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Topic: Patios and Decks



Date Posted: Thursday, November 13, 2014
Posted by: Tanya Zanfa (Master Admin)
Source: http://www.mensjournal.com/expert-advice/10-ways-to-transform-you...


10 Ways to Transform Your Small Patio


10 Ways to Transform Your Small Patio

The first time they went on a date Ryan Lange brought Emily back to his workshop, where they talked over a few beers — and ended up sanding a motorcycle. Emily quickly came to realize that hanging with Ryan meant a departure from all the typical courtship rituals. "I realized that to spend time with him is to do fun projects instead of sitting around talking in a coffee shop," Emily says. "We've had some of our best conversations hanging out in his workshop and from there we found ourselves in this pattern of working together on projects."

Several years later, the couple (now they're both Langes) created a partnership, Handmade America, for which the two take on project challenges that range from creating digital light displays for a hip hop artist, to crafting cement bar stools using a bucket and rebar, to converting an old Harley into a badass enduro bike. "It got to the point where people started asking us to make things for them," Ryan says. "I had a really cool job which I loved, but this ended up taking up my whole life. We work from home and I'm able to do things I want."

In that spirit we challenged the Langes to come up with DIY-friendly ways that a small terrace or balcony can be made friendlier, more useful and just more fun. The two happily agreed and combined some of their past work along with a few new inspirations to arrive at these nine excellent projects. Most take minutes to a few hours and can accommodate budgets of all ranges.
 

Install Wood Floors

Install Wood Floors
 
Credit: Courtesy Handmade America

Most terraces or balconies are cursed with a floor surface that's some version of concrete or steel that's patently uncomfortable. That's why when Ryan and Emily realized the potential of their Chicago pad's mini-balcony, they took on the floor first. Ryan put together a basic box frame of two-by-fours and then a layer of boards on top. Instead of typical decking timber, they opted for interior-grade hardwood flooring, installed in a decorative chevron patten. "It gave it a real sense of style," says Emily. "And even though the balcony is small, because of the pattern it makes it look and feel bigger."

Ryan says he left small gaps between boards to allow water to pass through, and finished it with a stain and a waterproof clear coat to keep the brutal Chicago weather at bay. While he is blessed with a tricked out shop, he said anyone with basic tools like a drill and chop or circular saw would have no trouble doing it themselves. "Most people don't give themselves enough credit to do a project like but I've found if you break down any project into small enough chunks it's really manageable."

 

Ditch the Christmas Lights

Ditch the Christmas Lights
 
Credit: Courtesy Handmade America

To put it lightly, neither Ryan or Emily is especially fond of string lighting. ("It looks like you forgot about them after the holidays, or live in Margaritaville or something.") They suggest instead using a combination of other light sources, such as lanterns and candles, which tend to have less harsh quality light. "You can transform an entire space with just lighting," says Ryan. If you're not into lighting and maintaining an army of lanterns, there are readily available versions with LED lights inside. If you're into a little DIY, Ryan also likes creating lights and candleholders out of old booze bottles, including citronella ones that do double duty as conversation piece and bug repellent.

 

Plant a Mason Jar Micro Garden

Plant a Mason Jar Micro Garden
 
Credit: Courtesy Handmade America

Greenery is an obvious boon for refining an outdoor space. That's a tall order though when that space is small. Emily and Ryan devised a clever and eye-catching solution in the form of a row of oversized Mason jars strapped to the railing by a pair of large nylon zip ties. "We put in potting soil and then planted herbs and vegetables that you use every day: basil, thyme, sage, as well as peppers and carrots," Emily says. Make sure to get extra large ties and when installing them do them at the top and bottom in a uniform way, or it'll look slapdash.

 

Build an Old-Fashioned, Cordless Speaker

Build an Old-Fashioned, Cordless Speaker
 
Credit: Courtesy Handmade America

Stringing an extension outside along with a speakers or a sound system is a pain and a tripping hazard, especially in a tight space. Instead, Ryan suggests building clever — and simple — smartphone amplifier. Based on the water glass trick for boosting an iPhone's volume, Ryan created a wooden box with a slot at the top for slipping in a phone, and then a hole at the front that acts as the audio port. If you aren't willing to put in a few hours to make one yourself, Ryan sells his. "Now I make them out of old skateboard decks — they work really well," he says. Since there's no actual electronics it's unlikely your'e going to shatter windows or have the cops coming, but there's oomph enough for background audio over drinks or dinner. And unlike portable speakers, it never runs out of batteries.

 

Get a Smarter, Smaller Grill

Get a Smarter, Smaller Grill
 
Credit: Courtesy Handmade America

"The standard American thing is to get the bossest grill you can get to show off to all your bros," says Ryan. When your outdoor space is roughly the size of three Weber grills, that's not a great option. "We thought about what we actually grill — maybe a couple steaks or a few burgers — and so instead we opted for a tiny Smoky Joe grill," Emily says. "We can also chuck a couple pieces of wood in it and it does double duty as a fire pit." They also recommend checking out yacht grills from sources like Westmarine. They're designed for use in small places, and so mount easily to a railing and because they're made of high-grade stainless steel they won't rust in a couple years like most grills.

 

Lay Down a Rug

Lay Down a Rug
 
Credit: Courtesy Handmade America

Continuing the notion of bringing homier items outdoors, Emily suggests using a colorful or patterned carpet. "The key is to make sure its tag states that it's indoor-outdoor and has a plastic base," she says. "Inside it's not so comfy on your feet but outside it breaks up the space." The sizing of the rug is a crucial factor to consider. Emily suggests considering a smaller size that might only sit under a table or could create two areas to your outdoor space, as you see when a large indoor space is often split into a dining and living room area. "Ideally you find something you would expect to see inside that works outside."

Hang Your Plants

Hang Your Plants
 
Credit: Courtesy Handmade America

"Potted plants are wonderful, but take up a ton of space," Emily says. "A typical pot takes up about a square foot or more." Still, greenery adds color and mood and for cooks is practical too. So if there isn't room on the ground, she says to take get them up high. "It depends on whether your balcony has a ceiling, obviously. Ours has support beams so we were able to hang a lightweight plant and some vines along the fringe." You might also consider running twine from railing to ceiling for vines and creeping plants. "A few varieties of food plants like tomatoes actually do well hanging, so that you don't even have to stake them," says Ryan. You'll still get to exercise your green thumb without using up any of your precious space.


Style Out a Bar Cart

Style Out a Bar Cart
 
Credit: Courtesy Handmade America

"Bar carts are kind of back, maybe from the whole Mad Men thing," Emily says. "And it makes sense: Women generally like to style them, and men like to use them." The beauty of a bar cart is that it's always ready to go with its own arsenal of coasters, cups and glasses, straws and the rest, taking the stress and prep work out? of entertaining. All of those items take up a lot of space, and so Emily suggests investing in a small, perhaps vintage, bar cart and then placing it permanently in the room closest to the outdoor space.

"It's visually appealing, and is positioned near the deck so guests can help themselves easily without losing real estate on the deck." It also lets guests mingle comfortably inside or out without getting trapped, and keeps them from going on a scavenger hunt around your pad in search of olives. While bar carts are readily available, you can often pick up a swell vintage model at flea markets or even construct your own. "Our bar cart was basically a table that we added wheels to. It's a cross between a cart and a nightstand."

 

Splurge on the Table

Splurge on the Table
 
Credit: Getty Images

In tight spaces something has to give, and that means a generous big table with comfy chairs. Emily says this is where you have to be most creative — and where you will most likely want to splurge money. Chairs come in all sizes but other than getting stools there's a basic minimum size you can count on, so the only real option to fiddle with is the table. "It's about finding the two chairs you really like, and then go off the beaten path and get a custom table to suit the space," she says.

For their deck, Ryan designed and built a nifty flip up table that was big enough to have a meal but then stowed away to open up space when needed, without having to be lugged back inside. "We also built in a wire rack for underneath, so bottles are handy when we're entertaining," says Emily. If you aren't ready to break out the tools on this one, she suggests consulting with a local carpenter or cabinetmaker who may have ideas as well and would be thrilled to try something new.

 

Style up the Citronella

Style up the Citronella
 
Credit: Courtesy Handmade America

Citronella is among the least noxious ways of fending off bugs, however citronella candles tend to be designed with far less thoughtfulness, generally coming in buckets with day-glo stickers or sea shells stuck to the sides. Ryan has a more design-forward solution: "I take old whiskey or beer bottles, cut em in half and pour in citronella wax and make my own candle." While that may sound like an unbelievable chore, Ryan says it's both easy and cheap: He bought a candle wax melting cup for $8 on Amazon and a glass cutting dremel bit for a few bucks.

"You slowly heat up a citronella candle, it turns to liquid. Add a wick to your bottle and then pour in your wax." For a less involved option, Ryan says big box home stores sell citronella oil, which he pours into old whiskey bottles and then tops with tiki torch wicks. Just remember to place them on a stable surface lest you accidentally knock one on the ground and turn your bug repellant into an accidental Molotov cocktail.

 



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