The backyard has existed since ancient times as a part of the home. The exterior fences were designed without or with small openings for defense against invaders. The windows of the palaces usually faced the courtyard. In the center, there was a water area, a water pool, or a well, providing water supplies in case of a siege. The modern house with a patio has an ancient prototype – the citadel or a fortified building. A key feature found on many modern patios are the roller blinds Melbourne residents use to add privacy and functionality to their outdoor spaces.
A courtyard can also be seen in many western cities around Europe and North America. It can be paved with cobblestones or stone slabs, most often U-shaped, surrounding the house, buildings on one side, and a barn/yard, for example, from the other. Historically, the patio is the most intimate and protected part of the house. However, it can be the most social too. The inhabitants of the home gathered there, and they welcomed guests there. You can create your patio from concrete and pavers.
You can hire professional contractors like Showcase Renovations to remodel your patio and turn your backyard into a small piece of heaven at home. If you want to learn more about the modern courtyard, you can keep reading this article.
The Modern Patio
The modern courtyard or outdoor room can be in many shapes. Generally, it is a beautiful outdoor “playground”, located, according to owners, in any part of the yard. According to the climate, it can be a completely open area, under the shade of a tree, covered with a pergola or other light elements. A narrow, sloping part of the yard, surrounded by plant walls or fences, is ideal for a patio. With a bit of work and money – such a place can become a beautiful and comfortable courtyard.
The Difference between a Veranda and Patio
The most significant difference between a patio and a veranda is that the veranda is covered from above and open on one, two, or three sides, while the patio is primarily closed on the side and opens up upwards to the sky. A porch can be seen from anywhere, while the very name of the courtyard (patio) suggests solitude, a place far from neighbors’ eyes.
The entrance to the patio can be only from the house. You can include an addition to it: a porch, shed, gazebo, or another seating area. You can separate it as a dining area (for resting), a sidewalk, or a swing, surrounded by plants. You can ask professionals like Showcase Renovations to see what best suits your backyard.
If you do not have a suitable space and like the idea, you can create it yourself. Organize a comfortable area with movable fence elements, bamboo rosettes, a green wall of favorite plants, several ceramic pots, and a fountain.
Landscaping is an essential part of a modern patio. It can be a garden, in the Mediterranean style of a minimalist, modern type, or just a secluded design – a place decorated with several ceramic plants.
Types of Patio
Thankfully there are many types of patios, and you can choose what best suits your backyard, the climate in your area, and the free space you have. A free-standing outdoor area, built of bricks, stones, or slabs in a part of the yard, surrounded by vegetation, maybe next to the garden pond, covered with a pergola, be an extension of a gazebo, shed, or just a corner in the yard.
- an L or U-shaped patio, most often attached to a house or other building, the area between the house and a wall or other ancillary buildings or formed by the house architecture.
- a type of open terrace – similar to an enclosing terrace – most often larger and occupying more outdoor space, usually attached to the back and side of the house. It can also increase the living area of the home. Such an outdoor room, in addition to a living room with showcases, optically expands the space of the living room if built as a natural extension of it, for example, by repeating the flooring.
- multi-story patio – a solution for terrain with large displacement, the terracing can be separated from different yards for different purposes – for recreation, dining, garden, the courtyard can be a natural extension of a room or several rooms, depending on location.
Unless you have an eye for landscaping, you may need to hire someone to come up with an initial plan like Showcase Renovations. If you have a smaller yard and if you work with a smaller space, it would be easier to make it look good if you get professional design ideas.
In general, there are pros and cons to a large yard, and you may find that what’s good for you and your family is something in between, or maybe start with a smaller yard if you’re not used to having one. Even a small outdoor space can be a nice relaxing area to help you get rid of the everyday life tension and stress.
