Create a Fun and Budget-Friendly Outdoor Room

Whether building a new or updating an existing deck or patio, consider a few ideas from this affordable and action-packed outdoor room.

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Outdoor Room

Sitting Area

Surface Materials

Sink Station

Kitchen Area

Cool Cooler

Grilling Station

DIY: Beverage Table

Pick Plants Carefully

DIY: Bottle Chandelier

Low-Cost Lighting

Provide Shade

DIY: Outdoor Checkerboard

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Outdoor Room

Turn a dull deck or patio into entertainment central. This space boasts an outdoor kitchen, sitting area, outdoor checkerboard, and colorful finishing touches, including outdoor fabrics that add color and style.

Sitting Area

When creating an outdoor room, think comfort. For upholstered furniture, use outdoor fabrics and synthetic fill. All-weather curtains cast welcome shade from the sun.

Surface Materials

Outdoor cooking is more enjoyable in a kitchenlike environment. However, most kitchen countertop materials don't weather well. Consider natural materials such as stone, granite, or slate. On a tight budget, make forms and pour concrete countertops (shown here) -- you can get creative and set in small stones or other embellishments for detail. Seal concrete twice yearly.

Sink Station

An outdoor sink is easy to install. Unless you plan to wash dishes, you need only a cold-water connection. This sink is fed by a garden hose (or you can connect directly to the house's water supply) and drains in a bucket. The gray water is then used for the surrounding plants.

Kitchen Area

Avoid the price tag of built-in cabinetry for cooking and dining utensils by using watertight, airtight plastic storage bins that tuck under the counter. Conceal a storage area or a garbage can with a pretty fabric curtain attached with hook-and-loop tape (shown here). Also, use stainless-steel fixtures, which don't expand and contract with weather changes.

Cool Cooler

Keep beverages cold without buying an outdoor refrigerator. This wood container looks much better than a standard plastic cooler, and it matches its surrounding decor. The box offers storage space for additional beverages and dinnerware in shelves below, and it can roll into the adjacent sitting area or inside for a refill or during cold weather.

Grilling Station

When space allows, add a countertop or island next to the grill to make food prep and service easier. A peninsula works well in this outdoor kitchen. It provides additional seating for outdoor dining that's close enough for the cook to chat with guests, but it keeps people away from a hot grill.

Pick the right grill for your outdoor room.

DIY: Beverage Table

Keep your favorite summertime drinks cold and conveniently located in an outdoor sitting area with this beverage table. Directions: Turn a metal bucket upside down and trace its opening in the center of an all-weather table. Measure in about 1/2 inch so the bucket won't fall through. Cut out the circle with a jigsaw. Sand inside and around the hole to dull sharp edges. Insert the bucket and fill with ice and drinks.

Pick Plants Carefully

If your outdoor room is in the sun, be sure to choose low-maintenance (and drought-tolerant) plants so you can spend your time relaxing instead of having to tend to the plants that surround the space.

DIY: Bottle Chandelier

Create an instant conversation piece and ambience after the sun goes down with this bottle chandelier.

Directions: Drill holes around the side of a galvanized-steel feed pan (available at a farm supply store). Also, drill holes in the bottom so rain won't collect and near the top edge to suspend the chandelier. Feed plastic zip ties through the side holes and tighten around the bottles (choose bottles with a good curve to prevent them from slipping). Directions continue on the next slide.

DIY: Bottle Chandelier

Directions (continued): Loop four pieces of braided framing wire through the upper holes in the feed pan and secure with a stainless-steel quick link. Measure carefully so that all the wires are equal length. Feed the wire loops through S hooks and hang with an eye hook. Fill the feed pan with candles.

Low-Cost Lighting

For any outdoor room, you should always install outdoor lighting, but that doesn't need to be an expensive endeavor. These candleholders are actually heavy-gauge feed scoops from a farm-supply store (they also can be purchased online). Screw them directly into a stud or use an anchor to attach them to a wall.

Learn how to light your landscape like a pro.

Provide Shade

Make your outdoor room comfortable and cool by providing protection from the elements. A pergola adds shade without blocking all sunlight in the sitting area, and fabric panels, along with a roof over the kitchen area, protect the space and its contents from sun and rain without blocking breezes.

DIY: Outdoor Checkerboard

Create an interesting landscape feature and keep guests of all ages entertained with an outdoor checkerboard. Directions: Rent a sod cutter from a local hardware store and clear the area of grass where you'll create the checkerboard design. Lay out concrete outdoor pavers in the desired pattern. Lay sod between the pavers and use a knife to cut the sod as needed. Fill in with extra dirt so the sod is even with the pavers. You want the sod to be equal with the pavers so you can mow right over them. Once the sod is laid, water the area frequently for the first two weeks.

Tour another easy-to-build outdoor room.

Create a Fun and Budget-Friendly Outdoor Room

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