15 Simple DIY Enclosed Patio Ideas

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A combination of freedom and safety – enclosed patios can become anyone’s favorite place at home. It can work to relax after a long week or a place to gather friends or family in a get-together.

Regardless of how you use it, making it the best possible enclosed patio is the way to go. Here, we want to show you how.

But we’re not going to explain the process of building and designing. Instead, we’re going to give you some inspiration with our enclosed patio ideas. 

Each idea below is easy to achieve, requires not much of an investment, and still makes your enclosed patio a much better place to be at. Check them up!

15 Enclosed Patio Ideas for DIYers

Enclosed patios are very common. But GOOD enclosed patios are not. Here’s a list of those fantastic patios with unique features that make them extraordinary (and you can get inspiration from): 

1. Traditional Coffee Patio 

Traditional Coffee Patio

What better to spend some time with friends or family than a Sunday afternoon sipping on a cup of coffee and eating a few treats? This is what this classically-styled patio invites at first sight.

Paired up with a traditional-looking sofa, a few stylish chairs, and a wooden table – it makes for a perfect place to go, relax, and have a conversation. If you add a small couch, it may even work as a place to read books or get some work done.

Don’t forget to add a chandelier for lighting at night. With a clear glass ceiling and a modest array of plants (preferably roses), the place can become the most appealing area at home. 

2. Pallet Couches 

Pallet Couches

If you’re going cheap and practical, there’s no need to decorate the whole patio when you can use pallets only. 

What are these pallets for? Easy, you use them as chairs or couches, maybe even as coffee tables. If you want to take it a step further, make the floor of wooden pallets too. 

Regardless of how you proceed, wooden pallets are a fantastic idea for DIYers who don’t want to waste a fortune or spend too much time in the building process. 

NOTE: You may get the wooden pallets from warehouses for free. No need to buy them!

3. Wickerwork Furniture 

Wickerwork Furniture

Want to step-up a standard closed patio? Get a wicker set and make it a lot more enticing.

You may think that wicker furniture is not enough to make an enclosed patio better. Well, you’d be wrong.

Wickerwork tends to withstand extreme temperatures better than any other furniture type (even metallic ones!). 

Apart from that, wicker furniture is often much more affordable. And if all that wasn’t enough, wicker also works outdoors – so you can take the chairs or couches out without any drawback.

4. The Middle-of-House Gravel Patio

The Middle-of-House Gravel Patio

An exciting enclosed patio doesn’t have to be with glasses clearing the view outwards (to the garden, forest, or neighbor’s house). Instead, you can make it with an internal mini-garden that boosts the place’s appeal while still holding its essence.

This is easy to build, and it only requires a bit of an unused space at home where you can pour gravel and include a few succulents or low-water plants (like cacti!)

The combination of glass, gravel, and a bit of green from the plants will make your house’s interior a lot more compelling. 

5. Curtains & Fireplace Semi-Open Patio

Curtains & Fireplace Semi-Open Patio

Give your enclosed patio a change with curtains instead of walls. Paired up with a fireplace, a TV, and wickerwork furniture, the area can become your favorite area at home for almost any activity.

It’s vital to set the decoration according to your budget. But if there’s something we know always works is a wooden deck, ceiling, and walls. This can also be affordable enough for most people.

As a DIYer, you’ll want the place to look inviting for visitors, so don’t hesitate to add a coffee table and a large-enough couch. If built close to a pool or garden area, the place will change your house’s appeal as nothing can. 

6. A Relaxing Hammock 

A Relaxing Hammock

Why go the extra mile with super-complex ideas when something as simple as a hammock can get the job done?

If you already have an attractive closed patio, but you want to make it more relaxing, think of how to add a hammock into the equation.

Everyone knows what a hammock can be: a napping bed, a reading chair, or a place to relax on the weekends. The best of all? It’s probably the cheapest idea you can have (if you already have a hammock at home – then it’s literally free!). 

7. Fully-Furnished Patio in Cabin

Fully-Furnished Patio in Cabin

While it could cost a bit more to build, a completely wooden enclosed patio with glass windows is never a bad idea.

If facing a forest or colorful garden, it can become the go-to place at home to relax and have an excellent time with friends or family. Furnished with comfortable-enough couches and sofas, plus a wooden table, some plants, and a few lights, it will be even livable (no sleeping in your bedroom anymore!).

Regardless of how you proceed, make it as inviting as you can with all the furniture you can fit. But don’t forget to make it a beautiful, calming area to enjoy. 

8. Enclosed Water Pond 

Enclosed Water Pond

You don’t have to stick with the typical chair and table patio. Instead, you can make it closer to a dreamy terrarium with some plants and a small pond.

Sure, small patios will feel a bit overstuffed with something like this. But that doesn’t mean it will lose any of the coziness. In fact, the greenish scenery plus the pond beauty could make the place even more alluring. 

The best about this idea is the possibility to make it a DIY project. You won’t need to rebuild the patio or make too many modifications. A simple concrete pond plus a few potted plants should suffice. 

9. Glass Ceiling 

Glass Ceiling

While not precisely affordable, a glass ceiling can be the perfect change to improve any patio. It may also take a bit more effort than you expect, plus the help of a friend or contractor to get it done. But it doesn’t stop being a DIY project.

If you have a bit of skill at building roofs and setting up glass windows, this project will seem almost the same (a no-brainer!).

What sets glass ceilings apart is their ability to keep the place bright in the day and the view free at night. You can enjoy natural light in your weekend lunches or a gorgeous night of star-gazing with this idea. 

10. The Enclosed Pool 

The Enclosed Pool

If a small pond doesn’t make it for you, an enclosed pool may. You will need a sizeable patio for this to work, though. But it’s still worth trying if you want a vibe-changing yet straightforward change. 

The patio will go from a place to simply sit and have coffee to a place where all your family and friends can relax and play. In case you prefer hot tubs, that’s also a possibility.

Regardless of what you pick, it will completely change your patio experience. Especially if the enclosed patio feels a bit outdated, then this would come like the perfect addition.

11. Wood & Brick Patio 

Wood & Brick Patio

Building an enclosed patio from scratch but don’t know how to build the ceiling and walls? Pick bricks and wood for the job – you won’t be disappointed.

There’s a unique appeal from pairing up clear-looking woods like pine alongside the intense orange of bricks. Together, they produce a light-gathering area that shines with the light of day and keeps the place cozy on cold nights.

This combination also has another advantage: it makes the whole area more inviting and cozier. Believe it or not, light colors like these match almost any decoration and add a warming feeling. 

12. Terrarium-Like Patio 

Terrarium-Like Patio

Are you a plant person? Then you may find a terrarium-style patio an exciting choice. 

You can use plants of almost any kind for the job. We recommend pots and hanging baskets for the best experience. 

It’s recommended to make the walls glass. But if the plants need a bit of sun, then don’t hesitate to leave an open area so the rays can come in.

Remember, it’s like a terrarium and not precisely a terrarium. So don’t have to bring soil for the plants or anything. 

If you feel like going a bit further, then add a mini-pond into the equation. This may cost you a bit more but will be totally worth it. 

13. Simple Minimalism 

Simple Minimalism

People tend to forget that beauty lies in simplicity. And that often means not doing or bringing too much into the patio.

You can make the most enticing enclosed area with just a few chairs and that’s it. The site doesn’t have to be fully-furnished to be attractive and inviting. As long as people can sit and enjoy being free of materialistic hurdles, the job will be enough.

This works incredibly well with patios close to forests and other green areas. If you can add glass windows that give clear visibility to the exterior, that should be enough. 

14. Stonework Fireplace on Wooden Deck

Stonework Fireplace on Wooden Deck

People think of enclosed patios as areas to have barbecues and coffee. But it can also be a place to spend cold nights and eat melted marshmallows directly from the fire. 

That’s why we recommend building a patio with a wooden deck, some stonework in walls and columns, plus a fireplace that sets the mood.

This could be a place to read books, an area to converse with friends or family, or simply to relax away from work and hurdles. 

As a big recommendation, bring some potted plants and curtains for an even more enticing area. 

15. Transparent Polycarbonate Ceiling

Transparent Polycarbonate Ceiling

Lastly, you can enjoy the cheapest addition to the enclosed patio by just installing a polycarbonate ceiling.

It is the ideal material to withstand the harshest of sun rays while still ensuring a completely rain-free experience. 

This works exceptionally well for patios that have a pergola-like ceiling. If you want to complete it to prevent outdoor factors from causing damage or affecting the experience, then a roof like this works like a charm.

The advantage is how affordable it is, but also how straightforward the installation process is. A few hours and less than a hundred bucks should suffice to make one of these.

Conclusion

So, are you eager to take your enclosed patio to the next level? Our enclosed patio ideas should be more than enough to show you what to consider.

Remember, an enclosed patio doesn’t have to follow traditional rules or styles. As long as it is something you feel comfortable and decently proud of, that should be enough.

Well, there’s no time to lose. With our ideas mind, go and get to work. That enclosed patio won’t build itself!

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