Hey everyone! We are building a new home. Now there is an area on the outside of the house (the constructed area), to the garden, which is also connected to the master bedroom. Now I want to understand what would be the best option available for future proofing the design and easy maintenance? Are tiles a good option? Or would a stone with pebbles work well ? What option would be cost effective? Please help me out!

The welcoming bronze Idol with flower garland in the hands is a cute idea. And the walkway to reach Radha Krishna in the Brindhavan wading through a stream of water & pebbles is a uniquely brilliant idea which simply stands apart from the herd thinking. The designer has actually mimicked a mini version of Brindavanam. And a center hanging bell is awesome. Hats off to his creative thinking.

Hey Mandeep, So you can try to add the other color tiles to create patterns and design apart from just having another coloured tiles at the centre. HOWEVER, suppose we go with your idea of having other colour tiles in the centre - then how about these ideas: 1. Blue 2. Red & Orange or Red and Yellow -- but here the texture is important. 3. Dark green is another choice. 4. You can still use patterned tiles, if you can get good ones to create a carpet effect. How do they sound ? atom INTERIORS, Bangalore

HI Reena, There are a few considerations you need to look at if you want the use artificial turf carpets for your needs. 1. Slope of your balcony. - Check if the water drains out without stagnating or pooling anywhere. If it does then you need to get your mason or civil engineer to get the slope fixed or a quick fix for this is to use drain cells under the artificial carpet which will keep a gap between the carpet and the pooled water letting the water dry out faster and avoiding wet patches on the carpet. 2. Thickness Artificial grass carpets come in fixed sizes, usually 5 to 6.5 feet x 50m length rolls with thickness from 25mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 60mm. 40mm+ carpets are usually better quality and last longer. There are many grades of quality, the more you spend the better quality and longevity you will get. If you want a border of another material, say pebbles, wood or tile, you will need to keep this border material at the same level / thickness of the carpet so that one does not trip while walking or kick up the carpet. I have seen people trip and fall on uneven surfaces like this so match the materials thickness. Eg: 40 mm carpet with 40mm pebbles or deck tiles. We have done pebble border with border railing planters in one project as well as wood deck tiles with grass carpet but note that the thickness is the same so while walking from one surface to another it is seamless and comfortable. See pictures below. 3. Borders The base of the carpet is made of a thick rubber mat with holes for drainage. If one does not cut the carpet to the exact measurements of the floor space, it will be kicked up while stepping into the balcony and will also look bad with shabby edges. Make sure you measure and cut the carpet to the borders on site. You can also use a high strength adhesive double sided tape on the bottom of the carper to anchor it down on the borders. Looks like you will have to cut the carpet on site as your balcony is 5' and standard carpet sizes are 5.5' to 6.5' The edge does not look rough if you cut it straight but I recommend you fill out the borders with other outdoor materials like wood deck tiles or planks, pebbles, gravel, planters, etc. Hope this helps. All the best!