Create your own haven for outdoor living
October 19th, 2009 | By: Dar Webb
Remodeling or renovating to create useable outdoor living spaces is a growing trend in the Pacific Northwest and across the country. A less expensive alternative to renovating or building, creating an outdoor living space is an option many homeowners choose to add value and interest to their home.
In Issaquah and Sammamish, a well-designed outdoor garden space extends the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors in the more unpredictable temperatures during spring and fall. Spaces often include cover and heat, cooking facilities and décor such as fire features, fountains, and comfortable seating, all providing a unique extension of the indoors to enjoy time with family and friends.
Investing in an outdoor living environment brings a number of lifestyle enhancements: with limited vacation budgets, many families are staying home, even during time off. The backyard can provide a tranquil place of respite. Gardening and other outdoor activities promote healthy living. Finally, investing in an outdoor room will add value to your home when the time comes to sell. Northwest realtors rank covered outdoor space high on the list of what buyers seek when purchasing a home. For smaller homes, outdoor space that is well connected to indoor rooms will make the house feel larger and provide spill out space for entertaining larger groups. In certain locations, and depending on the orientation of the home, covered outdoor space will improve energy efficiency by cooling the home in the summer and warming it in the winter.
When considering a new outdoor living space, be sure to allow sufficient time for design, permitting, bidding, and construction. Clients often call landscape architects in spring hoping to have their new outdoor space ready for summer entertaining, but depending on the type of improvements, some projects can take three to eight months to complete. Fall is a better time to begin the planning process, to allow sufficient time for the design, permitting, and construction of the space before the summer entertaining season. If you’re considering adding an outdoor living space to your home, keep the following pointers in mind:
First, establish the program for your new outdoor room. Make a list of the activities you would like to do outside: outdoor cooking, dining, entertaining, lawn sports, gardening, etc. Next, make a list of the desired components for your space, which might include cover, heat, gas BBQ, refrigerator, fireplace, large terrace, and water features. Finally, determine a realistic budget for the project. Outdoor living spaces often contain structures, appliances, and other amenities that can make the cost comparable to a new home or large renovation on a cost per square foot basis. Outdoor living can be created at any budget level, however. It’s just a matter of details, materials, and amenities that can drive the cost up or down.
Once you have defined your program, a landscape architect or other design professional can help put your wish list into a tangible design. Along with your program and budget, all local codes, neighborhood design guidelines and building setbacks will need to be identified and taken into account as the plan is developed. The home’s layout and interior design, as well as any existing site
features, should also be integrated with the new design. While many people try to develop a plan themselves, investing in a professional designer will help you avoid many of the pitfalls that often occur in undertaking a significant construction project. With a sound plan in hand, the next step is to make the dream a reality.
I often tell my clients that while it’s important to research a good landscape architect or designer to design your project, it is critical to find the right contractor for the job because you will spend a lot of time and invest a lot of money with your contractor. Start by asking for referrals from people you know. Your designer probably has contractors they have successfully worked with in the past, so that is a good place to start. Always check references, and spend some time getting to know the contractor before you bring them on board.
If you are bidding the project versus negotiating the contract with a single contractor, be sure that the bidders have a consistent level of experience and expertise in your type of project. It’s also important to ensure “apples to apples” competitive bids by clearly defining the scope of the work with a detailed set of plans and specifications.
The alternative to bidding is interviewing several contractors and selecting the contractor you and your designer feel is the best fit for the project. In this scenario, the contractor can be brought in early in the process as part of the team providing cost input as the design is developed. Finally, as in any construction endeavor, be prepared for the project to take longer than anticipated.
Make sure your contractor provides a realistic schedule and keeps you aware of any changes or issues that will impact the completion date. Above all, establishing trust and a good chain of communication between client, contractor and landscape architect is critical to the success of your project
With today’s housing market and the trend toward healthy, outdoor living and sustainability, creating a new outdoor living space makes more sense than ever. A well-planned and executed outdoor space will create a beautiful, tranquil place to spend time with family and friends, and will add to the long-term value and marketability of your home.
