7 Must-Have Additions for Your Patio

I know we’re getting to the dog days of summer right now, but the fact of the matter is that you still have plenty of time to get out and enjoy a little sunshine with your friends and family before autumn rolls around.

If you live in a part of the country that happens to have beautiful and sunny weather all throughout the year, I am a.) extremely jealous and b.) writing this for you to take advantage of for 12 months of the year.

If you’re like me, nothing beats spending a day out on the patio with a fired up grill full of meat (and the occasional veggie here and there, but who am I kidding? It’s mostly meat) and a cooler full of necessary beverages.

Here’s a list of seven essential items to add to your deck and make it a hot spot for you and your friends.

1. Comfortable Furniture

Comfort is king and you need to make sure that you have comfortable furniture for your friends to sit on when they hang out on your patio. Head over to your local Home Depot, Lowes, or Wal-Mart and give as many options as possible the “sit test” and see which one best fits your, um, style. Yeah, your style.

2. AT&T U-verse Wireless Cable Box/TV

Isn’t technology a beautiful thing? Long gone are the days where you would have to lay out your whole living space based upon where the cable connection was. Now, companies like AT&T have cable receivers with HD channels that connect to your WiFi signal and create the ultimate experience in portable entertainment (maybe I should be a writer for them!). Whether you want to mount your TV to part of your house outside or you have a TV that you can just move outside to watch the big game, it seems like this wireless cable box has got it going on.

3. Citronella Candles

This could just be a Michigan thing, but if you’re going to be spending some time outdoors during the night, you better make sure you take the necessary precautions against mosquito bites. Nobody wants to wake up the morning after the most amazing patio party on the coolest patio in the neighborhood with mosquito bites everywhere, right? Get yourself a citronella candle – it smells better than bug spray and doesn’t leave you yearning for a shower the second you get home.

4. Heat Lamps/Fire Pit

Depending on your location, things can get kind of chilly at night. Have you seen these cool heat lamps that you can get for your deck? They’re generally safe, emit a lot of heat, and quite frankly, look really cool. If all else fails, get a fire pit (if your city allows it). Throwing a bonfire is the easiest way to have a summertime staple in your backyard. Plus, is there anything better than a nighttime bonfire? Didn’t think so.

5. Get Some Tunes Going

If you don’t have a portable speaker system or something of the like, getting one for your patio will be a move that you won’t regret. Check out the Jambox from Jawbone that will sync up to your Bluetooth-enabled device to stream music with great sound quality. You can also set up some rock speakers throughout your garden to have music played throughout your backyard or, at the very least, have your partygoers ask, “Do you hear that, too!?”

6. It’s All About The BBQ

Maybe it’s just me, but having a good grill is the most essential detail to having a great backyard. It seems to be a gathering point during every BBQ (we all have that friend who hovers over the grill to watch you cook and critique your every move), and it is pertinent to having a successful meal. If I could vouch for one grill, I would recommend getting a new infrared grill. I have one and let me tell you – you have never had a juicy steak until you’ve had one cooked on an infrared grill. Well worth the investment.

7. Surround Yourself With Friends!

This seems like a no brainer, but the key to having a great patio is having people there to enjoy it with you! Get a group of your friends to come over and enjoy your newly-renovated patio and have a bash that will be remembered for ages.

Do you have any suggestions for must-have patio additions? Add them to the comment section below!