Good morning!

This past weekend many were off for President's Day. Three day weekends usually mean that either you or someone you know will be throwing a Bar-B-Que or party! We love entertaining at our house, but our house itself is not set up for entertaining. So of course we entertain primarily outside on our screened in paver patio. I know I am married to the owner of a hardscaping business, but adding entertaining space to your home outside is not only economical but aesthetically it adds value to your home as well. In this housing market anything we can do to increase the value to our home will only help us when we are ready to move. We have added the following features to our back patio to increase it's functionality: raised flagstone paver patio with wooden pergola, Outdoor kitchen, sand fire pit with retaining wall, and screened in the entire patio for comfort. When I speak with our customers regarding the benefits of adding this Outdoor Living space to their home, I speak from experience! In Florida you can entertain Outdoors all year round, and adding these living areas is the most effective way to use the space you have.

For some great tips in regards to maximizing your Outdoor Living Space, consider looking at our website portfolio, where we display many of our creative and beautiful projects. It is important to to do your research prior to getting a project started. I listed some questions and concepts to think about while designing your new Outdoor Living Space:

• What is your preferred style?
•  You may want to choose a style and color that will compliment the home. Some like their home to all flow together, inside and outside. Some may prefer more of an oasis in the backyard then just an addition to the home. 
• The pavers themselves come in various colors, shapes, sizes, and textures. You want the style of your project will reflect your family's lifestyle. You want to have a space that will benefit all of your family members.
• How do you most like to entertain? 
• What type of events do you typically have at your home? Do they include mostly adults or children too? Do you want to be able to cook outside? Do you want more natural setting or a more living room setting?
• If you have kids you may want to include their interests in the design as well? For example, you can design a water fountain area for them to play in. Some families like the idea of a sand pit, or a shorter bar area at the Outdoor Kitchen for the kids to be able to sit at as well.

When designing your Outdoor project keep in mind how you will be using the space the most. An Outdoor Living space can be as elaborate or simple as you like and can afford. Check out our Portfolio at www.OutdoorImpressions.net for lots examples of pictures and designs for you to get ideas from.

For those of you that are looking for great ideas for and Outdoor Living Space or to polish your existing Outdoor Living Space this is the blog for you! We are going to provide you with information about your paver projects, great design ideas, and even some DIY projects for those of you that enjoy doing them (like me).

A little background on us...We are an Outdoor Living company that has been in the Valrico/Brandon area for over 11 years. We have been at our Valrico showroom off of Bloomingdale Ave. for almost 5 years, and are in the process of opening a new location in South Tampa, off of Bay to Bay. We are excited to be growing, and appreciate all of the customer support in the area. 

My name is Emily Smith, and I am married to Jason Smith, owner of Outdoor Impressions. I was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area, and Jason was born in Birmingham, Alabama. We both graduated from Bloomingdale Highschool, and are proud Bulls! We have two beautiful children, and live in the Riverview area. I look forward to sharing more with you , and appreciate your support. We are a family business with big dreams and goals, and hopefully this blog will provide a great tool for those of you who are looking to start a project. 

One project that we were excited to be a part of were 2 new episodes of DIY Networks Yard Crashers! We did an episode in 2009, and were chosen again when they decided to come back to Florida to crash another home. the episodes filmed in December 2010, and will air May 2011. We are so proud of the designs and completion of these episodes and look forward to sharing them with you when they come out! I can however post this picture below of our daughter at one of the Yard Crasher tapings.