Give Your Yard a Facelift

March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- As home sales flatten nationwide, home improvement trends are moving beyond indoor bathrooms and kitchens and expanding outwards.

Homeowners are now doing more with areas that play leading roles in the way people entertain -- resulting in breathtaking changes in backyards. Improvements in backyards can yield great dividends -- for the homeowners as they enjoy their home and then later, when they sell it.

"Outdoor spaces have evolved from functional to fashionable," said Chief Designer Geoffrey Bullard of Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet (www.kalamazoogourmet.com), who advises homeowners and builders on customizing outdoor kitchen designs. "Across the nation, homeowners are investing in outdoor living to create greater home value. It's like adding an extension to a house without walls or windows."

According to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), the outdoor living market, including products and services, reached $62.5 billion in 2004, with sales of outdoor kitchens, living areas and related equipment posting some of the strongest results. Industry watchers expect this trend to grow in the coming years.

Most of today's outdoor kitchens include high-performance grills, refrigerators and sinks, literally bringing conveniences that were exclusively indoors to outdoor living spaces.

Design professionals use similar techniques for defining outdoor living spaces as they do for open plan indoor spaces. Moveable screens and sitting/dining areas create new possibilities outdoors by incorporating a wider variety of materials.

Most recently, Bullard has seen more homeowners opt for island-style outdoor kitchen designs. They encourage people to dine around the grill and become part of the cooking action, versus alienating the outdoor gourmet of the house.

"Kitchen spaces can be easily defined as separate but adjacent spaces to the dining area using simple linear, L-shaped or U-shaped configurations," said Bullard. "Because free-standing kitchen modules, like ones from Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet, are finished on all sides, they can be arranged to define spaces and delineate entertaining areas without the need for walls."

While privacy from your neighbors can be more of a challenge in outdoor entertaining, Bullard suggests that screens, arbors, planters or pergolas may solve the issue in a less expensive yet stylish manner.

SOURCE Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet