A recent article in RisMedia indicated that, despite the weak economy, American homeowners invest heavily in their outdoor living spaces. This year, more people are predicted to spend their summer vacations at home, so sprucing up the outdoor areas will become even more popular.
Nancy Somerville, executive vice president of the American Society of Landscape Architects, said "Homeowners want to create a sense of place for their family, friends, and neighbors to enjoy outside."
Nowhere in the country could this be more true than in Hawaii. Florida and other southern states might be a close 2nd, but they don't have the consistently good weather to enjoy the outdoors which we have here.
According to a survey of residential landscape architects, some of the most popular features this year will 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.
Products are changing and emerging to follow this outdoor trend. Rob Tannen and Mathieu Turpault, of Bresslergroup, a product-development firm, imagine a tray container system that people could take into the garden to collect fruits and vegetables, adapt to fit the sink for cleaning the produce and slide into a refrigerator as you would a crisper drawer. Another concept is a grill with seating built around it, allowing cooks to entertain friends as they work.
Tannen also can envision a shed with solar roofing panels that allows you to charge pieces of large lawn equipment, as easily as you might dock your Dustbuster inside the house. Or use of iPod apps in the garden to learn how to best take care of a plant, After all, according to the National Gardening Association, a well-maintained food garden yields an average $500 return, considering a typical investment and the market price of produce.
Hawaii Kai is a unique community built around the water, for water enjoyment and activities. This means getting outside and enjoying the outdoors, and most of our Hawai Kai homes are designed with that in mind. The majority of our neighborhoods skirt the water, and countless homes have boat docks, including many within the condo complexes. Add to that dock a lanai and water view, and you get an idea of how special the Hawaii Kai outdoor experience can be.
Does relaxing outside in 75 degree weather, in shorts, cooled by trade winds under your palm trees or slatted lanai roof, appeal to you? Then you will fit right into the Hawaii Kai lifestyle. Sarah Susanka, an architect and author of The Not So Big House series of books, said, "If you can see something that you find attractive day after day [from inside], you're much more likely to sit out there," Imagine watching the Hawaii Kai marina lapping at your back yard, and a kayaker paddling by on her way out to the bay.
Enjoyable outdoor spaces add value for resale as well as value for the homeowner. "When you have a beautiful garden [or view], someone will fall in love with it. In fact, it's what they're purchasing-more than the house even," Susanka said.
This year, arbors, water features like fountains, and decks are expected to be the most popular outdoor structures, according to the architects surveyed above. Again, think of Hawaii Kai. We already use and treasure the water feature of Maunalua Bay, so decks and lanais are integral parts of our homes. Take a look at some Hawaii Kai properties by searching the MLS on my web site. Try a waterfront search and see what great values there are now at low rates and reduced asking prices.
If you want to enjoy the outdoor lifestyle all year 'round, consider Hawaii Kai.
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