Exploring the World of Outdoor Living Areas

An outdoor living area is more than just a space; it's a reflection of your family's lifestyle and preferences. Think of it as a canvas where we blend various elements to create a space that's uniquely yours. This canvas often includes features like outdoor kitchens, retaining walls, patios, and pool areas.

When we embark on the journey of designing your Outdoor Living Area, rest assured that we go above and beyond to ensure safety for your loved ones – be it your children, pets, or guests. Beyond the prominent components, we pay meticulous attention to details like steps, landscape lighting, and the utilities essential for your outdoor kitchen.

At E3 Builders, we take pride in keeping you well-informed throughout the entire design process. Upon choosing to work with us, you gain access to our exclusive "Client Dashboard." This tool empowers you to make informed decisions about materials and other aspects of your project, fostering seamless communication and the confidence that your choices are well-grounded. Let's embark on this journey together and craft the outdoor living space of your dreams!

Outdoor Living Area Project At Lake Winola (Barb and Cass Morgan)- Retaining walls, patios, furniture

Outdoor Living Area Components

Outdoor Kitchen

There are many decisions to be made when it comes to an outdoor kitchen. In a world full of options, we do our best to bring them all to the table early in the design phase to equip you with the intel to make timely and accurate decisions. As you log into our "Client Dashboard", you will see that we have done the work to back that statement up!

Outdoor Kitchen Components

Countertop selections
Televisions, bluetooth speakers, charging stations
Lights and fans
Appliances
Sinks and faucet
Bar areas
Stainless steel drawers and storage compartments

Stamped Concrete, Stone Veneer, Lime Stone Caps, Sitting Walls

Hardscapes

Hardscapes are typically the part of the project in which makes the proposed area accessible. In Northeast Pennylvania, we are typically creating designs around obstacles such as hills, tight areas, poor drainage conditions, and winter weather. The solutions to these problems would typically be figured out in your hardscape plan and material selections.

Hardscape Components

Retaining walls ~ SRW (Segmental Retaing Walls), Natural Stone Boulders, Poured Concrete, CMU ( Concrete Masonry Units ~ Block work)
Patios ~ Interlocking Pavers, Stamped Concrete, Natural Stone (Bluestone)
Steps and Elevation Changes ~ Steps will typically be built out of most of the materials mentioned above. Steps should be designed very tediously and should be considered a high risk for injury if they were to be poorly deisgned or not constructed surpassing industy standard

Pavilions and Covered Patios

The main decision to make when designing a pavilion would be :

1) Build a custom Pavilion that has frost protected footings and the ability to customize your kitchen with built-ins such as a bar or shelves

2) Buy a pavilion kit from a vendor such as Sams Club or Wal Mart

Some things to consider while making your choice :

A) Can this pavlion withstand the harsh winter weather of Clarks Summit and surrounding areas?

B) Can I customize this area?

The only option that would answer "YES" to both of those questions would be ~ a Custom Bult Pavilion

With a Custom Pavilion, standard items would be frost protected concrete footings, premium lumber, choice of finishes, ability to add features at a later date