Best Outdoor Living Space Ideas for Busy Schedules

Having access to outdoor living spaces, no matter their size, is one of the many perks of homeownership. That said, not everyone who’s fortunate to have such a space has the time to maximize its potential or even enjoy it. Keeping busy can be a good thing, but not if it interferes with some much needed relaxation time. And if your schedule is typically jam-packed with things to do, it can be easy to neglect your outdoor living space and house exterior entirely. This is an understandable pitfall, but one that’s best avoided. After all, the more you ignore the condition of your outdoor space, the more difficult it will become to restore it when it’s finally time to get some use out of it.

So, what are you to do? The good news is that even a little bit of effort can go a long way when it comes to caring for and enjoying your home’s exterior features. Let’s go over some of the best outdoor living space ideas for those with busy schedules; we’ll discuss both how to approach maintenance and renovations and how to maximize your enjoyment when your time is limited.

Don’t Have Much Time to Spruce Up Your Outdoor Spaces?

Taking care of your home’s most essential components is difficult enough when you’ve got so many other things going on. As such, it’s common for outdoor living spaces to get pushed to the back burner. Here are some ways to ensure that you’re keeping up with your exterior areas.

Pick One Project Per Month

Busy people can make their lives much easier in general by creating and sticking to an itinerary. Without a clear plan in front of you, it’s easy to miss deadlines, skip appointments, and mix up dates. If you’re already schedule-oriented, then you’ve got an advantage that can help you care for your outdoor living spaces. Take a look at your calendar and make note of certain days and times where you’ve got little to nothing going on -- these are your opportunities to tackle home improvement projects that you’ve been putting off. By mapping out your time this way, you can pick a single task to accomplish in a given period of time (say, one per month), such as refinishing your deck, fixing up your patio flooring, replacing porch furniture, etc. Sure, the task might be relatively minimal, but each one adds up over time. If you take this approach all summer long, you’ll have made 3-4 significant improvements to your outdoor living space despite your busy schedule.

Focus on Tasks that Provide Lasting Results

Allocating time for these renovations is the first step to keeping up with your outdoor living space; from there, you have to decide which tasks to tackle. Your decisions will mainly be based on need, of course. However, if your outdoor space is in relatively good condition and you’re more concerned with improving what’s already there, your plan of attack might not be so clear. To make things easier on yourself, prioritize projects that deliver enduring results. Your future self will thank you for doing this, as you won’t have to worry as much about making touch-ups, correcting mistakes, and so on. One of these long-lasting projects includes exterior home painting -- especially if you select colors and finishes that won’t fade or degrade due to environmental conditions (e.g., sunlight, wind, moisture, etc.). When applied and maintained properly, your exterior paint job can last 7 years or more. Other enduring exterior projects include refinishing your patio/porch floors with concrete coatings and staining your wooden deck.

Make Time for Regular Maintenance

Staying on top of regular maintenance is always the best way to save yourself time and money in the long run. So, as you peruse your day-to-day schedule, you’re bound to notice brief allotments of time that might allow you to, say, sweep/mop your deck or clean your patio furniture, no matter how busy your schedule is. All you need is about 10-30 minutes every few days for these basic maintenance tasks, and taking the time to do so is well worth it.

Hire Professionals to Handle Whatever You Can’t

Time constraints aside, even if you wanted to tackle every home improvement project on your own, you wouldn’t be advised to do so. There are professionals out there for a reason. Experienced pressure washing services, for instance, help ensure that no one gets hurt and that your property doesn’t get damaged in the process. And professional outside house painters are hired to get the job done quickly and deliver beautiful, long-lasting results. When the time is right, take advantage of the expertise and efficiency offered by these professional contractors. Hire a company that can work according to your scheduling needs, whether that means working while you’re off doing your thing or getting the job done while you’re around. Either way, outsourcing various projects for your outdoor living space will let you handle whatever you need to while your property receives the attention it deserves.

Getting the Most Out of Your Outdoor Space on a Tight Schedule

Now that we’ve gone over some ways to maintain your outdoor living spaces on a tight schedule, it’s time to discuss something equally as important: actually getting some use out of them.

Keep Maintenance to a Minimum

No matter how busy you are, the less maintenance you have to perform, the better. Moreover, establishing an outdoor living space that requires minimal maintenance will allow and entice you to enjoy it when you finally get the chance to. As mentioned previously, the best way to reduce necessary maintenance is to tackle tasks that provide long-lasting results. Applying a durable exterior deck stain to your wooden deck, for instance, will keep moisture and other problems at bay so you don’t have to invest so much time in repairs and touch-ups. You can also keep maintenance to a minimum by reducing your lawn space; you can still have plenty of green features in your outdoor living space, but prioritize low-maintenance and self-sustaining plants if possible.

Make It Easy to Set Up Your Outdoor Space

If your outdoor living space requires significant effort to set up every season (or every time you want to use it), you probably won’t feel inclined to utilize it. Conversely, the easier it is to set up your porch or deck, the more you’ll want to use it. As such, select outdoor furniture that’s easy to store, clean, and move around. Additionally, you might invest in an awning or some type of enclosure for your outdoor living space to prevent the need to get furniture out of harm’s way during inclement weather and, once again, minimize maintenance. Simply put, when your outdoor living space is ready to go, you can squeeze more time out of it even if you’re as busy as ever.

Turn Your Outdoor Space into an Escape

When life feels like all work and no play, there’s nothing better than finding an oasis that offers even the slightest bit of respite. Your home’s outdoor living space can be the very escape you’re longing for, as long as you’re willing to find the time. At Nash Painting, we’re no strangers to busy lifestyles, seeing as our team is regularly hard at work improving properties across Nashville, Brentwood, and Franklin, TN. Allow us to help you make the most of your outdoor living spaces. To learn more about us, our services, and our values, call us at 615-829-6858 today!