When opting for a small 1-bedroom house plan to save on costs and maintenance, maximizing every inch of living space is key. The compact square footage can certainly feel cozy and efficient, but what about when you want to host friends and family or simply need some fresh air? This is where transforming your outdoor areas into usable extensions of the interior comes in handy.
By sprucing up your porches, patios, and decks, you can add valuable living area to make up for a modestly-sized home. Take your pick of covered, partially-covered, and open-air layouts. Furnish and decorate these outdoor rooms just as you would any living room or dining room inside. We’ll overview clever ways to enhance backyard porches, patios, and decks so you can comfortably enjoy the outdoors despite limited indoor quarters.
Benefits of Outdoor Living Spaces
Let’s first examine key reasons you’d want to extend your home’s livable zone into the outdoors. Patio and porch additions offer many homeowner perks beyond just increasing square footage.
- Enjoy fresh air, views of nature, and changing seasons
- Host backyard gatherings with family and friends
- Seamlessly extend interior living spaces outside
- Provide mental health benefits and relaxation
- Boost resale value by increasing usable space
For small homes short on storage, hosting overnight guests can be tricky. But with a covered patio or front porch furnished like a bedroom, you instantly gain backup sleeping quarters. Outdoor rooms also enable home offices and workout spaces during temperate weather.
Porches & Covered Patios
Covered patios and porches shield you from the elements while letting you view the outdoors. Unlike raw decks and concrete slabs open to the skies, attaching a sturdy roof and incorporating other builder upgrades transforms your covered outdoor area into a room just shy of being fully enclosed.
Open Porch vs. Covered Patio
Traditional open porches feature a roof with supporting front/side columns and a wooden floor or concrete foundation. Shielded covered patios may have a solid roof plus optional side paneling to provide enhanced shelter. Other covered patio features include:
- Ceiling fans, recessed lighting, electrical outlets
- Stone, brick, or other decorative facade materials
- Flooring like tile, pavers, stone, polished concrete
- Windows and side panels for adjustable airflow
- Integrated fireplaces, heating systems, and TVs
Covered patios are ideal in wet climates since they fully protect from the rain. You’ll gain better views than a fully-enclosed sunroom paired with adequate shielding to enjoy time outside in any weather.
Furnishing Covered Spaces
Furnishing a covered patio or porch is similar to decorating an interior room. Choose weather-resistant materials like:
- Patio sectionals, deep seating groups, and dining sets
- All-weather wicker, aluminum, or waterproof cushioned furniture
- Plastic, resin, stone, concrete, or wooden tables
- Weatherproof curtains, throws, pillows and rugs
Just beware of moisture damage over time. Even occasional rain exposure can degrade some furniture. Fade-resistant, quick-drying materials are best for covered outdoor use.
Open-Air Patios & Decks
For open-air outdoor rooms, go for patio slabs or elevated decks. Keep them low maintenance with these basics:
- Ground-level concrete slab patios
- Elevated wood or composite decking decks
- Partially-covered with pergolas or retractable awnings
- Sealing/staining wooden decks to protect from weather
Then decorate with free-standing umbrellas, all-weather furniture, and greenery for an al fresco aesthetic. For small patios and decks, portable furniture makes rearranging to accommodate groups easy.
Choosing All-Weather Furnishings
Key furniture options include:
- Dining sets: aluminum, resin wicker, concrete, weatherproof wood
- Chaise lounges, reclining chairs, outdoor sectionals
- Weatherproof cushions (or cushions stored when not in use)
- Fire pits, chimineas, outdoor grills to take the chill off
Look for fade-resistant, mildew-resistant all-weather fabrics. Then store cushions, pillows and decor indoors when not enjoying the space to prolong durability.
Design & Layout Considerations
For stunning curb appeal and backyard oases, carefully plan patio and porch layouts. Home exterior and lot layout will dictate possibilities, but strive for:
- Sunlight: Maximize sun exposure for daytime use and views.
- Views: Frame appealing scenery from seating areas.
- Privacy: Use screens, fences and angled installation for seclusion.
- Sloped yards: Tier patio levels to compensate for uneven ground.
Also blend hardscaping and softscaping by intermingling paved surfaces with lawn spaces, gardens, trees and flowerbeds. Extend interior style outside for cohesion.
Design Customizations
Further personalize outdoor rooms with upgrades like:
- Stone, brick or tile facades and flooring
- Fireplaces, fire pits, chimineas
- Water features like ponds and fountains
- Fun amenities: pools, hot tubs, outdoor kitchens
- Ambiance lighting: string lights, lanterns, candles
Space-saving ideas like wall-mounted lighting and decor, or vertical gardens are also fantastic for compact yards. Get creative with layouts and Conversation pieces to make your outdoor area an enticing entertainment space.
Getting the Most Out of Small Square Footage
When working with a limited 1-bedroom home footprint, making every square inch of outdoor zones count is crucial. Savvy space planning tactics like these help maximize cramped quarters:
- Allocate 10-15% of total indoor space to outdoor rooms
- Choose multifunctional furnishings like storage benches, foldaway tables, and mobile planters on wheels
- Go vertical where possible with pergolas, trellises, hanging chairs, wall mounts and tall storage units
- Get creative with container gardens, wall-mounted TVs/decor, and space-saving layouts
In interior design, window placements factor heavily into opening sight lines, flowing spaces together and drawing abundant natural light into rooms. Carefully aligning the interior floorplan with planned outdoor zones creates coveted indoor/outdoor ambiance.
Floorplan Connectivity Ideas
- Install glass sliding doors for whole walls that open completely to the outdoors
- Align outdoor patios/decks outside corresponding interior living spaces
- Use the same materials, finishes, colors scheme inside and out
- Incorporate large trimmed opening windows and glass doors for unobstructed views
By lining up living rooms, kitchens and master suites to overlook outdoor areas, you erase barriers between interior and exterior zones. The end result feels like one big open living concept linking all areas together.
Enhancing Indoor/Outdoor Connectivity
We’ve covered the basics of furnishing, laying out and maximizing compact porches, patios and decks. But how do you make these standalone spaces truly feel like outdoor extensions of your interior without expensive full-outdoor room builds?
The secret lies in strategically aligning and connecting indoor areas with your outdoor oasis. Careful floorplan coordination makes small spaces feel bigger by blending rooms together across barriers. You want to visually and physically link outdoor and indoor zones into one seamless living concept.
Indoor/Outdoor Transition Tips
Ideas to erase dividing lines include:
- Using same flooring materials, colors, finishes in both zones
- Aligning outdoor spaces outside corresponding living areas (kitchen, living room, etc.)
- Adding large trimmed opening doors/windows for unbroken sightlines
- Installing sliding or french doors for whole walls that open completely
Giving outdoor rooms clear views into the home’s interior instantly extends living space sightlines. Cohesive design elements indoors and out enhances the connection even more. Ultimately you want to blur the lines between where backyard patios end and interior living areas begin.
Outdoor living zones like backyard patios, porches and decks are prime additions for compact 1-bedroom homes. They alleviate cramped quarters, instantly expanding livable space to host guests, add private offices plus extra sleeping areas as needed. By covering, furnishing and decorating these outdoor areas much like interior rooms, you gain valuable functional square footage.
Align outdoor additions with corresponding living areas inside to get the most seamless indoor/outdoor ambiance. Then accessorize and maximize every square inch outside just as you would any living room or bedroom. With smart layouts and multifunctional furnishings, porches and patios erase size constraints imposed by tiny home footprints.
