How to Create an Outdoor Space that Everyone Wants to Enjoy

If you have kids, designing your own custom home includes entirely unique elements. Regardless of the age of your children, planning to build your new home should involve significant consideration of what will have your entire family enjoying the house, inviting friends over and utilizing your outdoor areas. Keeping your entire family close by can be hugely dependent upon the hardscape you choose to create. After all, the warmer months in State College, Boalsburg, Lemont and surrounding areas are times when your teenagers and even young children are drawn towards parks, outdoor spaces, and anywhere they can be entertained well into a summer evening. Designing an incredible hardscape for your custom home is an effective way to enjoy entertaining not just your friends and extended family but also your very own kids and their friends too. 

A well-designed hardscape can create an inviting and functional outdoor living space that can be used for relaxing, entertaining, and spending time together as a family. It increases curb appeal, enhances the overall aesthetic of your home and makes every family member want to stay put.

A great family hardscape design can improve the safety of a home by providing well-lit walkways, stable steps, and safe surfaces to walk on, which can make it easier for family members to navigate the outdoor spaces. 

When planning your custom home hardscape, you want to take into account the structure and layout that will best allow young children to be safe while playing and running in the yard or teenagers to have ample light and walkways for evenings hanging out with friends. The hardscape design should also be durable, able to withstand the wear and tear of children and teenage activities, and made of materials that can withstand the elements.

A hardscape design can be customized to suit the preferences and needs of a family, which can help to make the space feel more personal and inviting. Think about your family today, five years from now and even ten or more years from now. How can the space be personalized for longevity? How old will your children be? What will their interest be? By planning for the growth of your family and personalizing the outdoor entertainment areas to meet your particular interests, you are far more likely to use the space regularly, enjoy the patio, yard, deck, outdoor kitchen or playspace as a family and have your teenage kids hang out at home a lot more often.

From your tiniest family members to your growing teens, flexible and size-appropriate outdoor seating areas are really important. Ensure that your little ones can safely climb onto all seating areas and that teens have adequate and flexible seating for themselves and their friends. This means being able to adapt to areas around outdoor firepits, dining areas, or even poolside seating, depending on the activities your family chooses to participate in. Informal and very affordable outdoor seating options like hammocks and bean bags are great to add to an outdoor living area if the hardscape is designed and planned accordingly.

A functional hardscape design should include space for outdoor games, such as a basketball hoop, a bocce ball court, or a fire pit for roasting marshmallows. Allow your kids to help in the custom hardscape design process so that you can be sure that it will be utilized to the fullest.

Additionally, when you think about what your kids enjoy doing most inside the house, you may want to duplicate these activities outside. A great hardscape design should include an entertainment area, such as an outdoor TV and outdoor sound system.

An outdoor dining area is ideal for a fully functioning hardscape. An outdoor kitchen is a perfect way to duplicate indoor amenities outside. For a more affordable hardscape, designing a space for a small outdoor refrigerator, barbecue and dining area is a great alternative. 

Overall, A family-friendly hardscape design should provide flexible seating options, outdoor gaming, entertainment, privacy, adequate lighting and durability. It should be a space that is comfortable and inviting, that can adapt to the changing needs and interests of your family, and that encourages everyone to spend time outside with friends and one another.

At Triple E Homes, we take the time to consider every aspect of your custom build. We want to ensure that your home is adaptable for your growing family. As your children get older, and their needs change, we want to make sure that your house remains the ideal environment for every member of your family. 

Through a detailed custom home planning process that comprises six clear stages,  we work with every client to ensure that their custom home meets every possible need and expectation. Every home is uniquely crafted for the client from the inside and out. Contact us today to learn more about building your dream home and hardscape.