Designing your outdoor living
Go for the great outdoors
Your garden and outdoor areas are an extension of your home. The best living spaces are those which flow from inside to outside so you can make the most of alfresco living.
You can use clever landscape design to:
- channel cooling breezes into your home, and
- shelter indoor and outdoor areas from winds.
- deciduous plants and vine-covered pergolas work well on the north side because they provide summer shade and let in winter sun
- evergreen plants work well wherever permanent shade is required, such as westfacing walls in warmer climates.
Many homes now incorporate rainwater tanks. To get the most out of your tank make sure you choose a reasonable size - 3,000 litres or more is ideal - and connect it to indoor uses like the toilet and the washing machine. If your tank is only connected to the garden it will be much less useful.
Domestic water recycling systems are also becoming more popular, collecting and treating wastewater (from the shower, laundry etc.) for reuse in the garden or within the home. Regulations vary so check first with your local council, then make sure you seek expert advice on choosing and maintaining your system. If you're reusing laundry water on the garden you'll need to use special detergents and powders.
Checklist
Our outdoor living
- Will our alfresco areas get sun in winter and be cool and shady in summer?
- Will we use local native plants, drought-resistant plants and mulch in our garden, to save water?
- Will we grow our own vegetables and herbs?
- Comments, things we'd like to change:
- How many litres will our rainwater tank hold?
- What will our rainwater tank be plumbed in to?
- Will we reuse our wastewater? If so, where will we collect it from and where will we use it?