When we talk about home improvements, most people would immediately think of big projects like a major renovation or a big upgrade in the house.
The usual commonality in these ideas is that they’re almost always indoor projects. Sure, you can keep upgrading your interiors, but to have a good home life, you have to consider the outdoor setting as well.
Have you ever considered screening in your patio? How much time can you actually spend in that space without being forced back inside by insects or with not having a private atmosphere provided by walls and closed doors?
Screening in your patio is a small and easy project with plenty of positive returns on a healthy outdoor lifestyle, yet people rarely consider having it done. Here are some benefits to having a screened-in patio that might inspire you to take on this little home improvement.
Keep Bugs and Insects Out of Your Home
Your patio is still very much part of your home. You deserve to feel comfortable and unbothered by pesky insects when you’re just trying to enjoy being outside.
It can be such a buzzkill to have insect bites on every exposed skin just by staying in your patio for 15 minutes. We bet you wouldn’t repeat the experience, which can affect what could be a healthy day-to-day lifestyle.
Screen mesh come in different materials, but they have the common advantage of protecting your space from the smallest insects. By screening in your patio, you’re eliminating the one biggest reason that people don’t spend time in their patios and waste a good opportunity for relaxation.
Have Some Privacy
While screens don’t offer full concealment that solid walls and doors do, it still provides some sort of privacy rather than being completely out in the open. Some screens have a darker shade that gives people from outside a harder time looking in with clear views of what’s going on inside. You’re sure to have a bit more privacy when you don’t want neighbors seeing you every time you stay in your patio.
Get a Dose of the Outdoors Without Leaving Home
We all need a dose of the outdoors, a fresh breeze that doesn’t come from the air conditioner. But we’re not always willing to leave the house. Sometimes you just don’t want to see or have to talk to other people.
If before it was an inescapable scenario to satiate your craving of the outdoors, a screened-in patio allows you to go out for a bit even in your pajamas without being in a public space. Spend some minutes in it and it’s like the same experience as walking around your neighborhood but without having to leave at all.
Have a Second Living or Lounging Space for Family
Consider your patio as an extension of your living room. When it’s screened in, you can take comfort in putting more decor in there and setting up more lounge chairs.
You can turn it into a second family space without all the electronic distractions like the television or all the video game consoles. It can be a space solely for bonding with family.
Provide a Safe Outdoor Space for Kids
Even with railings around your patio or some other barrier around your property, this small outdoor space is still unsecured until you have a full screen blocking every side and every way out.
Kids are creative. They can find their way in and out of the smallest gaps. Railings are not enough because they usually only cover the sides of the patio and you’ll have to leave an opening for the entrance and exit.
A screen all around your patio will cover it from top to bottom without closing it in completely. It includes a door that you can make child-proof and the breeze can still flow through the screens. It makes for a really safe outdoor place to let children play in.
Have a Place to Entertain Guests In
We all have those moments when the house is in chaos and everything is not where they’re supposed to be. When you’re stuck in a situation where you don’t want to confront the mess but you have to welcome some people into your home, a screened-in patio could save you the trouble of having to make up the whole house for your guests.
A Designated Space for Elevated Decor
Following the previous point, your patio is the one place in your house that you can assign as the place that’s always made up and organized. It’s got the fresh outdoor breeze, the view of the outdoors (pays off to have a good view as well, preferably of plants and greens), and extraordinary decor if you put the effort into it. And we’re saying please do.
Add some snazzy details that really show off your personality. Besides, if this is the first thing people will see of your home and the only space that’s practically on display for others to see, you might want to give a good impression.
Here’s an additional tip: put outdoor furniture in it because screens don’t guarantee protection from stormy weather.
Increase Your Home Value
It’s no secret that to increase your home value, you have to make it more attractive and more efficient. Every advantage we’ve listed out so far is pointing to the efficient use of your outdoor space. The last one is basically a bonus in making your home more attractive just by decorating your patio.
Screening in your patio itself is a small improvement that makes a big difference in increasing your home’s value. It takes a small amount compared to a big renovation or remodel. The decorating that comes after also takes minimum effort. It’s a win-win situation all around.
Increase Quality of Life
Above everything else we’ve listed out here, an increased quality of life is the superior benefit of having a screened-in patio. Your home needs to be a safe zone. It’s where you unwind and break free from the pressures and stress of life outside of it.
It needs to fulfill your needs, which include spending time outside regularly, spending quiet time by yourself, spending time with family, hosting friend gatherings, and many other things of the like. All of these are things that a screened-in patio can allow you to have. It’s a small investment for a big return in the form of a healthier lifestyle and better relationships.