Summer Sanctuaries

Written by Bakersfield Magazine

When the days are longer and the air is warm, we instinctively flock outdoors. The shorts come on and the flip flops are unearthed from the back of the closet. It’s time to celebrate summer’s impending arrival.

That often coincides with patio parties, backyard BBQs, and a general desire to spend as much time in the sun as possible. And when your grass is green and your flowers are blooming, the backyard can be an oasis. But when you can read in a gazebo, dance under a covered patio without burning your bare feet, and savor brunch in an enclosed outdoor room without the summer sun in your eyes, your backyard is more than an oasis—it’s paradise.

“It’s about creating a vacation in your own backyard,” said Sue England of LS England Designs, which she co-owns with husband Lance. “And providing an additional living space.” Whether it be a sunroom, a lattice pergola, or an intricate patio cover, these types of readily available additions add immense comfort to one’s home.

And value. By putting considerable effort into your outside décor, you’ll be setting your home apart from others in your area as well as creating an environment others will see as unique—something that can give your home the edge. But, as Gary Crabtree, president of Affiliated Appraisers explained, it’s important to remember that value is relative.

“With these types of additions, cost is not fully recaptured in the market,” Crabtree said. “[We] really consider them an emotional amenity, to garner value in the future. With outdoor kitchens [and other amenities] it’s hard to quantify a value for them because they can range from $5,000 all the way up to over $15,000. The more money you spend on it, the more contributory value it adds. Outdoor kitchens are an en vogue feature right now and can add that value.”

Though they are difficult to measure in dollars and cents, these amenities give peace of mind to the owners while they’re living in the home and provide curb appeal and a leg up if the home is sold later. Some of these additions, depending on the type and cost, can add a percentage to the total value of the home, Crabtree explained. Pools, for instance, can add up to 7 percent back to the value of your home on selling.

That’s good incentive to begin creating your dream backyard. And there are plenty of ways to get started and a multitude of options for how you want your outdoor oasis to look. But before you get building, it’s a good idea to work from the ground up—the soil.

You can’t grow the luscious green grass and the colorful plants to complement your new gazebo if your soil is in bad shape. Rita White, co-owner of White Forest Nursery said the best way to do this is to rejuvenate your soil (she recommends soil conditioners). “[Conditioner] will open up even the hardest clay soil and allow water to penetrate, rather than run off or pool up.” In effect, your lawn will be healthier and more prepared for planting. In addition, you’ll be saving on your water bill since a well-conditioned lawn utilizes water better and requires less watering!

One of the biggest draws of outdoor home additions right now is the ability to vacation in your own backyard. Or, as many local people refer to them, “staycations.”

Jim Jones, owner of Sunshine Sunrooms & Patio Co., said “Because of the way the economy is right now, many people are choosing to stay home and travel less; they’re wanting to spend that home time in the best environment possible.”

And here in Bakersfield, we have the luxury of being able to entertain in that environment almost any night of the year. Our spring evenings stay warm—so the party doesn’t have to stop because it gets too chilly. “Evening sweater weather” is a concept that may be well-known in places likes Santa Barbara, but here, it’s not uncommon for fiestas and family BBQs to last well into the night, with spring and early summer evening temperatures making it possible for everyone to stay outside until the wee hours of the morning.

That means the island BBQs, outdoor fireplaces, televisions, fountains, and tons of seating will not go unused!

“Some people are choosing to go very elaborate,” Jones said. “They’re redirecting the money they would have spent on a vacation back into their home. They’re definitely improving their living space and increasing the value of their home.”

Lots of folks can see what these outdoor sanctuaries create. Jones added, “It affords people the ability to entertain in a way that’s functional but that’s bringing the comfort of the indoors outside.”

Or, in the case of Jerry and Shirley Briggs, an outdoor glass reading room. The Briggs, who have only been in Bakersfield for three years, extended the living space in their house by building an enclosed 10 by 20 foot patio that is so well made, you’d think it was part of the original home.

“We built it off the existing sliding glass door in the back,” Shirley explained. “It creates such an open space in the back and feels like an extension of the house.”

In addition to their outdoor reading room, they chose to also include a patio cover which further creates comfortable living space in their backyard.

“It was mainly to get the sun off the south-facing windows, but it’s creating such a usable space,” Jerry added.

“It’s a little oasis,” Shirley said. “I can come into this room and shut the rest of the world out. I’m outdoors but I’m insulated.”

Not yet at the decorating stage, Shirley is contemplating a wicker look for the room.

The Briggs are thrilled with the results. But they did their research.

That’s a trend many of the companies in town are seeing. Folks looking to add outdoor living space are much more knowledgeable when it comes to the types of designs offered and the type of work that goes into them. With this type of economy and with this type of addition, people are looking to be smart with their investments.

And depending on the types of entertaining you’ll be doing and what you’re wants are for your backyard paradise, there are a variety of options available.

“It is important that people see it as an investment and an addition and not an expense,” Jones mused. “But they’re limited only by their imagination,” he chuckled.

Who doesn’t like hearing that when they’re looking to create the perfect summer sanctuary in the comfort of their own backyard?

Article appeared in our 26-1 Issue - April 2009

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