True Homes buyers often want a backyard that’s as fabulous as their newly built home. It’s no surprise that many of our creative buyers have found ways to incorporate landscaping and outdoor design details to create a resort-style escape. Here are six of our favorite tactics for creating a resort-inspired backyard.
First, set the relaxed mood with swinging motions, which create the same feeling of restfulness in adults that rocking does in babies. While rocking chairs or an old-fashioned porch swing might fit the design of the front porch, a resort-style backyard is more likely to call for a hammock, a swinging accent chair, or even a suspended bed.
Next, create your own soundscape with a water feature. Not only will this cover the noise of traffic or the general busy-ness going on around you, but it will also create a sense of calm, much like the sound of a gurgling mountain stream. Be environmentally responsible by choosing a feature with a pump that recirculates the water.
Little can be more relaxing for adults than having the kids entertain themselves. It’s even better if the adults sometimes want to play along. Create a play area with toys and games that can range from sidewalk chalk and bubble machines to horseshoe and croquet. When a party’s going on, set up a cooler with kid-friendly snacks to further encourage little ones to gather there.
Provide the unexpected for drinks and dining. A drink cart featuring ingredients for resort-style favorites can provide a surprise twist for guests who are unaccustomed to backyard staples. For family members and guests alike, eschewing the regular outdoor paper or melamine plates with real China and flatware, setting the table with colorful linens, and adding decorative table accents can transform an ordinary backyard lunch or dinner into a special event.
At a resort, the fun is just beginning at sunset, and the same can be true of a backyard. Extend the time in the backyard by adding fire and light. From a brick fireplace installed by professionals to a simple portable fire pit purchased at a big box retailer, options for adding playful firelight into your backyard resort are plentiful and available for nearly every budget. A fire allows families to lengthen both the amount of time they can spend in their backyards during a given day and through the seasons. It adds activities, too – roasting hotdogs, making s’mores and even telling ghost stories are best done with a real fire!
Whether or not a fire feature is brought into the backyard, lighting can also add to both the resort-style feel and the length of the days. The right lighting can highlight the landscaping, add safety along pathways, and simply make a more vibrant atmosphere. Consider combining broad lighting to illuminate large areas as well as accent lighting to feature specific components. Twinkling lights or Edison lights strung up on poles or from tree to tree are a great way to define the outdoor dining room or play area.
Finally, in true resort style, provide entertainment in your backyard. A tv near the brick fireplace is a great way to watch fall football games. Big white sheets hung between two trees or on an expanse of blank wall provide a screen for an outdoor movie theater. A sound system – something more than a simple Bluetooth speaker for your phone – can set the mood for all sorts of backyard activities.
True Homes offers many opportunities for getting buyers started in their own backyard, with options for covered porches and patios in many of our new home floorplans. Add a little extra landscaping and a few simple features to create a resort-style backyard of your very own.