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Outdoor Home Renovations in Overland Park: Beyond the Build
It’s easy to imagine yourself enjoying a new outdoor patio. Perhaps you’re lounging in an adirondack chair, or maybe you’re roasting a marshmallow over a crackling fire pit. But do you ever imagine how an outdoor patio might change your brain on a chemical level? We’re GD Services, and our specialty is outdoor home renovations in Overland Park.
The spaces you spend your time in impact how you behave and feel. From your kitchen window view to the curve of your plant beds, the design of your spaces is proven to impact you on a psychological level. This impact can be beneficial, harmful, or much more complex than that. At GD Services, we care about how our work influences your life.
Many hardscapers overlook little details that will make your day easier or add to the overall charm of your backyard. We’re not those sort of guys. When we design and construct an outdoor space, our team pays close attention to everything from the subtleties to the big picture. So, let’s dive into the science of built spaces and how they can be a benefit or a drawback in your life.
Outdoor Renovations & Your Brain
According to current researchers, over 90% of cognition is unconscious. From breathing to decision making, your brain is firing at all times, whether or not it’s on purpose. The human mind is an unbelievably impressive processor, taking in surroundings and patterns and drawing conclusions every moment of the day.
As a result, your environment is impacting you at all times, even if you’re not actively paying attention to it. That’s why the design of your home is so important. It’s where you eat, sleep, recharge, and more. You might not care about interior design, but your brain definitely does. An outdoor home renovation is an extension of this space, and the design of it can significantly impact you.
The design has many ramifications for your day-to-day behavior. Well-designed outdoor home renovations in Overland Park can enable you to spend more time outdoors, relaxing, and with loved ones. Each of those behaviors has major implications for your mind, moods, and motivation.
Why Design Matters
There are countless scientific publications discussing the psychological impacts of built spaces. There’s a reason architects, interior designers, hardscapers, and others are so passionate about it—shape, size, color, light, material, texture, layout, and more all have a profound overall effect on a design.
Shape & Size
The shape and size of design elements can make or break an outdoor renovation. Shapes have proven impacts on our psyche. Studies tell us that we all associate different emotions and meanings with different shapes. Shape is so important because it also heavily influences the function of a space. For example, gently sloped garden bed lines making mowing the lawn easier as opposed to 90-degree angles.
Size is also highly important. Think of yourself sitting around a firepit, chatting with a few friends. How wide is the firepit? Are there small chairs or big couches? Now imagine you’re at a party of over 50 people. How does that change the size and shape of the space? What about the type of seating?
Our team wants to know what sort of gatherings you’re likely to have and how you’ll use your outdoor space most often. These details tell us a lot about the accommodations our design needs to make.
Color & Light
80% of our sensory observations come from visual cues, making color exceedingly important. In fact, research shows that color impacts your pituitary gland function, which is responsible for body temperature, energy levels, sleep patterns, metabolism, and sexuality. Choosing colors that resonate with you and the overall design of your space may be highly influential for every element of your life.
As hardscapers, we know firsthand that lighting is a huge deal to our clients. It’s clear how good lighting can provide visibility, aid relaxation, and set the tone of your outdoor home renovations in Overland Park. However, the power of lighting goes far beyond these benefits. Research tells us that higher levels of light stimulate alertness and cognition, and dim lighting supports rest and relaxation.
Additionally, certain light patterns throughout the day enhance sleep and mood. Correspondingly, we install timed lighting that self-adjusts based on the time of day and year. At GD Services, we work hard to design a lighting system that cooperates with your habits, preferences, and needs.
Material & Texture
Concrete or wood, glass or plastic, linen or velvet. These materials and textures all make us feel different ways. When we’re considering driveway pavers or retaining wall stones, we consider how these elements will impact the vibe of your outdoor space. When we compare design styles like modern or farmhouse, we often think of the materials and textures being used first.
Different people gravitate towards different design styles based on how they want to feel. Where a rustic style can help you feel relaxed, a maximalist influence can leave you feeling excited and energized. GD Service takes this into consideration when choosing the materials and textures to use in your outdoor renovation.
Layout
Across time and space, physical layouts have reflected and influenced culture in significant ways. For instance, the size and number of rooms in a home communicates a lot about the relationship of the residents and how much they value individualism. Cities that prioritize accessible, shared spaces are another example. These communities are much closer emotionally, which influences many aspects of culture.
At GD Services, we consider the layout of your outdoor design from afar. We often stand across the street to consider the build from a wider perspective. This can give us perspective on the impact of the design on the surrounding area. Sometimes, taking a step back gives us new ideas or changes how we originally envisioned your outdoor home renovations in Overland Park.
On a recent project, we encouraged a client to put in a larger walkway than necessary because of the effect it had on his property. From the road, this walkway elevated the home’s stature and gave it a plantation-esque appeal.
The Benefits of Spending Time Outdoors
At GD Services, we believe too many people take the outdoors for granted. As outdoorsmen, we see immense value in nature and what it provides. The environment is one interconnected system of living things that, when treated with care, can benefit us in many ways.
According to a research study, spending just 1 hour walking outside can lower feelings of fear and stress. This same publication states that populations who grew up or lived near green spaces have better mental health, memory, creativity, and lower mortality. A pair of researchers found that after people spent an hour interacting with nature, their memory and attention spans improved by 20%.
There is no doubt that spending time outside is good for you. That’s why it’s so valuable to have a space at your home dedicated to spending quality time outdoors, soaking up the sun and greenery around you.
Landscaping Design Impact
GD Services is particularly dedicated to helping the greenery around your home flourish. Proper landscape design has meaningful outcomes for the land. Planting naturally occurring flowers and grasses means fostering a healthier ecosystem. We do this by factoring the plants and pests that naturally grow on your property.
Another crucial factor in landscaping is considering shade and sun preferences of the plantings as well as what they attract or repel. For example, onions and roses are great companion plants because onions repel rabbits and bugs from destroying the roses. Putting ecological puzzle pieces together is a big part of what we love about outdoor home renovations in Overland Park.
Benefits of Curating a Relaxation Space
Long story short, having a space to relax will make you more likely to relax. And what’s not to love about relaxation? According to the Harvard Gazette, relaxation can decrease your need for healthcare services by 43%. Stress influences the Mayo Clinic reports, including:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Digestive problems
- Headaches
- Muscle tension and pain
- Heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, and stroke
- Sleep problems
- Weight gain
- Problems with memory and focus
Above, we discussed how spending time outdoors boosts mental health, and an outdoor space facilitates relaxation in nature. This only goes to show just how beneficial an outdoor space can be for your health and happiness.
Benefits of Time With Family & Friends
Making time to spend with your friends and family is a common challenge among Americans. We relate to how work, parenthood, and other responsibilities can make it tough to find time to be around your loved ones. An outdoor space can’t solve all of these challenges, but it can reduce them. From an extravagant outdoor kitchen to an intimate dining area, the opportunities for fun togetherness in an outdoor space are limitless.
When you have the accommodations to invite people over or gather with your family, you’re more likely to do so. This has countless benefits, including building stronger bonds with your closest friends and expanding your circle of friends. More community and better social connections are proven to support brain health, according to many experts.
Improve Your Home & Life With GD Services Help
Our understanding of design and natural systems is unique in this industry. If creating a space that facilitates increased comfort, relaxation, and relationships is important to you, hiring GD Services is the best decision you could make. To get started on your outdoor home renovations in Overland Park, schedule a consultation with GD Services today.