Look around Chico and you’ll find that, despite people watching their budgets carefully they are still investing in their yards! One of the reasons is likely the desire to engage in outdoor activities to take advantage of our beautiful spring weather. Another reason is that more vacation time will be spent at home this year, rather than tropical destinations or national parks.
According to MarketWatch.com, about 94% of residential landscape architects polled by the American Society of Landscape Architects earlier this year said that outdoor living spaces, including cooking and entertaining areas, would be popular in 2010. That said, improvements are expected to have few frills as homeowners stick to the basics in this cool economy.
“Homeowners want to create a sense of place for their family, friends, and neighbors to enjoy outside, but an uncertain economy means many will dial back some of the extra features we’ve seen in past years,” said Nancy Somerville, executive vice president for the group.
According to the survey results, some of the most popular features this year include: outdoor seating and dining areas, including benches and seat-walls or weatherized outdoor furniture, as well as fire pits and fireplaces, the classic outdoor grill and outdoor counter space. More lavish outdoor kitchen appliances, including refrigerators and sinks, are expected to be less popular, as are stereo systems and outdoor heaters. Survey results found a growing interest in low-maintenance landscapes and native plants. There’s also a continued resurgence of the home garden.
If you’re going to be putting in more ‘yard-time’ this spring, don’t forget that creating ‘curb-appeal’ in the form of long term landscaping such as shade trees can be an inexpensive, healthy and enjoyable way to build value into your home.
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