President's Message: Ways to create the perfect outdoor entertaining space
Outdoor entertaining spaces aren't always equal when it comes to home value.
Homes that get them right, though, have patios and backyards that blur inside and outside spaces. These outdoor entertaining space ideas have been working for decadesand adapt to most any house today. Here are five reasons why they work.
They function like indoor spaces – The more outdoor entertaining spaces mimic their indoor equivalents, the more functional they are. And you'll get more than sunshine and memories: an outdoor kitchen will add about 60% of its cost to the home’s value, according to Bob Vila. In warmer climates, where the kitchen can be used year-round, an outdoor kitchen could deliver a 100%-200% return on investment. A couple of small ways to get more functionality in your outdoor space: Add built-in benches for seating. Hang a chandelier or pendant lights for functional lighting over a dining space.
They create privacy without blocking light – Precast concrete geometric blocks protect privacy without blocking light or air in outdoor entertaining spaces. Plus, they're super affordable and durable. Use them to screen a patio or carport, fence in your patio, or as a vertical element to make small yards feel larger. It's a small project with big impact.
They find clever ways to provide shade – Low, sloping roofs help transition from indoors to outdoors by casting shade and protection from the elements. If extending the roof isn't an option for your home or budget, you can still make some shade. For example: Try a pergola planted with vines. Or a retractable awning, which keeps the sun off when you want it to and rolls back into place when you don't. Tons of affordable, ready-to-hang shades and sails are available, too.
They use lots of windows – Large windows help merge inside and outside living. Even if you don't have the ultimate in window bling, you can increase the natural light in your home. Consider: Trading smaller windows and doors for big accordion, pocket, sliding, or swinging doors, or replacing a plain wall with a wall of glass doors. Adding a corner window, to create the effect of an atrium or courtyard.
They take 'entertaining outdoors' seriously – Though a sport court isn't exactly a high ROI project, being the fun house on the block certainly does a little something to a home's appeal. And, after all, an outdoor entertaining space should do just that: Entertain.
Kyle Oberlin is president of the Stark Trumbull Area Realtors Association.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: President's Message: Ways to create the perfect outdoor entertaining space
