Outdoor Living

Outdoor Living Space Remodel FAQ

In Orange County, we have more than 280 days of sunshine a year and homeowners are taking advantage of it. Being able to enjoy outdoor living spaces for the majority of the year is just one of the many perks of living in Southern California. There are many ways to create an outdoor space that feels like an extension of the home. These include outdoor kitchens, bars, and media entertainment areas.
Creating a cohesive design between the indoors and outdoors includes not only great space planning but also material selection. Many Orange County home remodels are now including bi-fold doors in their outdoor spaces. This allows for a seamless transition between the interior and exterior of the home. Selecting tile flooring that can be carried throughout the house and into the outdoor California room also helps to create the look of one continuous space.

How to Design an Outdoor Living Space

Indoor Ourdoor Living in California, California Room Renovations, Outdoor Living Space Renovation Designing an outdoor living room needs to take into consideration how you want to entertain, among other things. Do you envision watching Sunday’s big game in the fresh air? If so, consider how intricate you want your outdoor electronic system to be, including TVs, internet, and sound systems. If you’re a foodie, you may want to take it one step further than the typical built-in barbeque, and consider including a pizza oven or rotisserie in your design. And if star-gazing is your thing, how about incorporating a built-in fireplace as a central gathering place for family and friends?

With Sea Pointe Construction, you get a design-build team that coordinates the entire process from start to finish, including design, engineering, and construction all in one contract. Our teams of professionals are industry experts and will use their experience to deliver more than you know to ask for. With so many options in outdoor remodeling, you’ll appreciate seasoned professionals whose experience can help design and construct the perfect space for you and your family to love.

Gone are the days of basic barbecues, so allow your imagination to meet possibility, and let’s work together to create the outdoor living space you’ve been dreaming of!

Are my material options limited when designing an outdoor space?

This is a question that many of our clients ask, especially those whose outdoor living spaces will be under direct sunlight or may be affected by the salty, moist coastal air. The answer is twofold. Yes, when selecting materials for your outdoor living space the Sea Pointe Construction team suggests that clients limit themselves to the materials specifically designed and manufactured for the outdoors. This is especially important when it comes to cabinetry.

Now, within those material lines specifically designed for the outdoors, it’s unlikely that you’ll feel limited by the number of styles and color combinations available. Again, specific to cabinetry, most manufacturers offer everything from modern style, stainless steel cabinetry to the transitional, painted cabinet aesthetic, to the more traditional, detailed door and drawer styles. Not to mention the wide variety of finishes, some even closely mimicking the look of natural wood, which fits every design style!

What limitations do I have within my property?

Every piece of property poses its own set of challenges and limitations. If your backyard is particularly hilly, has certain soils deemed unsafe for building upon, is riddled with large rocks, or even has a small amount of water running through it, you may find yourself with certain, sometimes costly, obstacles to overcome before starting construction.

In addition, each city within Orange County has a specific set of construction codes and building regulations, whether you’re working on an indoor or outdoor renovation. In general, each city requires that the distance between your homes or your outdoor living space structure and the street meet certain specifications called “setbacks”. In other words, there is only a certain amount of space within your property lines that you’re legally allowed to build upon. For homeowners with limited outdoor space, once the setbacks are taken into consideration, building a California room, outdoor living space may not make the most sense.

Similarly, if you live within an area that is regulated by a homeowners association, the finishes and design materials you have to choose from may be limited. It is a goal of the homeowners association to keep the neighborhood looking somewhat uniform so, for those of you who love out-of-the-box design styles, you may be urged to reel it in.

How can I achieve a seamlessly transition between my indoor and outdoor living spaces?

Especially in sunny, Southern California, the outdoors are truly an extension of a home’s living spaces. What sets a well-designed outdoor living space apart from the rest is how effortless the transition is between the inside of your home and the outside. Luckily, there are quite a few ways you can achieve that seamless feel!

The ultimate indoor-outdoor design element is a large, bi-folding door system. These door systems quite literally allow homeowners to open up an entire section of their home to the outdoors! Usually connecting a central interior living space, like the family room or kitchen, and an outdoor dining or lounge space, bi-folding door systems are the key to indoor-outdoor entertainment and family fun.

When choosing what type of material to pave your outdoor living space with, selecting something as close to the style and tone of your indoor flooring will help in creating an outdoor space that truly feels like an extension of your home. Certain materials, such a porcelain wood plank tiles, are suitable for both indoors and outdoors and will for sure make the two spaces feel like one.

When it comes to constructing a covered, California Room type outdoor living space, following your homes natural roofline will add to the uninterrupted, indoor-outdoor feel you’re hoping for. Moreover, finishing the California Room structure in the same colored stucco and/or shingling as your home will trick the eye into seeing both structures as one.

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