Annex the Outdoors

One of the best ways to make a small house feel larger is to connect it to the outside. Frank Lloyd Wright was a master of this techniqe. Some of his smallest designs feel like mansions because of the creative use of walls of glass, French doors patios and balconies. He would sometimes use a balcony off a small upper room to make it connect to the outside while simutaneously providing shelter for a patio beneath. He used large roof overhangs to provide shelter for decks and patios. The made the area feel part of the house since they were under roof, eventhough they did not have walls.
Today we have the advantage of much more sophisticated technology to provide weatherproof glazing appropriate to temper heat gain and loss. We have roofing materials treated to do the same. We have deck materials that reuse sawdust and old milk cartons andwe have access to recycled urban lumber. Many of us have forgotten the pleasure of sitting on the front porch with a glass of iced tea visiting with a neighbor. I have to admit that Wright did not encourage this behaviour. He tended to make the public side of his houses, the side that faced the street as closed and sheltered as possiblec reating atriums inside and vast expanses of outdoor living area on the more private sides of the house.
Wherever you decide to open your home to the outdoors, you will find that you increase your living space by much more than the actual size of the patio or deck. The feeling of openess and the visual effect is enormous. Even in cold snowy climates where you may not be able to go out into the area year round, the visual presnce of the space is powerful.