Our Company Blog

Hire an Expert to Design Your Outdoor Space

It can be overwhelming to design space while shopping for products, stay within a budget, and daydreaming all the while. While designing your outdoor dream space, it’s important to utilize the space in the best way possible, express your personality and ideas, stay ahead of the latest trends and styles, and spend your money wisely. Hire an expert to design your outdoor space, and they can help you with all of this and more!

1. Determine the Theme or Use of Your Space

Why do you need an outdoor space? Do you frequently invite guests over for a barbecue on the patio? Do you want a space to entertain while enjoying the pool? Or do you just need a great place to relax by a garden or overlooking your property? Determine the use of your space is the first big step in designing it. Here are some great ideas for outdoor spaces including an outdoor living room, poolside paradise, gameday bar and grill, and more. If you’re unsure exactly what the use of your space should be, ask an expert!

2. Express Your Ideas and Personality in Space and Design

Your outdoor space should complement your landscape and your home, but it should also reflect your own style and personality. This space should be as intimate as your own bedroom. Envisioning your own ideas and style will help make sure you have the right layout for the furniture and amenities that will bring your space together to live in and use. While thinking over your ideas and expectations, consider furniture, flooring, textures, and more.

3. Utilize the Latest Trends and Design Styles

It’s not enough that you’re adding a space to your home. In order to add value to your home through this addition, you must pay attention to the latest trends and design styles. While you may not be looking to sell or even refinance, every change made to your home should be an improvement. Involving a professional from start to finish will help you to bring in elements that are trending in the industry. Check out these Top 10 Outdoor Design Trends and discuss them with your IBD Outdoor Rooms expert.

4. Source Quality Materials and Products

Do not become swept up in trends that are outside of your budget and then purchase sub-par products to achieve the aesthetic you want. Only trust your home improvements with products manufactured of quality materials, with safety and durability in mind. IBD Outdoor Rooms makes all of our design components of quality materials only, shipped and ready to build by your hired contractor.

Expert Care for a Stress-Free Job

When you involve a professional for your home improvement job, the many tasks and decisions can be fun and exciting instead of stressful and aggravating. Why is it stressful? Many homeowners don’t realize how much work goes into a major installation like an outdoor space. While a lot of the work is in installation, a great deal of the work is decision-making, budget-following, and people-pleasing. Don’t worry, though. When you have the help of an expert, you can accommodate the function your family needs as well as the design and style your family wants.

Don’t get stressed. Get help. At IBD Outdoor Rooms, our experts can assist you in choosing from a variety of outdoor kitchen islands, outdoor fireplaces, extras like grill cradles and lighting posts, and custom structures to give your space walls and waterproof ceilings.

Check out our gallery to find the outdoor space of your dreams and talk with a professional to get started on your design.

Professional Installation for Quality Improvements

While IBD Outdoor Rooms sells and ships ready-to-build and ready-to-finish products, it is imperative that homeowners hire a local professional to complete the installation. Not only does your homeowner’s insurance require licensed and certified contractors to complete work on your property, but most municipal code authorities also require a qualified contractor as well as building permits. This keeps your home and family safe but also keeps the community safe. Accidental fires do not only affect your home, but also neighboring homes.

We recommend homeowners hire a certified contractor to do all installations, structural, hearth, and otherwise. Make certain to hire an NFI certified chimney and fireplace technician to install any fire appliance. When you involve an expert from the beginning you have the benefit of an entire network of contractors and other experts that work together to complete the job. Many contractors may have dual certifications so they can properly install fire appliances while also putting together the structure, kitchen islands, electricity, and more.

Don’t leave your new purchase up to chance. Don’t let your quality products become ruined or dangerous due to improper installation and maintenance. Make sure your home improvements are truly improvements by hiring an expert from the beginning.

Call IBD Outdoor Rooms at 704-960-4530 or contact us online.

Why You Should Consider a Garden Fireplace

Winter will be over before you know it and then you’ll be shutting down your furnace or fire appliance indoors and more than likely heading outside. You don’t have to wait until warm weather to enjoy your outdoor patio, garden, or poolside, though. In fact, you can take advantage of excellent sunny days during these last few weeks of winter and install a garden fireplace. When you plan today and install before spring, you can start using your outdoor fireplace as soon as it’s warm enough to head outdoors. Even if it’s still a little chilly, head outside with fuzzy socks and a blanket, and you’ll have all you need to enjoy yourself or even host a party outside.

Maximizing Outdoor Space

When you spend most of your time inside, it can be hard to get your head around investing in your outdoor space. Adding an outdoor fireplace can bring value to your landscape while also being functional! You don’t have to have an elaborate patio or outdoor room in order to enjoy an outdoor fireplace. Adding a garden fireplace to any flat area of your yard can create the space you’ve been longing for.

By choosing a garden fireplace from IBD Outdoor Rooms, you’ll be investing in your property. A new garden fireplace will add value to the number attached to your home but will also add quality to the time you spend there! When it’s so easy to choose and install a garden fireplace, there’s no reason NOT to!

When you have an outdoor space to enjoy:

• You can host more people for gatherings, holidays, and parties
• You can enjoy the outdoors without committing to a barbecue
• You can stargaze the best sky of the year (late winter, early spring) without freezing
• You can complement your home’s exterior and your landscaping
• Enjoy the ambiance of a crackling fire without affecting the home’s temperature
• Create a focal point for your outdoor space

We Sell Garden Fireplaces

At IBD Outdoor Rooms, we pride ourselves on creating quality products for our customers across the country. We know that any changes made to your home or property should be to add both safety and value. Our garden fireplaces do just that. What’s more, you have the freedom to choose your style, your size, and even your fuel type. Homeowners can choose a garden fireplace fueled with gas, biofuel, or gel fuel. Each option has its own benefits and risks, but they are all highly efficient, produce little to no smoke, and make it easy to maintain a steady temperature for your enjoyment. Many homeowners even continue using their garden fireplace well into summer because of the ability to burn a smaller fire and produce less heat while still enjoying a beautiful flame.

Garden fireplaces are safer and more efficient than other outdoor fires such as an open firepit which can allow winds to affect the fire and stray sparks to escape and result in a fire. A garden fireplace should not be used during a fire ban, but they are generally safer to use than other outdoor fire appliances, especially during dry seasons.

Garden Fireplaces, Design and Accessories

When you choose to design your outdoor space with IBD Outdoor Rooms, you can choose every aspect of your garden fireplace, from the cabinet to the finish. We have small, medium, and large units to accommodate any space. You can choose your own finish, or we can leave the product unfinished so that you can customize it with your contractor during installation. Customers also have the option for the fireplace to be completely finished with a granitech finish so that all you have to do is schedule an install with a licensed contractor.

Our garden accessories come in options including a small or medium cabinet with front hearth, without a front hearth, and small cabinet with front and side hearth. If you have a large space in mind for your garden fireplace, call and speak with a representative today to start customizing yours today. Depending on the fuel type which you choose, your fire may be vented or unvented. For those that require ventilation, you can choose from a few different chase covers and shrouds to make your fireplace as beautiful as the fire it will hold.

In addition to the standard garden fireplace, we also have a Veranda Garden Fireplace with its own selection of chases that are designed specifically for small spaces. Like the standard fireplaces, the Veranda is completely customizable.

Garden Fireplace Installation

When your shipment arrives at your home, it will be ready to install with detailed instructions. These instructions are for your licensed contractor, however. All fire appliances should be installed by a professional who knows the ins and outs of fire science, municipal and fire safety codes, and can complete the finish according to instructions. IBD Outdoor Rooms manufacturers every product out of quality materials, and the only way to maintain the value of the products and of your property is to hire a proper professional for the installation. An NFI-certified professional is just a phone call away.

Before scheduling a consultation with your installer, give IBD Outdoor Rooms a call at 704-960-4250. One of our experts will give you all the details you need to talk with a contractor and plan your new outdoor space.

Add An Outdoor Island This Year

2020 can be your best year yet with the best get-togethers, the tastiest food, the greatest music. You can bring your backyard to life and bring value to your property with the addition of a new outdoor island.

IBD Outdoor Islands and Extras

When it’s time to upgrade and update your outdoor space, look no further than IBD Outdoor Rooms for all your islands and extras. We specialize in designing and creating outdoor spaces that are functional and long-lasting. Our products leave much to the imagination, allowing homeowners to customize on a small or large scale. IBD outdoor kitchens are built in a modular fashion to accommodate the simple or a complicated one. Don’t stop with the kitchen alone. Our islands and extras add to any outdoor patio, poolside, garden, or pavilion. Start with IBD Outdoor Rooms to create your outdoor dream space this year.

Outdoor Kitchen Islands

When you work with IBD Outdoor Rooms you’re able to choose between six basic designs for your luxury outdoor island that can mix and match for the perfect shape and function of your outdoor space. Your products are constructed of quality products and can be shipped “unfinished” so that you can customize their completion exactly, partially finished, or completely finished and install-ready. All you will need is a licensed contractor to complete the install according to your municipal code and your specifications.

• Santa Fe Straight – Straight to the point, the Santa Fe Straight is a straight design with two standard cutouts. It can be a standard length or extended for your needs. It can also be customized with more cutouts, dining ledges, electrical boxes, cabinet liners, caveats, and backsplashes.
• Versailles V Shape – Perfect for a small space, this corner piece includes two standard cutouts. Choose from a piece in which the corners extend to the edge or one in which the corners turn back toward the unit. Popular add-ons include backsplash, cabinet liners, and electrical boxes.
• Lexington L Shape – Like the Santa Fe, the Lexington L uses straight lines as an aesthetic. With an L-shaped angle, this kitchen island is perfect for standing and cooking, but you can choose another angle if preferred. There are four standard cutouts, but popular options can include as many cutouts as necessary, dining ledges, electrical boxes, cabinet liners, caveats, and backsplashes.
• Trenton Tri Shape – A popular choice, the Trenton Tri Shape features two angles and six standard cutouts. Customers can customize this design with any accessories and options listed on our website. The best part of this design is that the angle is also customizable and perfect for multiple grills or cook surfaces.
• Ultimate U Shape – Our bestseller, The Ultimate U is a large format island with six standard cutouts and available with any of our IBD options and accessories. The Ultimate U is ideal for a more centralized feel but with open aesthetics. Your island can be placed in an exact U or segmented apart to cover larger spaces and open for more traffic. Install a fireplace or pizza oven to warm your crowd while they’re gathered in your space.
• Concord & Serpentine Curved – Our C-shaped Concord and Serpentine outdoor kitchen islands are custom designs only. Although these designs aren’t listed on our price sheet, they continue to be a popular option due to the accessibility of counter space for beverage spaces, grill and cooking space, and buffet-style dining. In order to order either of these custom designs, you must call and speak with an IBD Outdoor Rooms specialist at 704-960-4530 or by using our online contact form.

Although our company is centralized, we ship ready-to-construct products all over the country and they’ll arrive with detailed instructions for your contracted installer. Check out our photo gallery for inspiration and get started today so that you can have a new and improved outdoor space this spring and summer. Take advantage of these mild winter months to make a change you’ll be happy with for years. Improve curb appeal, raise property value before a sale or refinance, or just create the fantasy-space you’ve always wanted.

Other products that will bring your porch, patio, garden, or poolside to life is an outdoor fireplace, fire pit, or custom fire design. These fire products can be finished to match your outdoor island and complement your home and landscape. Work with our professionals at IBD Outdoor Rooms to find the best layout, extras, and add-ons for what you need, but also what you want.

Before Your Product Arrives

If you’ve already searched online for inspiration (consider this Pinterest board), spoken with one of our design specialists, and placed your order, make sure you’re ready when your product arrives. Make sure you hire a certified contractor for the work. If part of your design is a fire appliance, make sure your contractor is an NFI certified chimney and fireplace technician. It will not only protect your investment, but it’s required by most local code authorities and most homeowners insurance companies.

Start today and get one step closer to adding your outdoor island for 2020.

Outdoor Accessories for Your Wishlist

While you’re writing up your Christmas list for Santa—or your husband or wife—don’t forget your dream space outside of the house! Temperatures are dropping and you may be using your outdoor kitchen less than ever, so it’s a great time to improve it with some accessories that will last. Shop IBD Outdoor Rooms and we’ll ship your ready-to-build products right to your door and you can have them installed according to your budget, your contractor’s schedule, and the weather in your area. After carefully choosing the accessories that will turn your outdoor space into a fantasy dream space, it will arrive ready-to-build with detailed drawings and schematics that will make building and installation a breeze for your certified contractor.

Outdoor Kitchen Accessories We Love

Whether you have an expansive outdoor kitchen with long countertops and ample space for cooking and eating or a smaller kitchen with just enough space to barbecue for your small family, our favorite kitchen accessories add the perfect touch. Even if your outdoor space seems finished, these little details will give you the exact look and feel you need for it to feel complete.

• Cabinet Liner – When you want the space, but you don’t like the look of the open, behind-the-scenes space of an unfinished cabinet, finish it! The cabinet liner comes as a fully finished bottom, back, and side to creates a space for your cooking supplies, utensils, and foods.
• Cabinet Tray – If you plan to fill the cabinet space with a full unit, you can purchase a cabinet tray that has a supportive bottom but doesn’t need the finished back and sides. This is something you would use if you intend to install an appliance of some kind in the space.
• Aluminum Liner – For a clean, commercial look, you can choose an aluminum liner for your cabinet space. These liners are easy to wipe clean and keep clean, they don’t deteriorate due to water damage, and work well with the IBD cabinet liner.
• Caveat Drop – Instead of having to walk around your kitchen island and sometimes even exit your outdoor kitchen completely to access your grill, you can choose a caveat drop that will accommodate a power burner or a ceramic kamado grill. This allows for your grill to be part of your kitchen and at arm’s reach for easy cooking.
• Grill Support – For heavy grills, you can install interior support that keeps them from settling or damaging your kitchen island. This support will allow for your grill to be at counter level but may require access through the cabinet structure for ventilation or gas lines.
• Vent Covers – These are required to vent the cabinetry in order to prevent moisture damage and to provide ventilation for grills, ovens, and stoves. They are fitted nicely with the stone finish when initially installed and work well with any style or design. Stainless steel vent covers go nicely with stainless steel appliances and cast concrete vent covers can be stained to match any wood or stone type.
• Electrical Junction Boxes – For safety and accessibility, a weather-resistant outdoor junction box can be wired into the cabinetry, per sketch, and on vertical surfaces for easy access. These can be recessed to match the facing material or finish.
• Umbrella Support and Collar – This stainless steel collar will finish off your umbrella or torch with stable support at the inside of your island. If you don’t have a roof for your outdoor space this is an ideal way to protect yourself and your guests from solar rays while enjoying the outdoor kitchen.

When you’re ready to upgrade your outdoor space for a fully functional and complete look, you can choose from a variety of accessories and options from IBD Outdoor Rooms. Shop now and you can spend the winter and spring completing all the finishing touches with a certified and licensed contractor in your area. Then you and your family can enjoy the patio, poolside, or garden area in style.

Other Stylish Add-Ons

Looking for other ways to add a little pop to your curb appeal? You can purchase our custom lampposts, mailboxes, and more right here and delivered to your door. These special touches will raise your curb appeal, bring up the property value, and help make your home marketable for a refinance or sale. Our mailboxes and lampposts utilize a special break-a-way structure that causes the internal post to break when struck by a car. This decreases property damage and injury in the case of an accident. These structures can be custom made with the special dress-out band, a variety of tops, and finished out with the stone finish of your choice.

Before you spend all your Christmas wishes on things you’ll never use, get something from IBD Outdoor Rooms that provides years of use!

Ask one of our experts how we can help you choose your accessories today by calling 704-960-4530. Browse some of our favorite designs for inspiration here.

How to Warm Up Your Outdoor Space This Winter

With Halloween past and Thanksgiving coming quick, it is the season for entertaining. More people travel for Thanksgiving than almost any other time of the year and a fair majority of these people are gathering together with family for holiday festivities. A few fortunate homeowners have enough space for their visitors. A few can head outside to patios when space gets crowded. What do you do when your house is getting cramped, but temperatures are frigid outside? Don’t worry! There are ways to warm up your outdoor space this winter.

Fire Features

The most popular options for outdoor patios, pool-sides, and gardens are fire. Homeowners love fireplaces, and they don’t have to be inside. A fireplace can complement the aesthetic of your home on the inside, an outside fire feature can complement much more. You can choose a fire pit with a stone finish that matches the tones of your house, choose a chimenea that accentuates the shrubbery in your landscape or the curling vines in your garden, or pick a custom fire table that doubles as a table at dinnertime. When you’re looking to add a fire feature to your outdoor space, make sure you work within your city’s laws and codes. You should also choose the best fuel type for your needs. If you have a source for firewood, you may choose a wood fire. If it’s quick and convenient you want, gas is the better option. Whatever you choose, make sure you contact a certified dealer for your appliance and hire a licensed contractor to install it.

Patio Heaters and Lamps

Even if you have a fire feature such as a fireplace, fire pit, or chimenea, you may still need extra heat for your outdoor space. Depending on your budget, there are many possibilities. Portable patio heaters usually burn propane and can be moved as needed, but many homeowners dislike them because they can be unattractive and impossible to hide. There are electric tower heaters that are less ostentatious but have to stay plugged into an outlet. For short periods these may be the best option. However, a more permanent heat source that can remain hidden year-round is a heater that is mounted onto walls or beneath patio roofing. Because of the incredible amount of heat they generate, an outside wall-mount or built-in should only be installed by a certified professional. Infratech is a brand of outdoor heaters that uses infrared energy to create a direct wavelength of light that carries heat with it. The heat from an Infratech patio heater will reach your guests and will not blow away in windy or drafty conditions. You can choose between a heater that emits light or one that emits none at all while still producing the heat your outdoor gathering needs.

Heated Floors and Rugs

Most of the heat that leaves your body goes through the head and the feet. In the same way, your guests will feel warmer when their feet are warmer. You can add warmth to your outdoor space with rugs on stone and concrete patios and even add radiant heating to deck floors. Radiant heat is growing in popularity not just for keeping guests comfortable, but also for melting snow throughout winter months. If you’re interested in heated flooring for your outdoor space, it’s important to do your research and talk with a professional as you plan.

Heated Pools and Spas

Most homeowners opt to clean and give their poolside a rest for the winter months. If you can turn your summer pool into a heated pool for the winter your guests will enjoy it! This may be the most expensive way to add heat to your outside space because there is a lot of water to heat! One way to cut costs is to use solar power to heat your pool by day and still enjoy it by night. On a smaller scale, you can invest in a hot tub for the same effect. They require less maintenance, less water, and less heating costs. Make sure you utilize patio heaters so no one gets too cold on the way back into the house!

Warm Atmosphere

Like putting down a rug or throwing on a light blanket, sometimes it’s the illusion of warmth that can warm your guests. When all else fails, add some light. Warm, yellow lights bathing over your outdoor space will add a warmth that has nothing to do with temperature. It is the type of warmth that is a product of comfort. The same can be accomplished by bringing out blankets, fur throws, cushions, and pillows. Make your guests comfortable and it’ll warm them from the inside out.

You don’t have to freeze out your guests this winter, and you don’t have to cram them all into your house either. Warm-up your outdoor space with fire features, outdoor heaters, heated floors, pools, and spas, and more.

You can also help to create a less windy, drafty space by creating a space with walls and curtains to hold in all the heat. IBD Outdoor Rooms sells high-quality pergolas and pavilions that will bring any outdoor space together with quality and style.

Find out more about turning your outdoor fantasy into reality this season by calling IBD Outdoor Rooms at 704-960-4530.