Profit from Outdoor Living

Once confined to warm weather regions, the popularity of outdoor living is exploding in communities across the country. This trend generates profit in the remodeling segment for contractors who help customers get back to nature with a functional outdoor room that can lengthen the outdoor season in cooler climates.

What used to be outfitted with resin table and chairs, a charcoal grill and a cooler for drinks has morphed into a fully-furnished space that creates an extension of the home. "We're finding more and more that everything you have indoors is now weatherized to go outside—like appliances, lamps, furniture, rugs, artwork and plasma screen TVs," says Leslie Wheeler, a spokesperson for the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association. "It's answering the consumer demand to spend more time outside in a more casual lifestyle."

People who want their outdoor spaces to reflect the level of detail and quality of their indoor spaces are willing to invest in exterior remodeling projects. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, customers now spend $40 billion a year to upgrade outdoor living areas and garden features.

Warmth is a big contributor to this emerging trend. HPBA tracks shipments of outdoor patio heaters, which Wheeler says increased nearly 15 percent from 2004 to 2005, while built-in wood-burning outdoor fireplaces shot up 89 percent during the same period.

Give Them Shelter
According to Mary Francois Deweese, owner and registered landscape architect at St. Louis-based Acorn Landscapes, covered patios and decks are increasing in desirability. "They shelter both people and furniture from the elements and provide a space suitable for more luxuriously cushioned furniture, fabrics, lighting, rugs and accessories that would be inappropriate for more exposed outdoor locations," she says.

Deweese adds that upgraded finishes and low-maintenance materials are the most universally chosen amenity in outdoor rooms, thus increasing margins. "The one unifying characteristic of any outdoor design is that clients are willing to spend more money on very high-quality materials," Deweese said. "It could be concrete pavers, composite wood products or exotic hardwoods and stone, but they want their outdoor spaces to reflect the level of detail and quality of their indoor space."

Lighting in the form of weather-resistant floor and table lamps, hanging pendants and wall-mounted lanterns, recessed lights over doorways, as well as ground-level lighting for pathways, pools, stairways, or patio and deck borders not only accentuate architectural features, but also create ambiance and enhance safety.

Food, Fire & Water
A recent national consumer study performed by the Propane Education & Research Council found that 80 percent of respondents say it's important to have an outdoor living space where they can relax and entertain.

The primary focus of building a profitable outdoor living space is providing comfort and convenience, preferably in a style homeowners have established indoors. That means the space, whether a yard, deck, patio or rooftop, should strive to connect people to the recreational pleasures of food, fire and water.

HPBA categorizes some outdoor rooms as similar to indoor eat-in kitchens with expansive counter space and full food-preparation areas with plumbing amenities including sinks, dishwashers and refrigerators.

Wheeler says there's an exciting diversity of attractive and durable products being introduced to the marketplace annually. "Manufacturers are bringing every appliance from your kitchen indoors outside," Wheeler says. "There's everything from outdoor deep fat fryers, built-in gas grills, ceiling fans, blenders and woks."

The outdoor living concept is expanded easily by incorporating hardscaping aspects such as:

• Water features
• Retaining walls
• Trellises
• Pergolas
• Gazebos
• Awnings
• Pools
• Patios
• Split-level decks
• Pavilions
• Firepits and fireplaces

"Fireplaces and firepits are quite popular to help extend the outdoor enjoyment of a space into the cooler fall and spring seasons in the Midwest," Deweese adds.