Many homeowners desire more living space but are limited by their smaller indoor areas. One way to gain outdoor living space is to build a custom patio that suits your needs and style preferences exactly. Read on for some of the most incredible, up-to-date patio design ideas to help you create your own outdoor oasis where you and your family will enjoy spending time for decades to come.

Decide first the type of material that would fulfill your outdoor sanctuary space. Many homeowners design their patio spots to reflect and blend in with the surrounding landscape using materials found in nature such as limestone, cobblestone, concrete, wood, brick, and other natural stones like marble, slate, granite or terracotta, and other tiles.

Consider making a multi-level outdoor living area using rocks found in your geographical area. This is a lovely eco-friendly patio idea that can be enhanced with a beautiful rock garden and/or a nearby stream or other water feature that can provide soothing sounds as the water runs over the surfaces. Add steps, and don't be afraid to use unusual shapes. Fire features are another popular outdoor trend and can include an outdoor fireplace, firepit, or a fire bowl that can be placed on a tabletop for smaller outdoor spaces.

Create a tranquil place by installing barrier walls or structures that can be used as a privacy screen and for protection against strong winds. Add a gazebo, a pergola, a sunshade, or a table/beach umbrella for sun protection on those scorching hot summer days. These walls can be screens, fences, or a natural barrier of taller bushes and shrubs. These structures can also surround a pool, hot tub, or other outdoor space.

Create well-defined and comfortable seating areas, a dining spot, or quiet resting spaces near a garden or other outdoor features. Add live plants and flowers in pots or create a vertical garden by hanging planter boxes on a fence.

Install outdoor string lights and other fixtures to brighten up outdoor patios at night. Layer your lights and utilize solar-powered walkway ground lights, lampposts, sconces, torches, and candles that can provide increased ambiance and add a welcoming vibe while increasing outdoor safety at the same time. Create the patio of your dreams using one or more of these amazing ideas for patios.

The Mississippi River is the best option for anyone eager to embark on a cruising trip. New Orleans, Memphis, St. Louis, and Minneapolis are the prominent cities where you can experience the Mississippi cruises. You can enjoy the incredible musical roots of the USA, foods, culture, and history as you cruise along the Mississippi.

The Mississippi River has three main cruises along the river. The cruises include those offered by American Cruise Line, American Queen Voyages, and Viking River Cruises. The three cruises are all incredible, and you could not possibly single out the best. With the three, you could sail along your cities of preference full circle for a few days to a few weeks as you wish. You could opt for themed Mississippi cruises for a more personalized experience.

American Queen Voyages has much-admired riverboat roots and is expanding into lake and ocean voyages and cruises. American Queen Voyages offers an all-inclusive shore tour, cruise hotel stays, and transport costs to your ship. In addition, the ship offers live entertainment, bikes, bars, and multiple dining settings on board. You can access these two Mississippi cruises through American Queen Voyages: St. Louis to Minneapolis cruise and Nashville to St. Louis cruise.

Viking River Cruises offers four itineraries along the Mississippi River. The first option is the New Orleans round-trip cruise. The second itinerary is from New Orleans to Memphis, known for scenic views of the winding river. The third cruise covers the upper Mississippi, taking travelers from St. Louis to St. Paul. The fourth cruise travels from St. Paul to New Orleans.

You can enjoy both short and long sails along the Mississippi through American Cruise Lines. Additionally, you can enjoy packages of complimentary hotel transport from each departure city before you sail. By opting for a premium package, you can enjoy an all-inclusive city tour and two nights spent next door to Graceland in Memphis.

Mississippi cruises offer a great way to experience a large portion of the United States. Along the way, you will stop in great cities and have the chance to learn about music, art, and local culture. Popular sites near the Mississippi River include Graceland in Memphis and Vicksburg in Mississippi. Great cuisine also awaits you on your Mississippi cruise. Don't miss the opportunity to try gumbo in Louisiana and awesome barbecue in Memphis and St. Louis.

A mortgage is a loan that people use to buy or maintain a house, land, or other forms of real estate, with the property as collateral. Borrowers agree with lenders on the amount, payment period, interest, and monthly repayment rates.

The first step in getting a mortgage is to complete an application for a loan with your preferred lender. You must meet requirements like minimum credit score, income level, and down payments. Your credit score is one of the most important factors because it determines your interest rates and the amount you qualify for.

The higher your credit score, the lower your interest for the amount of a loan you can get. The lender will also consider your debt-to-income ratio, employment, income history, and assets.

While there are several types, the most common are fixed and adjustable rate mortgages. Also known as traditional, fixed-rate loans are the standard type, and they come with fixed interest rates and monthly payments throughout the repayment period.

The main benefit of getting this mortgage is that you are safe from significant increases in interest rates and monthly payments, making it easier to budget. One of the disadvantages is that it may be hard to qualify if it has high-interest rates and you'll need a lower debt-to-income ratio.

On the other hand, adjustable-rate mortgages have fixed interest rates for a specific period, after which they change depending on prevailing interest rates. The first interest rates are usually below-market, making the mortgage cheaper than the fixed-rate mortgage for the first three to seven years.

However, if the interest increases, it could become way more expensive. These loans usually have a cap or limit on how much the interest rates can increase each time and throughout the loan period.

Another disadvantage is that it's hard to budget because even the monthly payments can change. This makes this mortgage suitable for people who want it for the short-term and bump-up-in-income earners or those who have the money to repay the total amount before the interest rates increase.

One similarity with both types is the loan term, usually 30 years. However, you can reduce that period depending on how you repay the loan. Reducing the loan term can save you a lot of money in the long run that you would have paid in interest.

One way to reduce the term is by making bi-weekly payments every two weeks instead of monthly. This could see you pay off your mortgage approximately eight years before the expected period, saving you around 23-30% of your total interest costs.

This is because, by the end of the year, you will have made an additional payment that goes towards the loan principal. To get your bi-weekly payment, divide your standard monthly payment by two. It also makes it easier to afford the payments.

Lab diamonds, also known as synthetic or cultivated diamonds, are created in the lab to resemble natural diamonds. Their popularity has skyrocketed over the past few years, but some people are still skeptical about their value and durability compared to natural diamonds.

The most common method of making a lab diamond is called chemical vapor deposition. In this process, the manufacturers begin with a tiny slice of a natural or pre-existing lab-created diamond that already has the crystalline diamond structure.

They usually refer to this slice as the diamond seed, which usually contains pure carbon. They then place the seed in a vacuum with carbon-rich gas and heat it to about 800 degrees Celsius. These conditions cause the carbon in the gas to assimilate into the seed, growing it to a desirable size, after which they cut and polish it.

Another method to make these diamonds is the high-pressure, high-temperature method. Unlike the previous method, this one simulates the process in which real diamonds are made. The manufacturers place natural graphite in a huge machine that uses extreme temperatures and pressure to crush the graphite, turning it into a diamond.

While many people refer to lab-created diamonds as fake, they look and feel like natural diamonds. Because their chemical properties are identical to natural diamonds, they have the same sparkle and do not get cloudy.

When grading the color in both diamonds, the ratings are mostly between G and J for nearly colorless diamonds. Diamonds graded between D and F are usually true colorless ones and very rare. The clarity grading is also the same for both, ranging from F1 (flawless) to I3 (included).

This makes it hard to differentiate the two by looking or touching. Lab-created diamonds are also as durable as natural diamonds because the carbon bonds are just as strong.

One thing that natural diamonds have that does not apply to lab-created diamonds is that they are unique. Finding a natural diamond that looks identical to another real diamond is hard.

This feature, plus the process of mining and polishing them make real diamonds more expensive. You can find lab-created diamonds for as low as 50% of the price of a natural diamond. This price will likely continue decreasing because it will become faster, easier, and cheaper to produce artificial diamonds as technology advances.

A lab diamond is the best option if you are looking for an engagement ring or any other diamond jewelry and are on a budget.