Terraces

Every home needs a gathering place for al fresco meals and entertainment. A patio or terrace is truly an outdoor room, with a floor (bluestone or paving stones), walls (stone or trellis or plantings, particularly if privacy is an issue), and a ceiling (an awning or the trees overhead) to create a sense of shelter and enclosure. Terraces also provide a place for children to play under their parents' watchful eyes, making walls more important if the children are small. For many years, people chose wooden decks as their patios, but wood inevitably decays and requires upkeep. Stone lasts forever, and thus is a fitting place to create family memories.

Once your terrace is in place, don't forget the finishing touches that define the space as uniquely yours and add to the grace of outdoor living: tables and chairs, umbrellas and awnings for shade, comfortable chairs and hammocks for napping on sunny days. Gardens set around the terrace provide the coolness of dappled shade beneath leaves and the beauty of flowers. Consider adding a sundial, colorful birdhouses, or a birdbath to welcome your feathered friends.