Outdoor entertainment areas

Outdoor entertainment areas

Linking your outdoor entertainment area to your home will make it much more inviting. Instead of just having your lawn between your lapa and your home, put down a few paving stones and border these with a few small ornamental trees. You can also cover your paving stones with a pergola to provide a bit of shade in the summer.

If you are till planning to put up something like a lapa or other roofed structure in the garden, be careful of making it too small. A two by two meter lapa will be barely big enough for two people to sit under and keep their drinks out of the sun. It will not really add value to your home. If you are going to go through all the trouble of building something, make sure you make it big enough to house a few quests.

Although thatched lapas might look nice, they have several drawbacks such as fire danger and high maintenance. On the other hand, they are cool in summer and warm in winter. If well maintained, they look good.
Concrete tiled roofs are low on maintenance, they look good and don’t have the risks of thatch.
Steel roof sheets such as IBR are cheap, but they look cheap and they don’t do much for heat in summer or winter. They also need maintenance in that the steel supports and frame need to be painted regularly to keep them tidy.
Louver decks are also great. These can open up by degrees, so in winter you can allow the sun in, while in summer you can keep the sun out but still open them up a bit to allow a the hot air to escape. They look good too, and could be an inexpensive option for your outdoor roof.

If you like having a braai (BBQ), a prep sink in your outdoor area is just the thing. Now you can wash your hands and utensils without having to run into the house all the time.

Get an electrician to install a quality electrical outlet or two in your outdoor entertainment area. These are great for everything from cooling fans to bar fridges, lighting and what have you, and they just look so much better than that red extension cord running from the house.