Outdoor Living Structure Ideas Designed For Use & Comfort

With outdoor living structures you can “find yourself” in a luxurious modern style retreat right in your own backyard complete with all the amenities of more comfortable indoor living standards. For entertaining or outdoor cooking a landscape include a range from a fire pit to a furnished outdoor kitchen complete with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, grills, bar areas and luxury seating. Other amenities can include added overhead fans, heaters, flat screen T.V. surround sound and more. Choosing the right design structure and construction material for is important to maximize and utilize an area to its best advantage and enjoy better year round comfort.

Timber Outdoor Living Structures can expand the living area of a primary dwelling to become more functional to specific and practical purposes. The various of styles and architectural designs of outdoor living structures that can extend a living area to seamlessly integrate throughout a landscape are almost endless.

The terminology used to describe Outdoor Living Structures have been used interchangeably and can be confusing at times especially in a language as diverse and amalgamated as the English language is. A Pergola, Cabana, Ramada, Gazebo and/or Pavilion can mean a different structural design to one person than it does to someone else. Here is a collection of some common definitions of outdoor structures living structures:

What is an Arbor?

An arbor is a framework supported by posts that often arches over a pathway or gateway and can serve to support climbing plants. Arbors are sometimes called a pergola or trellis and work well for creating structure and guiding lines within a landscape.

What is a Gazebo?

Gazebos are usually a hexagonal or octagonal free standing structure with a dome-like peaked roof used as a place to take shelter from the elements while gazing out over a surrounding view. Today gazebos come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can even be an extension of a home’s deck or porch area. They can included a kitchen, living room, walls and have all the same amenities found in other common out door structures. Sometimes they are screened to keep bugs out. A Gazebo is used interchangeably with a Belvedere or summerhouse.

What is a Belvedere?

A Belvedere is a term that is rarely ever used today. It is defined as a building designed and situated in a landscape to command a beautiful view of surrounding grounds. A Belvedere and a gazebo are the same type of structure used to take in a scene from a relaxing place.

What is a Loggia?

Loggias are a place of leisure, like an outdoor room added to a building that is open to the elements similar to a walk out porch that adds more living space but is not accessible to enter from the outside.

What is a Porte-cochère?

A Porte-cochère was designed to shelter travelers. With a pavilion porch-like gateway structure a Porte-cochère is large enough to allow a coach, carriage or vehicle to pass under while allowing protection while discharging passengers to an entrance of a building or opening into a courtyard. A Porte-cochère is different than a carport that is a place for vehicles to park. Vehicles pass through a Porte-cochère only stopping long enough for passenger to depart or enter a vehicle. A Porte-cochère is usually supported by columns made of wood or stone and is typically found on circular driveways.

What is a Kiosk?

A Kiosk is a pavilion like structure open on one or more sides and functions as a place to offer goods/services or a place to post advertisements, information or notices. Kiosk’s are an excellent way to generate or expand a business with a low overhead.

What is a Portico?

Portico is Italian for porch. A Portico is an area or walkway covered with a roof and held up by posts or columns similar to a loggia except that a portico can be accessed from outside as well.

What is a Ramada?

A Ramada is open or only partially enclosed with a roof designed for shade or can be an open porch or breezeway. Generally a Ramada is has four posts with open sides. Some classify a Ramada as being fully enclosed with walls.

What is a Pergola?

A Pergola was considered to be a large arbor-like free standing structure with column or posts supporting a trellis work over which plants or vines grew. Just like arbors, pergolas were used to shade a walkway, passageway or sitting area. It is the size that makes the greatest difference between an Arbor and a Pergola. Today, a Pergola are designed with closeable louvered roofs, out door kitchens, living rooms, for pool houses and more.

What is a Patio Cover?

Patio covers are usually an attached structure that can have an open or solid roof. A patio cover provide coverage and protection form rain over a deck or patio and is sometimes used interchangeably with a pergola.

What is a trellis?

A Trellis is a lattice work used to support vines, add shade and privacy or height to a wall or fence.

What is a Cabana?

A customary Cabana is freestanding, designed for shade that can be either a permanent structure or folded up and carried away with walls constructed using hanging or draped fabric curtains. In the tropics Cabanas were traditionally a small hut with a thatched roof. Cabanas were designed for dressing rooms for use at a pool or nearby beach.

What is a Pavilion?

A Pavilion is a free-standing structure with a fully covered roof open on all sides. A Pavilion is customarily adjacent to or close to a residence, building or camp area.

Whether it is a Gazebo, Arbor, Pergola or Pavilion timber is the best choice for comfort, quality and long-term durability for an outdoor living structure.

Timber has amazing qualities that are not only earth friendly they are human friendly as well. Unlike aluminum, vinyl or metals that attract heat and hold in the cold, wood naturally regulates itself against cold and heat. Amazingly, timber will hold two temperatures on either side at the same time naturally balancing for a more pleasing and agreeable temperatures as well as increasing the value and add curb appeal to a business/home or property..