These days we all have plenty of reasons to take ourselves outside to enjoy some fresh air and wide open spaces. So, it’s no surprise that requests are pouring in to remodeling firms and landscape designers from folks wishing to improve their outdoor living options. While this past year or so has definitely seen a huge uptick in these types of projects, this has been a sharply rising trend for well over a decade. If your preferred landscaper or remodeler can’t work you in to their schedule right away, have no fear—the love of outdoor living is not going away anytime soon. In the meantime, here are inviting spaces to get your dreaming underway.
URBAN OASIS
Sitting high above neighboring rooftops, this upper-level patio features contemporary furnishings and artificial turf suitable for outdoor games.
BUILDER JNB Custom Homes
INTERIOR DESIGN RM Interiors
FIRST CLASS & PRIVATE
This covered patio is given another layer of privacy with carefully placed trees and an expansive stone rear wall which houses the TV and fireplace.
BUILDER Classic Living Homes, LLC
DESIGNER David A. Millett Inc
DUAL BY THE POOL
Two covered areas, one for cooking and dining, and one for relaxing or watching the game, flank the back of this home and are within a few steps of the pool.
CONTRACTOR Neal’s Design Remodel
DESIGNER Bob Voigt
LANDSCAPE Hafner Landscape & Supply
POOL Mid-American Gunite Pools
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Curved lines and rustic furnishings add to the inviting ambience of this backyard patio which includes a stone fireplace and nearby water feature.
BUILDER Fischer Homes
LANDSCAPE DESIGN Ward + Thornton Landscapes
UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS
An open-air upper patio sits outside a covered space off this home’s kitchen, while the lower level patio is a favorite during fall football games.
BUILDER Zicka Homes
DESIGNERS Homeowner and Katie Zicka 
AFTER DINNER REFRESHMENT
Sliding glass doors create a wide opening that allows guests to easily flow between the dining area and the comfortable covered deck.
BUILDER Wieland Builders, LLC
INTERIOR DESIGN Designs on Madison
CUED UP BY THE POOL
Relaxing poolside could take the form of an intimate grouping of comfy chairs or a covered patio that provides shade and a bit of warmth on chilly days.
LANDSCAPE DESIGN Werbrich’s Landscaping
POOL Eastgate Pools and Spas
POOL Klimat Master Pools
GO WITH THE FLOW
For a seamless transition between outdoor and indoor rooms consider treating both spaces as one room, possibly using the same fabrics in both areas.
BUILDER Sterling Homes
INTERIOR DESIGN Designs on Madison
SYMMETRICAL STYLING
Dual sofas, pergolas and wood piles add a welcome sense of order to this handsome open-air patio.
BUILDER Sterling Homes
LANDSCAPE DESIGN Bzak Landscaping, Inc.
ROOM WITH A VIEW
This cozy patio is joined by a sun deck, both offering a sweeping view of the wooded back yard and nearby river valley.
BUILDER Justin Doyle Homes
INTERIOR DESIGN Farrah Taylor