Photos by TrueSon Exteriors & Interiors

With the warm weather and later sunsets, it’s important to create an outdoor area you love, as it serves as an extension of your indoor aesthetic. Barry Roewe, the CEO of TrueSon Exteriors & Interiors, is showing you the patio, deck and outdoor renovation trends of the year, so you can have the upgrade of your dreams. Whether you are just adding ideas to your Pinterest board or looking for guidance from a professional, this guide is the key to boosting your backyard in 2024.

Popular Patio

Since spending the pandemic indoors and not having the luxury of going to restaurants or events, Roewe says that people started putting more effort into creating an outdoor sanctuary.Years later, the desire for a lovely space outside has only grown. “Ten years ago, you go out into the backyard and people might have a great concrete pad and a barbecue grill, right? Well, now people want something as big as this whole space with stamped concrete and fire pits in the middle of it,” he says. “So they’re really investing and going above and beyond what you would consider to be an outdoor living space.” Roewe says enhancing your backyard or outdoor area can add so much value to your home and a connection between the indoor renovations and the overall theme.“People are now dressing things up more aesthetically to match the colors of the house,” he says. “It really isa great investment into your home because it changes the whole dynamic of the inside. If you have the inside flow into an outside space, it just makes your home more versatile.

Renovation Station

Once you have decided to renovate, the next step is figuring out what kind of additions or changes you are going to make to your space. Roewe says the renovation all depends on the kind of lifestyle you have. “Some people have a lot of kids and want big playgrounds back there. We’ve done in-ground trampolines and things like that,” he says. “It is about making it a personal, recreational type of space.”The personalization aspect ranges from the type of stamp on the concrete to large additions for relaxation. “A lot of people like to stamp the concrete with different shapes whether that’s to make it look like wood planks or stones, so it’s not just a flat, basic surface. And it’s not always just the gray color that we are used to seeing in a parking lot. We’ve done browns and reds or whatever color that matches the house,” Roewe says.“They may even be adding features to it, whether that’s a pool or fire pit or some sort of shade like pergolas or small pavilions.” Roewe says he has also seen people adding large screened-in areas to have a space to relax outside without being attacked by bugs. “It’s getting pretty common that people are wanting some sort of covered area,” he says.“They also can obviously utilize that space for shade during the day. Some of those screen rooms are as nice as living rooms in the house. They just have screens around them versus solid walls.

Patio Plan

Now that you know what you want in your backyard, it’s time to make sure you can afford it. While you can make small adjustments or decor updates, Roewe says a proper renovation is a large investment but has a large reward.“If you’re operating with a blank slate, meaning maybe you just have a backyard with a 12-by-12 concrete pad, that is essentially as basic as it gets, you’re going to have to budget somewhere above $25,000 to start getting a nicer concrete pad with even a basic covered roof,” Roewe says. “And then it just goes up from there.” This shows the substantial financial investment people are making into their outdoor areas as they want to spend more time outside.“That’s where I say the money that people are investing into the outdoor living space is really substantial. When people are buying homes, that’s one of the biggest things they’re looking for, is to see what sort of outdoor living space it has.” After creating a budget, Roewe says the next step is to create a prioritized list of what you or your family would benefit from the most.“If it’s a couple with no children, their needs are drastically different than a couple with three kids that are under10,” he says. “Contact someone like usor another to discuss your needs, get proposals and bids and see how realistic your budget is. Then you can move forward with your priority list, adding to it or scaling it back.”