Transforming Outdoor Living Spaces

Creating Gorgeous Outdoor Living Spaces from Previously Unusable Areas

Once you have lived in a house through changing seasons, you learn what works and what doesn’t for your living style. Come summer, many new homeowners realise their outdoor areas are unusable because of exposure to the weather. Often these outdoor spaces have some potential, with easy access or decks in place, but are inhospitable to hanging out and relaxing away from the sun, wind or rain showers. 

People naturally gravitate to an attractive and inviting outdoor living area and a multi-functional shelter is vital to an appealing outdoor space, particularly in NZ where external covers protect you from the harsh sun, improving indoor-outdoor flow. So what are the most important factors to consider when you are creating your picture-perfect outdoor area?

• Sun and shade
• Wind and shelter
• Views
• Privacy
• Security for children and/or pets 

Opening louvre roofs are a popular solution for outdoor living areas, providing shade and shelter from the sun and wind, privacy and flexibility to fit the space without blocking views, all whilst looking attractive and inviting. Let’s have a look at some transformations of outside areas into stunning, well-used outdoor living spaces.

These new homeowners quickly fell in love with relaxing on the deck directly off their kitchen, especially in the evening, with a glass of wine as the sun went down. But when it came to their first summer in the house, the intense heat and glare from the afternoon sun made the area unusable. They also found on cooler nights the open area had no protection from chilly winds or passing showers. After careful consideration, they found the perfect solution in a HomePlus Outdoor Living System, which included the opening louvre roof and a built-in drop-down awning on the most exposed side of the deck. Custom-made to fit the small exposed entranceway, the homeowners matched the beams and louvre blades to the home's joinery and made sure to integrate LED lighting in as well. This was such a perfect solution, that they find they are using the space year-round, for early morning coffees through to their evening catch-ups at the end of the day.

For these customers, the shelter of the Louvre roof was the completion of a family-friendly outdoor living area. The back garden had been extensively renovated to create a level backyard, maximising the space on the small hilly site. With fencing in place, the backyard was secure for the young children to use, but not usable with no protection from the weather or privacy from the next-door neighbours. Once the opening louvre roof went in, the lounge doors could be thrown open all day knowing the area was shaded and sheltered from the worst of the weather. 

For more information and examples of other great outdoor living spaces transformed by HomePlus Louvre Roofs click here