After enduring months of being cooped up indoors, spring brings on a feeling of freedom. No longer do we have to put on layers of clothing just to be comfortable enough to step outside. The long-anticipated desire to go outdoors and enjoy nature is upon us and we want to embrace it. Open your back door and you’re there!
All too quickly we forget about the nuisances of summer when it finally arrives, with the most common complaint being that of bugs. Wasps, mosquitoes, and ticks can quickly bring an end to the freedom you’ve waited so long to enjoy.
Your outdoor space will feel more like an oasis if you incorporate a backyard design intended to enhance your outdoor experience. Here’s how backyard design can reduce, or even eliminate some of those pesky summer nuisances.
PRIVACY/NOISE: Fences, garden walls and hedges ensure privacy for patios, and can aid in reducing noise from the neighborhood. (See Fig. 2) You can also use lattice, pergolas, and landscaping to define outdoor spaces and screen views of neighboring houses – a necessity in modern backyards where it feels like many eyes and ears are nearby. Dividing up the yard into sections helps to create flow and continuity among these sections, another factor in reducing noise and creating privacy.
SUN: If you would like to have additional protection from the sun or privacy to your pergola, adding patio curtains can create a more intimate outdoor entertaining space.
Give insects the boot with a backyard design from Deck City!
BUGS: Insects are single-handedly the biggest nuisance when trying to enjoy your backyard sanctuary. Striking a balance between achieving that enjoyment and respecting nature requires as much thought into the design as you would any other aspect of your home. The art of naturally reducing bugs in your backyard is critical to enhancing your outdoor space.
Did you know:
- Adding a fire feature can have advantages beyond just cooking food and providing warmth on cool nights, it can also act as a natural insect repellent?
- Branches that touch a building are gateways for insects to gain access to the roof and walls?
- Heavy groundcover harbors ants, spiders, millipedes, pill bugs, crickets, cockroaches, rats, mice, and snakes?
- Colorful and fragrant flowering plants will draw bees, and that fruit attracts yellow jackets and rodents?
- Direct sunlight can repel mosquitoes and flying insects?
- Even a well-laid out patio, lighting and all, can still attract pests? These unwelcomed and misdirected insects are being thrown off by new light sources that distract their natural flight patterns and intuitions. Determining the types of artificial lights that local bugs attract to is a significant strategy to working with nature and providing a more pleasant outdoor living area.
What’s the solution?
Most solutions are temporary but more permanent bug-free solutions entail a screened-in area to protect yourself from insects. A screened enclosure directly off the house allows for easy movement between spaces without letting them inside. A gazebo that stands alone provides a space where you can place it close to gardens or features and still be bug-free away from your house. If you are looking for a completely flexible space, motorized screens can convert areas into a wasp-free zone to eat your dinner and entertain guests.
Deck City is one of Winnipeg’s best choices for deck designers and deck builders. Let us help you build the backyard of your dreams … we design and build amazing outdoor living spaces.