One of the hottest trends in home improvement right now is creating an outdoor room and bringing the creature comforts of the indoors, outside.
I’m Neil O’Hare, Sales Manager at Structureworks, and we’re in Fredericksburg Virginia to see what the Smith family has done with their outdoor dining area to create a true outdoor room.
Starting with a raised stamped concrete patio, the dining area instantly becomes the focal point of this outdoor living space. Raising the patio gives the feeling of a separate space that needs to be entered for use, similar to an indoor dining room.
The Smiths have added a Trex Pergola further defining the outdoor space. This low maintenance Cellular PVC pergola adds cooling shade when they want to enjoy a meal or entertain guests on sunny summer afternoons.
The Trex Pergola also brings another advantage to the dining area, it acts as the framework for their outdoor room and is the support structure for some additional amenities. The pergolas hollow components are perfect for hiding the wiring needed to add lighting, fans and heaters above the seating area.
LED lighting has been integrated into the pergola beams and columns giving the area a soft glow once the sun has set. The lighting is controlled by a photocell and timer to turn on the lighting at dusk and off later in the evening.
The MinkaAire Gyro fan offers multiple benefits to the dining area. Not only does it provide a cooling breeze, but the fan will also help keep mosquitos at bay because they are not strong enough to fly through the breeze. Also, the additional light from the fan helps illuminate the dining area during dinner or game night.
In order to get even more use from this outdoor room, two Infratech Infrared heaters have been added to extend the outdoor living season into the cool spring and fall evenings here in Virginia. The infrared heaters warm people and furniture and not the air, creating a warm and inviting outdoor living space.
With such a tranquil setting it’s easy to see why the Smiths wanted to spend additional time outdoors and this Al Fresco dining area will allow them to enjoy dinner, games or entertaining in their outdoor room for 8-9 months of the year.