Six outdoor upgrades to get your house ready for summer entertaining

The lovely weather and longer evenings of summer are perfect for outdoor living, and fortunately it’s easy to improve your entertaining space regardless of your budget.

You can update or improve a particular feature or undertake a full-blown renovation. Additions that create a superior living space to enjoy with family and friends will both improve your entertaining options and increase the value of your home.

1. Add a deck

Create the ultimate outdoor entertaining area by extending your living space to flow directly outside onto a deck. This may be the same level as your home, or you may need to build steps, depending on your site.

Be mindful of the potential maintenance. Timber boards will need to be stained or painted; to avoid upkeep altogether, install composite decking boards. Consider built-in storage, seating, and shade when designing your deck.

2. Replace a window with bifold or sliding doors

Improve the indoor-outdoor feel of your home with floor-to-ceiling doors that create a sense of space while adding light to the interior.

Increasing the expanse of glass overlooking the backyard not only enhances the views to the garden but improves the traffic flow through the house.

Buyers are attracted to houses that offer the seamless transition from inside to outside, so when you decide to sell, floor- to-ceiling glass doors will increase the appeal of your home.

3. Create an outdoor kitchen

Instead of disappearing inside to grab the next round of drinks or collect the next course of your meal, why not install an outdoor kitchen?

An outdoor bar fridge is incredibly convenient for chilling beer and wine and avoids cluttering the main refrigerator.

Look for a versatile barbecue with a grill and flat plates and consider options such as side and wok burners.

Installing a sink also adds incredible convenience – you can cook and clean up without having to drag everything inside. A dishwasher makes clean up even easier.

Be sure to plan for adequate bench space for meal preparation. You can choose between ready-made cabinets or have a bespoke kitchen designed for your space.

Buy cheap and cheerful cutlery, glasses and plates for your new outdoor kitchen and keep the good stuff inside.

4. Install a pizza oven

Make your friends envious when you cook up gourmet delights in your new wood-fired pizza oven. The flavour is unlike anything you’d get from a takeaway pizza joint.

Pizza ovens are available ready-made or in kit form so you can build it yourself. Look for ways to include it in your outdoor space so it’s inconspicuous and blends in with the surroundings.

Consider how you would use the oven. Is it just for pizzas, or will you be cooking other dishes? Some ovens have a rather small opening through which you place the pizza, where others have doors opening to a more expansive space.

You can even cook a Christmas turkey in the pizza oven for a shorter cooking time than in a traditional oven, and get that wood-fired flavour in the meat. Best of all, it means you don’t have the kitchen oven on for hours warming up your home in the summer heat.

5. Put in a pool

For the ultimate indulgence, install a swimming pool for relaxing, exercising and providing hours of entertainment for the kids. Available in all shapes and sizes, pre-formed, or built in-situ, there are options to suit most budgets.

Upkeep for swimming pools is becoming easier, with new products available to vacuum as well as pump efficiently.

For smaller spaces, consider a swim-spa to combine the luxury of a spa with the exercise feature of strong water jets to swim against.

6. Plant pots of colour

To brighten up a backyard on a budget, plant flowering annuals in pots. To reduce the workload and save water, plant fewer but larger pots instead of multiple small pots. You can hook up a watering system on a timer to make them maintenance-free.

In the hot sun, consider marigolds and petunias. In the shade, look for impatiens in their myriad colours.

What else?

Now that you have your entertaining area sorted, there are a few other ways to improve the look and feel of your outdoor space:

• Hang festive lighting such as fairy lights, or light up trees with spotlights.
• Invest in good quality outdoor speakers and prepare playlists for different moods.
• Defeat mosquitoes with citronella candles and sandalwood incense sticks.
• Perfect a favourite cocktail and serve it with plenty of ice in lovely glasses.