Envision a hammock shaded between two beautiful oak trees. You rest peacefully while the cool winds sway you slightly. You listen to your children nearby playing Marco Polo in the crystal blue water of your pool. Your spouse is not far away grilling a delicious lunch while blending a frothy summertime drink for you on the countertop of your outdoor kitchen.
More and more people are living versions of this fantasy by creating the outdoor room of their dreams complete with hot tubs, fire pits, weatherproof rugs, day beds, waterfalls and televisions. Depending on budget, yard size and aspirations, families can find a relaxing getaway right outside their patio door.
Countless creative options exist for your outdoor haven. Decks, porches and patios can give your home a “come on and pull up a chair” feel. Covered outdoor living areas such as gazebos, cabanas, pavilions, sunrooms and screened-in porches are popular as well. Entertaining doesn’t rely so much on good weather if you can keep out bugs, rain or relentless sunrays with covered shelter. Here are some ideas to get you going.
Watering Hole
Putting in a pool, spa or both can make any yard a vacation destination. And pools have come a long way from earlier versions that required a ton of TLC. Jamie Georgelos, pool manager at Alpin Haus in Amsterdam and Clifton Park, says pools have become much more energy efficient and easier to clean. Variable speed pumps, for instance, work just like a furnace thermostat. If you are at work and no one is using the pool, the pump works at a minimal level.
A radiant pool with a 2.5 inch polystyrene layer in the center of the pool’s three layers traps heat and reduces the cost of heating the water. “It extends your season at a lower cost. We have customers raving about these pools. They are blown away by the energy efficiency of them,” Georgelos says.
Alpin Haus also carries the CalderaSpas line, which has been completely revamped for a more spa visit look and feel. The controls, for instance, look like rocks. The spa floors reflect a pebble finish. It’s all about comfort and style, Georgelos says. The spas also focus on saving energy and heat while using fewer chemicals. Automatic mineral cartridges put the sanitizing chemicals in when needed.
Waterfalls, along with high tech televisions swiveling from the side of the spa, wireless remotes to operate the spa from anywhere in your backyard, iPod speaker hookups and LED lights are just a few of the many conveniences. “Even though things aren’t great financially out there, some people are getting a better sense that things are on the right path. They’ve put it off long enough and are going to purchase their pool or spa now and get the backyard they’ve always wanted,” he says.
Convertible Comfort
If lounging is your game, Nikita Indoor Outdoor Convertibles (www.justleanback.com) furnishes homeowners with the perfect solution: outdoor furniture so versatile that it converts into beds. On those warm summer nights, everyone can sleep outside under the moon without hauling any bulky tents or cots from the garage.
Nikita Grigoriev, an engineer by trade, designed and patented the furniture to counterbalance the sitter’s weight. As you sit and lean back, the chair moves with you, allowing you to pick the angle you prefer. Buyers can choose from a chair, loveseat or couch, or a king-size lounger. Each comes with thick mattresses of memory foam for peaceful resting. They also are on wheels for easy moving from indoor to outdoor or vice versa, and all are created with stainless steel hardware to avoid any rusting. The furniture is made per order.
“We’re getting customers that have new homes, vacation homes or are very eco-conscious,” he says. “The design really fits their needs. It’s functional, moveable and attractive.” The company’s showrooms, in Saratoga Springs and Oneonta, also have ottomans, end tables and coffee tables, all of which have offer dual functions, too.
Eating and Cooking Al Fresco
Photo courtesy of Viking Range Corporation
Customers of Dil Sheji want everything they have indoors — from fireplace to elaborate kitchen with built-in pizza ovens — available in their backyards as well. “People are gung ho about their outdoor kitchens. I have one with the sink, burner and grill. You pretty much can have what you want. If you don’t have an unlimited budget, then you can always add something year after year,” Sheji says.
An outdoor pizza and baking oven is a fairly new addition to the backyard kitchen, he adds. Sheji goes to outdoor shows and events across the New York area with a 400-pound pizza oven in the back of his truck. “I educate the homeowner that this is a possibility, too. Talk about entertaining when you can have an outdoor pizza party with everyone bringing toppings and making their own pizza. It’s a hit,” he says.
These ovens can cook everything from burgers to bread. Sheji also builds stone pool decks, patios, fireplaces and just about anything someone wants to design and use. “This is a lot easier to just walk into your backyard instead of spending a lot of money going on vacation.”
If someone is building an outdoor kitchen, he needs the right appliances. Earl B. Feiden Inc. in Latham and Kingston sells an extensive line of grills, grill heads, stainless steel cabinetry, refrigerators, ice makers and cocktail pros (sinks with glass holders, side burners and more). “Sure, outdoor kitchens are a luxury item. But we’ve been a huge advocate of outdoor cooking, and we’re seeing more people want to make that leap and make their backyards a place to hang out,” says Dan Oliver, a spokesman at Feiden’s. The store also has begun selling stone pizza ovens that can be incorporated into an outdoor kitchen design or stand by themselves.
Oliver works with homeowners, masons, pool retailers, plumbers and outdoor landscapers to make sure the right size of appliances are ordered and delivered. “Outdoor living can be anything you want it to be. People are thinking out of the box and bringing the same conveniences from their indoor kitchens to the outside,” he says.
When a homeowner adds colorful flowers, trees and bushes, plus outdoor lighting, the backyard retreat is complete. Add in a croquet set, volleyball net and other outdoor games to keep people active and happy, and the only thing you have to worry about is bringing the sunscreen.
