Outdoor living spaces one of biggest trends for 2018

Outdoor living spaces one of biggest trends for 2018

Bill Lewis, Special to Nashville Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK — TENNESSEE Published 7:00 a.m. CT Feb. 28, 2018

Video. https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/homes/2018/02/28/outdoor-living-spaces-one-biggest-trends-2018/372661002/

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(Photo: Submitted)

If you own a home in Sumner County and your kids want to play in the water, Old Hickory Lake is just a short walk or drive away. Or they could step outside and play in the dancing waters of the backyard splash pad.

Similar to what you’d find in a municipal park, splash pads are making their way to private residences. Jets of water shoot up from the ground in different directions.

“The system is computerized and can make (the jets of water) dance one way or another,” said Jared Crain, whose outdoor living area in Gallatin includes a splash pad.

They are not exactly a common feature. Crain, who installs outdoor living spaces for a living, has done three splash pads, including his own. But he said they are one more indication that homeowners are serious about their outdoor fun.

“Nowadays, everybody’s bringing the home’s living area out the backdoor," said Crain, who owns Crain Lawn Care in Gallatin. 

Creation of outdoor living spaces is one of the biggest trends in homeownership for 2018, according to Realtor Magazine, which is produced by the National Association of Realtors.

Jared Crain’s covered outdoor living area has a fireplace and kitchen. The wall has built-in seating. (Photo: Submitted)

Homeowners are turning their yards into “multifunctional entertainment areas” that can include kitchens, bars and wine rooms, the magazine reported. “Today’s yards are multifunctional and serve to entertain, lounge and maximize lot square footage.”

“With (the region’s) growing population, outdoor living has definitely gotten more popular,” said Corey Ogiba, the local representative of Belgard. The company produces outdoor living products such as pre-built kitchens and fireplaces, natural stone and brick and concrete pavers. The company had a display at the recent Nashville Home and Remodeling Expo.

Crain, who uses Belgard’s products and participated in the event, said he fielded a lot of inquiries from interested homeowners.

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“There was a ton of interest. I think it’s because in Tennessee and the Carolinas you get to spend a lot of nice days and evenings outdoors,” he said.

Projects can cost as little as $3,500 for a patio to “as much as a couple of hundred thousand,” said Crain.

Homeowners and home builders alike are adding outdoor spaces.

Botsko Builders added triple garage doors to one home, said Shane Holt, director of sales and marketing. They raise up to open the main living area of the home to the outdoors.

“Everybody wants to go inside and outside with no transition,” he said.

Botsko builds homes in Gallatin’s Fairvue Plantation and other neighborhoods.

In Foxland Harbor, Drees Homes includes outdoor spaces in every house it builds, said Julie Adams, the company’s market manager.

Foxland and Fairvue are neighboring golf communities on the shore of Old Hickory Lake.

“Even in in neighborhoods that are not golf communities, people are extending the living area outdoors,” said Adams.

Homeowners are selecting durable materials rather than wood decks that deteriorate over time, said Holt.

“A lot of stone for fireplaces, outdoor kitchens,” he said.

Crain uses stone and brick and concrete pavers for walls, fireplaces, patios, porches, kitchens and other outdoor features. Those materials stand up to the weather and are attractive, he said.

For homeowners in a hurry, he can swiftly install a modular fireplace in a stone base.

“You can have a fireplace that night,” said Crain.