Outdoor living areas may enhance the livability of even the most modest house. If your patio is already covered by a roof, enclosing it on a budget is straightforward. If it is open, you may have limited alternatives. When cost is the main consideration, ingenuity is critical to successfully completing your job. Non-traditional materials are an excellent option for enclosing a patio and saving money.
- Storm Entrances
Utilizing glass is one technique to enclose your patio while preserving the open sense of the outside space. Custom windows are not inexpensive, but salvaged storm doors cost less than half as much. Construct a wooden structure that divides the open space underneath the patio roof’s beam into portions the appropriate width for your storm doors. Take apart the hardware on your doors. Tape off the glass and spray paint the door frames in the same colour. To create a complete wall of windows around the patio, hang the doors in the frame. Suspend one from its hinges to create an escape.
- Screens
By building a screen, a similar illusion of being exposed to the air may be achieved. The screen will help keep insects out while allowing air and light to pass through. Screen doors are available in widths ranging from 30 to 36 inches. Create your frame by framing rectangular holes on all sides, top and bottom. Attach detachable wooden screen doors to your apertures using eye hook latches, or screw through the doors onto the frame. Install a hinged screen door as an escape. Another alternative is to utilise aluminium screen doors with interchangeable glass panes to provide additional protection during severe weather.
- Shades
If you wish to enclose your patio for privacy reasons, long window curtains, such as those made of bamboo, are a suitable alternative. Install the shades parallel to the open edges of the patio, so that when extended, they completely cover the sides, enclosing the patio. Maintain your blinds by keeping them up during inclement weather. The shades will block out the light and offer a more secluded space on your patio for lounging.
- Patios Not Covered
Prefabricated canvas-covered gazebos and canopies are an excellent solution for patios that lack a built-in roof. This is one of the least expensive methods of enclosing a patio. They are constructed with metal frames that support the stretched canvas over the patio. Typically, the sides are open with optional canvas or screen panels for protection and privacy. The foldable awning-style frames increase its versatility. The gazebo-style frames are meant to be permanently secured in place.
- Convenient Side Enclosure
With some affordable slat sides, you may provide some privacy and shading to your patio. Fix four square four-by-four-inch posts in cement footings, one on each side of the patio flush with the house. Connect them with narrower half-inch-by-two-inch rail slats, maybe with two vertical rails in the centre. You can stain or paint them, or you can use cedar and let it age naturally. If you desire overhead shade, drape shade fabric over the ceiling.
- Utilization Of Trellises In Creative Ways
Create an open patio by erecting huge trellises that are securely fastened to the ground with solid posts in cement footings at each corner. Create a stunning, cooling impact on your patio by painting six-foot trellises white and planting them with purple clematis. For a rich, warm tone, use dark cedar trellises with orange and yellow climbing plants, such as trumpet vines.
- Evergreens
Surround tiny patios with reasonably priced evergreens like dwarf arborvitae or juniper. Dig a two-foot-deep trench around the patio, fill the bottom with a half-inch of gravel to aid in drainage, plant the evergreens, amend the soil with excellent rich compost, and cover with two inches of landscaping mulch.
- Planter Boxes
Create three simple wooden planter boxes to encircle your patio and fill them with flowers and veggies to bring the garden to your back door. Tomatoes, onions, peppers, and herbs go well with roses, daisies, bee balm, and zinnias to create bright and fruitful patio enclosures.
- Kits for Screened Rooms
If your budget allows, pre-fabricated screened-room kits make an excellent weekend project. Additionally, affordable backyard netting gazebos may rapidly surround a tiny space, such as ten by ten or ten by twelve feet, with few tools and little work. If you own pet birds such as parrots or cockatiels and want to bring them outside during the summer, consider investing in an outdoor aviary that spans the full patio area.