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Homebuyers are demanding more options and flexibility from their outdoor living spaces. But at a time when the interior also needs to be more functional with spaces allocated to working from home, buyers can’t simply reallocate space from the indoors to the outdoors. In Professional Builder, Caroline Broderick reports on a recent survey conducted with the New Home Trends Institute (NHTI) that shows connection to the outdoors and outdoor entertaining both ranked high on the top 10 list of design drivers.
Builders are putting “greater emphasis on design serving the most desired functionality (or functionalities) at the expense of simply green space,” Broderick writes. “I think outdoor spaces are going to be so multifunctional that you’re going to see fewer open yards,” Hans Anderle, principal at residential design firm Bassenian Lagoni tells her. “I don’t want to discount the psychological and visual relief you have with open space, but since space [for outdoor living] is literally at a premium, that’s going to become less and less.”
Survey respondents predicted that outdoor spaces will feature more built-in features, such as fire pits or fireplaces (73 percent), outdoor kitchens (68 percent), gazebos or pergolas (44 percent), pools (36 percent), and spas or hot tubs (20 percent). To see how propane can enhance many of these built-in outdoor living features and make outdoor spaces more functional, check out our guide to upgrading outdoor spaces.
