Turning Your House Into A Garden Home

If you're like many homeowners, you have a blossoming desire to bring the outdoors in-and to expand your living spaces onto porches, decks and courtyards. Carefully planning the style of windows and doors in your home is an important step in creating a seamless transition from the inside comfort of your home to the natural beauty of its surroundings.

"Transitional spaces between the home and garden invite residents to spend more quality time outdoors," says award-winning garden designer and host of the public television program "P. Allen Smith's Garden Home," P. Allen Smith.

He says regardless of your neighborhood or the type of house you have, you can use the windows and doors in your home to take full advantage of what nature has to offer.

Smith suggests planning your home in a way that maximizes your views, increases natural light and provides easy access to outdoor entertaining. When he recently built his own garden home retreat, he focused on these areas and used windows and doors made by Marvin Windows and Doors. Here's a closer look:

• Bi-fold doors, which open up accordion-style, provide a vast opening that maximizes the amount of warm, natural sunlight in a room and perfectly complements outdoor entertaining.

• Frame stunning views of landscapes with large picture windows. Marvin offers a Venting Picture Window that provides the unique combination of unobstructed views and cross-ventilation to bring in the fresh air.

• Sliding patio doors are a traditional option when planning a backyard deck or courtyard. Choose a four-panel door for a greater expanse of glass and a larger opening. Also look for top-hung panels for smooth operation and dual-point locks for security.

"For several years now I have been touting the idea of the garden home, a place that blurs the lines between indoors and out, expanding our living space into the garden and our garden into our homes. My garden home retreat is my expression of this concept," said Smith.