Amazing things you can do with your outdoor living spaces

Of course, once summer’s finally here, you’ll want to retreat from the heat – and what better way than in your own open shade house? And there’s nothing like a pool – complete with waterfall – to help you keep your cool on even the hottest days.

Of course, once summer’s finally here, you’ll want to retreat from the heat – and what better way than in your own open shade house? And there’s nothing like a pool – complete with waterfall – to help you keep your cool on even the hottest days.

Outdoor rooms are becoming more and more popular because they feel like part of the home, permanent, and provide a superb connection between the indoors and outdoors. This one with its barbecue and sink is perfect for outdoor dining and entertaining.

We love patios and outdoor living spaces that blend seamlessly with gardens, too, using plants as natural screens for privacy and shade.

One of the smartest things some of our clients have asked us to do for them is to build an upscale version of a stand-alone sleepout, studio or workshop in the same style as their main house. This way the outbuilding doesn’t look like an afterthought and is the perfect home-not-so-far-away-from-home for teenagers, grandparents or visitors.

Despite the growing popularity of other forms of outdoor living space, the classic New Zealand deck is far from dead – but we’re being increasingly asked to design and construct larger, multi-level decks, which of course is fine with us.

Now, what about that bet we made with you earlier? This larger image shows you why you could see a table and chairs through the glass panel in the patio. Nobody said outdoor living areas have to exist only at ground level. In fact, as land has become scarcer and section sizes smaller, we’ve noticed that the demand for more inventive outdoor living solutions – including rooftop patios and vertical gardens, both of which you can see in the home above – has grown.   

So which famous person formerly owned this property? None other than the late Margaret Thatcher, ex-British PM. The house was recently on the market for around $60 million and comes complete with a bomb-proof front door.