DIY Network

Extras: Make Room for Outdoor Rooms From "Blueprint for Home Building" episode DBHB-210

In the second segment of this "Extras" episode, host Jeff Wilson discusses how to extend the living area by using different options, such as a porch, patio or even a deck.

advertisement

The porch is the gateway into your home and should be warm and comfortable for your guests.

You've just had a look at some inside living ideas such as including a media room and a home gym, but now it's time to look at how the outside of your new home can expand your living capacity.

Of all the outdoor rooms that you might have, the porch is the first one that people see. A porch is a structure usually attached to the outside of the building that can usually from the entrance to the house or it's an enclosed or un-enclosed room at the entrance of a gallery at the exterior of the house.

This entryway is where you greet people, and it's so vital to have the feeling of warmth and welcome when you greet a person -- and having a porch to start with is really something that gets to be a comfortable feeling for your guests.

The Patio

Your patio is a transitional "extra" outdoor space that flows or joins the indoor space of the house with your yard, garden or lot outside of the home.

The flooring material, therefore, can be an extension of the house and should be so. For example, if you are using a flagstone flooring inside or outside (figure A), you may want to bring it inside or conversely outside from the room it's next to. The idea is to make it as expansive as possible and to blur the distinctions between the inside and outside, which is what designing an outside room is all about.

You'll want to make sure your patio is graded to slope "away" from the house. This will help keep puddles off the patio and prevent water damage from leaking into your home. A well-built patio shouldn't have any drainage issues whatsoever. If it's so large that it, indeed, needs a drainage system, it's vital that you have one built.

The patio is an important extension to your home.

Figure A

	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F

More Outdoor "Extra" Options

• If you like the feeling of an "enclosed" space outside, something to consider is a courtyard (figure B), which is a yard that is either whole or partially surrounded by walls or buildings.

• Another extremely popular extension of a house is a deck (figure C). A house that isn't connected to the outdoors is not taking advantage of so many different elements of life and living in the environment. The deck is a transition from inside the house in a nice heated environment to outside where you can stand under the roof in out of the rain or way out onto the deck when it's nice and sunny.

  Here are some things to consider when building a deck:

  1. What do the local codes say about loadings. Every code will say what a deck is required to hold in terms of pounds per square feet.

  2. The spacing of the joists, which can also be determined by the local codes.

  3. The species of wood or composite that will be used -- redwood or a wood-plastic composite, for example.

  4. Codes are even relevant in the spacing of balusters (figure D) in the railing. This is to prevent children from being able to get their heads in-between the balusters.

  5. As far as deck elevation goes, it doesn't necessarily have to be elevated. It can be on the level if it's something poured such as concrete or stone. But if you do choose to elevate your deck, you can elevate it as high as two stories.

  DIY Constructive Advice: If you're taking on the task of building a deck, it's a good idea to use a countersinking drill bit, which will allow your screws to set about 1/8" deeper than the surface of the deck. By having the screws recessed it looks better and will prevent shoes or feet from getting caught on them, which can cause an accident.

• If you have a green thumb and are in cool climate, you may want to consider adding a greenhouse (figure E). Greenhouses aren't that complicated, but they do require some thought. They're perfect for climates that don't enjoy much sunshine or are colder because they are, in fact, wonderful warm areas.

  Note: There are loads of greenhouse kits available now that can attach to the side of a house or be used freestanding so that it's not that difficult to get one and put it up.

• What about a structure that provides a useful border -- the fence (figure F). Fencing is extremely important for your property and is a great feature to have. It's great for security and privacy, and it defines the outside of your property. It's also useful if you have pets!

  If your fencing is to buffer something you don't want to see, you'll obviously want a more solid fence. If it's simply a framework to grow plants you'll want a more porous fence. And if you want the fence to be more permanent, consider a form of cement block.

In the next segment Jeff talks about adding another "extra" to your outdoor space -- an outdoor kitchen.

GUESTS :

Fred Samuels
Homeowner
426 New Hope Rd.
Rockwood, TN 37854
Phone: 865-354-0477

Lynn Underwood
Homeowner
3001 E. Wiley Lane
Vail, AZ 85641
E-mail: whiskey5alpha@yahoo.com

Skip Weahunt
Homeowner
E-mail: skip@ownerbuildercenter.com

Regina Zernay
CMTS, Inc.
Phone: 310-390-9558

Bob Miller
CMTS
E-mail: robertmillerpe@comcast.net

Andy Beasly
PO Box 214
Hillside, CO 81232

John Gilmore
President
Elite Custom Audio and Video
5505 Moreno St.
#104
Montclair, CA 91763
Phone: 909-931-2835
E-mail: john@elitecustomaudiovideo.com
Website: www.elitecustomaudiovideo.com

Huck DeVenzio
Manager, Marketing Communications
E-mail: cddevenzio@archchemicals.com

Mark Mardirossian
Genuine Construction Co.
1146 N. Central Ave.
#303
Glendale, CA 91202
Phone: 818-822-9677

Benjamin Clavan
Architect, AIA
E-mail: benjamic@earthink.net