California’s mild climate is ideal for home owners committed to making the most of their home’s outdoor living space.
While backyard gardens, decks, and patios have long been a staple for many West Coast residents, in recent years there’s been a growing emphasis on creating a smoother transition between indoor and outdoor living areas.
Many younger home owners now view their backyards, decks, and balconies as extensions of their indoor living space. That shift in thinking is reflected in several surveys, including one published by Better Homes and Gardens. A telling aspect of the report is that almost one-quarter of millennials surveyed say they plan to add or upgrade comfortable seating, outdoor dining tables and chairs, and other accessories to make their outdoor patio area feel like a room. In addition to patio furniture, some of the improvements and changes homeowners plan to make include installing landscape lighting, lamps, party lights, and a fire pit.
More than three-quarters of millennials surveyed say they want their outdoor living space to feel like a relaxing retreat. This shift in perception affects everything from home improvement priorities to household budgets and individual lifestyles.
According to a second national consumer survey — this one conducted by Wakefield Research (on behalf of real estate developer Taylor Morrison) — home buyers are increasingly willing to sacrifice square footage to gain outdoor space. In response to this trend, the national home builder says it has been incorporating special features into new homes, such as outdoor living rooms, floor-to-ceiling retractable glass walls that open to the backyard, and matching tile flooring extending from a new home’s interior to its outside areas.
The company’s objective is to create what it refers to as “a seamless flow in today’s outdoor-oriented homes.” In its survey of 1,000 current and future homeowners, a large percentage said they would rather spend an extra $10,000 to $15,000 on purchases related to outdoor living than on traditional home-improvement projects, such as upgraded cabinets and kitchen islands. Taylor Morrison area-president Charlie Enochs said several of its new floor plans have “blurred the hard line between the indoor and out” to meet the blended tastes of more and more home buyers.
When it’s economically feasible, home buyers also have a strong preference for properties that provide sufficient privacy from neighbors. Survey results show that approximately 50 percent of all recent and prospective homebuyers believe that “breathing room” between houses is a key consideration for home buyers, surpassing other curb appeal elements like siding, driveway styles, house color, and roofing finishes.
When backyard space is unavailable or at a premium, builders and home owners are making the most of features like rooftop decks and balconies. Those structures often enable home owners to enjoy a nice view of nearby cityscapes, the Pacific Ocean, the San Francisco Bay, and other scenic vistas.