ALFRESCO LIVING
By Mike Lochridge
Outdoor living rocks in Central Florida. Enjoying moderate weather for much of the year, homeowners can take advantage of their outdoor kitchens, lanais and lush landscaping. And there’s always the pool for those sizzling summer days. Those looking for new homes will find an array of features that are making outside the new inside.
“Outdoor living areas are very popular,” says Valerie Wagoner, division marketing coordinator for David Weekley Homes. “Homebuyers are looking for entertainment spaces, such as extended lanais, decks, terraces and pergolas with sitting areas. Also, fire pits and outdoor kitchens are very much in demand.”
Other builders and designers agree.
“Outdoor living areas are a ‘must have’ with today’s buyers,” says Tony Weremeichik, principal with the Architectural Design Studio at Canin Associates. “They need outdoor spaces for entertaining, relaxing, watching TV, and cooking and dining. Pools, water features, fire features and lush landscaping complement the ambiance.”
Architect Phil Kean, a custom builder and president of Phil Kean Design Group, lists a number of amenities that are popular with his clients:
• Automated pocketing sliding glass doors.
• Courtyards.
• Fire features.
• Water features and pools.
• Outdoor entertainment spaces, such as lanais and summer kitchens.
• Motorized screens.
• Outdoor furnishing with the look of indoor furnishing.
• Pass-through pocketing windows.
• Porcelain floor tiles inside and outside to create a seamless space.
• Glass and more glass.
Minto Communities offers a number of outdoor amenities in its homes. “Minto’s active-adult buyers seek environments that function for daily life, as well as for entertaining and houseguests,” says Minto Senior Vice President William Bullock.
Central courtyards, guest casitas and fully appointed outdoor kitchens and dining areas are very popular, as are outdoor kitchens and fireplaces, he adds. And let’s not forget luxuriously appointed pools and spas with waterfalls and other water features.
Thomas R. Lamar, president of Lamar Design, outlines a number of outdoor features showing up in his designs:
• Exterior fireplaces and fire pits: “When coupled with graceful seating options, these areas are focal points for entertainment,” Lamar says. “We sometimes will couple the gas with a wood-burning fire pit to create an easy-starting wood fire system. You use the gas to get the wood fire lighted, and then shut off the gas burners.”
• Summer kitchens: Lamar says that there have never been more options for fans of outdoor cooking, including Kamado grills, pizza ovens, smokers, gas grills and wood pellet grills. In some cases, the exterior kitchen could actually replace the interior kitchen. “So with that in mind, we activate our outdoor kitchen areas with entertainment options such as pools, cabanas, lakes, canals and boat houses,” he adds.
• Covered lanais: Lanais have typically been exterior spaces adjacent to the main home. “We like to create a seamless transition from interior to exterior,” Lamar says. “But we still want the lanai to act as a transition area to help soften the exterior by providing some shade.” Ceiling fans can fight the summer heat, and misting systems can reduce lanai temperatures by 8 to 10 degrees.
• Outdoor audio and video systems: Whole-house systems are popular, and allow various systems to be controlled by smart phones and other smart devices. Lamar uses exterior speakers that are built into the outdoor environment. “Exterior televisions or projectors can also be tied into this audio system to create an outdoor theater under the stars,” he adds.
• Bug control systems: There are a number of companies that provide either misting systems or devices that emit a scent that discourages biting insects from entering the protected space.
• Field turf: When traditional turf won’t grow well in an area, Lamar suggests synthetic field turf, or artificial grass. “This material, when installed correctly, looks and feels pretty similar to real grass, but with no irrigation requirements,” says Lamar. “It always looks nice and green, and best of all, it doesn’t have to be mowed and edged.”
• Pools: “Combining a sparkling pool with other outdoor amenities will create an outdoor oasis,” says Lamar. That provides the inside of the home a great view of the outdoor area.
If planned well, the house can provide transitional spaces that “act like the handshake between the interior and exterior,” Lamar notes.
Wagoner says that David Weekley’s designs pay particular attention to outdoor living spaces. “We enjoy featuring outdoor living spaces, pools and high-end kitchens in our models to give customers a visual reference for the selections they can make,” she says. “And, since the beautiful Florida weather allows us to enjoy the patio year-round, many homeowners want to create an outdoor living space.”