece of self-indulgence, everything you want, where you want it. Your veranda, patio or pergola will become an oasis of personal space, and it’s all yours.

Veranda roofs- The types and styles issue

Any architect will tell you that a veranda roof is a major design element. The veranda roof is a big shape, often covering a large part of a house, and there are a few things to consider when picking styles:

• Shape: The basic veranda roof types are curved, flat, gabled and covered. Modern veranda roofs are elegant things, and you can really produce a beautiful building design feature for your house.
• Construction: Wood, steel, and other types of cover are ideal for some homes, but not necessarily right for others. This is very much a matter of taste, but practical concerns in terms of matching house construction needs must be considered.
• Interior and exterior lines: The new veranda roofs are big beautiful things, and you’ll find you can tailor your veranda roof to match other design features.
• Coverage needs: The space to be covered is a primary concern, and it also gives you some options in terms of size and cost. You may actually find that a bigger veranda roof is a more cost effective option.
• Light and heat issues: The Australian veranda’s main mission since European settlement has been to help protect the house from glare and heat. This is an important positive factor in veranda roof designs, and you can achieve a lot with a good solid light and heat shield roof.
• Colours: The good news is you have a great choice available. Consider colour matches and contrasts on their merits, but you’ll definitely find what you want.

Types of veranda roofs- What’s available, and what’s possible

If you’re getting a bit of “information overload” from looking at designs, and still not sure if you can get what you want, the simple answer is to just ask. Veranda manufacturers and suppliers are also builders and designers, and if what you want is doable, they’ll know how to do it.

Design issues and veranda roofs

The veranda adds large covered spaces to houses which include a range of functions like entertainment areas, recreational areas, and a hybrid patio/outdoor living space. In effect the veranda extends the living area. When looking at a veranda roof, consider the space function as a multi-value effect on your home.

The modern veranda roof- big, tough, stylish and versatile

Modern veranda roofs are much bigger than their predecessors, structurally solid, and their range of uses has changed even the basic concept of a veranda. If you want a look at a full range of design options, check out a major Australian brand, Stratco, to see the benchmarks in modern style.

1. Lighting

No doubt a substantial amount of the time spent on your outdoor living space will be at night. Careful positioning of lights will improve the overall experience for your guests. This does not have to be restricted to electrical lighting but can include:

Solar lights – to light a path leading to the outdoor pergola are also cheap to run;

Candles – from tea lights to big chunky candles in glass bowls, the glow from a candle is soft, warm and romantic;

Garden torches – fill these with citronella and you have an insect free area as well as instant light.

2. Furniture

Grab a magazine or brochure from your local furniture store and take it home to compare the look within your own area. Manufacturers know that people want furniture more suited for use under their pergolas or verandas. Designs nowadays use robust fabrics, such as canvas that are less likely to fade or be affected by rain.

Cane or wicker chairs and tables are a stylish look without the expense of timber furniture.

3. Cooking area

Don’t spend all your time in the kitchen or down the backyard at the bar-b-cue while your friends are enjoying themselves on your decking. Better yet why not get the guests to participate in the cooking?

By adding an electric wok or frypan to your dining table you can produce meals on the spot. Mongolian hotpots or Japanese sukiyaki make a delightful change from the chop on a barby.

Mexican chimineas not only warm an area but can be converted for use as a wood fired BBQ or pizza oven.

4. Plants and landscape

Nothing says life more than plants. Carefully landscaped verandas with flower beds on the edge of the deck bring the sense of nature from the garden into your living area. Potted plants scattered around or clumped in groups are a nice addition.

5. Floors and coverings

Concrete verandas can be given a new lease of life with a coat of hardwearing paint. Make sure you acid wash first especially newly concreted floors. This will help the paint to adhere to the surface. Timber decks can be spruced up with a light sanding and coat of oil.

Finish the look with some scatter rugs or rush matting.

6. Heating

There’s nothing worse than going to a party and spending the night freezing. Braziers and chimineas while not the most efficient form of heating because of the amount of fuel they use, create atmosphere and a focal point for your guests to stand around and keep warm.

Gas patio heaters come in a variety of styles and sizes from table top versions, stand alone or smaller units mounted to the eaves. They look good too with stainless steel or black finishes.

Stratco verandas offer a great range with their outback style and have been servicing Australians for generations. They can lay the foundations for a fantastic outdoor area and all you need is the imagination to bring the area to life.

1. Selecting the area

Now you might think there’s nothing to decide here. But there’s nothing worse than an addition that looks as if it’s a tacked on after thought or is out of keeping with the rest of the area.

While the back of the house may be the first choice if you have a great view from the front this might be a better option or maybe there’s more room at the side of the house. Take a walk round the boundary and step out what free area is available.

2. Designing the layout

Gone are the days when homes were built with the traditional veranda around all sides of the house. Although if you can afford it and have the space there’s no reason why this can’t be a possibility.

Designing the layout could be something for the experts if money allows or grab a sheet of graph paper and start with your existing structures. Measure out from the wall to decide how much of the yard you want to lose. Think outside the square box or rectangle as is the case with most verandas. Perhaps an ‘L’ shape will work better or curved edges to blend in with the landscaping.

3. Getting approvals

As with any building project, council needs to be approached to find out about the local building regulations. Approvals and permissions can vary from one suburb to the next so just because the neighbours know someone who built a veranda close to the boundary fence line doesn’t mean your council will allow it.

Height can also make a difference to what needs approval so make sure you do your homework before ordering the materials.

4. Checking your budget

Whether the plan is to build veranda, pergola or extend your patio area nothing can happen if the money’s not there.

Do the sums and take every minor little detail into account. A bag of nails may not seem like a big budget item but if you need hundreds of them and you haven’t budgeted for them the sheets of iron and timber packs will sit in your backyard giving little enjoyment.

5. Choosing the materials

Visit the local experts and talk to friends and neighbours about their experiences. The outback range has been well advertised by Stratco. The company supplies complete kits using quality materials designed for their durability and good looks.

Home improvements are a little like getting a four course dinner ready for a party of ten. It’ all in the planning. Put some time into the preparation and try and cover as much as you can before buying the materials or committing to a contractor.

Think about your long term plans too. The veranda might only be the start or the basis of what can be added on to in the future. Pergolas covered in vines leading off the veranda will provide a shady and welcoming 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

You may be slightly restricted if you have a small property. Some styles of outdoor verandahs need a certain size to work properly. For example an outback gable veranda with flat sections either side wouldn’t look good if you tried to squeeze it onto the end of an extension measuring two metres wide.

Small spaces generally require simple designs to enhance them. A flat roofed veranda is ideal. A simple design doesn’t draw too much attention and yet it offers the required shade you need. The verandah should blend with the house and not overshadow it.

Consider a pergola if you want a minimalist design. Simple and unfussy, it can also be made as a freestanding structure. If you move house, the pergola can move with you.

Discussing the ideal size

You may have ideas for what you want, but the best way to get the best result is to discuss your needs with an experienced company. They can advise you which structures will work in the space you have. If privacy is an issue, you may be able to have side screens fitted as well.

No two properties – or owners – will have exactly the same needs. But a verandah is no less important in a small garden than it is in a large one. You will want to connect your small property with its garden in a sympathetic and stylish way. An experienced and knowledgeable company can help you do that.

A veranda can also enlarge a small property. By making the garden space more inviting, the property also becomes bigger. This is an advantage when it comes to selling, as more people will see the advantages of having a veranda as part of their home.

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.

There is nothing quite like the look of a long veranda in this style. The middle section can be curved if you wish to make it appear even roomier and more inviting, and yet it will still keep the sun and the rain off as you relax underneath it.

An extended veranda will also be very appealing whenever you invite friends and family over for a barbecue. Instead of having everyone huddling under one single area of roof, the feeling of space offered by an extra long roof allows everyone to relax and spread out. It also works well if you have a small back garden and you don’t want your veranda to impose too much on it.

It is also more practical when you are gardening. You can keep the entertaining area at one end of the veranda, while practical tasks can be done elsewhere. If you normally have to stop gardening and putting plants in pots when it is raining, you won’t have to do that once you have a veranda like this attached to your home.

As you can see the possibilities of having a full length veranda are endless. And you can have an extension added to part of the length if you wish as well. This means you could allocate one specific area for dining and relaxing in, which would only extend part of the way into your garden.

It is certainly important to sketch out some ideas on how the extended veranda would work best for you. Some people even extend it round the side of their house, but this does obviously depend on how much room you have to do so. If you have a side door it can be a real benefit though.

So think carefully before you decide on what you want. The extra time you take will be worth it.

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.

You should also think about the size of your garden as a whole. How much of that garden are you willing to give up to building a veranda? This is more relevant if you have a small garden, since a big one will be able to take a larger section of veranda jutting out into it if that is what you want.

And of course you shouldn’t forget style. A simple flat roof might be just what you are after – something understated and simple, and yet elegant at the same time. But if you still want the choice of getting some sun and air through to your veranda, you could choose a sunroof instead which lets you open the roof up whenever you wish. This model also closes whenever it starts to rain, so you don’t need to worry about staying nearby if the clouds start to roll in!

But of course if you fancy a more elaborate design you may decide to opt for a gable end roof that adds more style to your home. It’s entirely up to you but certain designs do tend to look better on verandas of a certain size.

The moral here is to think about what you want and then take the practical advice of a professional as well. That should enable you to end up with the perfect design that you have always wanted.

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.

We tend to think of bright flowers and colourful borders as being something that is unique to the summer, but it is quite possible to have a colourful garden all year round once you know what plants to use.

You can also enjoy your verandah in other ways as well. For example, why stick to having dull plant pots everywhere? You could use outdoor paint to give them a fresh lease of life. A good mix of colours will allow them to add interest even when there aren’t too many flowers blooming. Basically, if the plant is green and has no flowers, balance out the look by putting it in an eye catching pot instead!

And don’t forget the possibility of buying a patio heater as well. These are relatively inexpensive and if you like spending as much time outside as you can, then it will definitely be worth the investment. You may still find there is less time to spend outside during the winter months, but you can certainly make the most of the time you do have.

Another option is to set up a chair next to the window or doors that lead out onto your veranda, and spend some time thinking about how you will revitalise it when the weather gets warmer again. Research those summer plants and plan a timetable so you can get outside and start planting out some new shrubs as soon as the weather allows for it. Even this activity is surprisingly enjoyable and you can do it even if it is raining all day!

So you see you can still have great fun with your outdoor space even when the weather doesn’t allow it. You might just need to change your perspective a bit, that’s all. But it’s certainly worth the effort!

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?

If you build a big patio area at the opposite end of your garden you will be amazed at how much you will want to use it! If you can make sure that the placement is in a shady or cosy area that is partially sheltered by trees, then you will really notice how lovely it feels to sit there.

Remember though that big outdoor areas like this demand more outdoor furniture. Don’t assume you will be happy to pick up that heavy sun lounger and cart it to the foot of the garden every time! If you are investing in more practical areas in your garden, make sure you invest in the right items to enjoy them to the full as well.

When you are thinking big in this way, it’s a great idea to get the rest of the family involved as well. How would everyone else be likely to use the garden? If you have children you may want a specific area elsewhere that is uniquely theirs to play in. Alternatively having a much bigger veranda may be a better option because it will mean they are playing much closer to the house.

As you can see there is a lot to think about whatever size veranda you want to go for. In the end, even if you have a relatively small garden you can have a larger veranda or patio area to bring out that cosy feel and to turn it into somewhere you will want to spend a lot of time in.