Upgrade Your Outdoor Space to Include Entertainment

It won’t be long before the weather starts to warm up and you’re heading outside again. You’ll love grilling out with friends and playing games with your kids in the yard.

If you create an outdoor entertaining space, you can enjoy watching movies together as a family or cheer for your favorite teams with direct TV local Houston channels in your backyard. You don’t have to isolate yourself inside to enjoy watching movies and TV.

You don’t need a huge budget to set up an outdoor entertaining space. You can scale it to suit your needs and your current space. Here are a few tips for how you can create an outdoor entertaining area that your family and friends will love:

Get a Suitable Screen

You can make your own movie screen with a thick piece of canvas fabric, or you can buy a ready-made screen that you either blow up (like an inflatable) or hang up (like a curtain). Whatever option you choose, you will need a screen that can withstand the elements without staining or becoming moldy.
The screen should also have the proper reflective qualities to show the picture clearly.

If you choose a screen that needs to be mounted or hung, you will also need to purchase the fasteners and rods for doing so. Make sure that they are sturdy and weather-resistant so that they do not rust or corrode over time.

Put Together a Projector Cabinet

Of course, you’ll need a projector to show your movies and to stream your TV channels. But you’ll also need some other tools to give yourself options with your media, such as a DVD player, television streaming device, and perhaps an Internet connection.

The best way to keep all these things together is to put together a projector cabinet. Get a small cabinet that will fit these items, and mount the cabinet on casters for easy portability. When you are done watching, you can push the cabinet back into your sun room or garage.

Create a Plan for Your Sound System

One thing that makes the theater experience so special is the sound. You feel like you are part of the action with the sound coming in all around you and at such impressive levels.

You won’t create theater-quality sound in your back yard, but you can create a better experience than you get from your TV with this right equipment. Mount speakers strategically around your viewing area, and make sure everything is protected in case of inclement weather.

Add Comfortable Seating

You might like to sit on the grass if you have a thick and soft lawn. However, most people will see sitting on the grass as appealing as sitting in the mud with a bunch of bugs.

Instead, put out some comfortable seating, like lawn chairs, recliners, and even big pillows made with weather-proof fabric. You have a chance to be creative with your seating. Consider putting out chairs made of logs or weave some benches with sturdy sticks.

Create Ambiance

Finish the scene by adding some ambient lighting and some small tables for drinks and snacks. Put out paper lanterns, twinkle lights or even tiki torches so that people can easily see. Just make sure the lights are not strong enough to distract from the movie.

Consider adding a small fire pit for roasting marshmallows or enjoying other snacks and for staying warm on crisp evenings.

Tend to the Landscaping

Make sure that no tree limbs or bushes are in the way of your screening area. Trim any limbs and remove any plants or shrubs that are in the way.

If you are feeling ambitious, you might want to consider a landscaping design that enhances your viewing area. For example, you might plant tall shrubs and trees around the area, creating a natural enclosure. You might plant flowering vines like wisteria to create the feeling of a secret garden. You might plant vines to grow on trellises around the sides of the viewing area.

Work with a landscape designer to get some ideas and find out what’s possible.

An outdoor entertaining area will give you plenty of options for spending time with family and friends, and it will add value to your home. Take your entertaining to the next level by planning your own outdoor screening area and get it ready by this summer.