Article Sphere Logo
"Real Estate" Article
 Article Directory Home All Categories Real Estate

Bringing the Indoors Out

By Expert Author: Lauren Spencer | Article Abstract
Word Count: 508 words | Views: 146 view(s)
New trends in home construction have resulted in cost efficient, smaller home designs. It has, however, also created a need for space that is being manifested in the latest renovation craze – expansion of the backyard deck.

According to Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, the average homeowner has cutback on spending for renovations (after six years of increases), but the average cost of a deck renovation has still risen 40% between 2004 and 2007 to almost $10,350. A typical deck on an above average home has increased to 700 square feet (larger than most indoor great rooms).

Decks make the perfect add-on for the whole family. Kids can play on them, they are great for entertaining and they offer an excellent resale return for your money.When done properly, a deck renovation should appear as an outdoor living space. If you're seated, indoors and looking out, your deck should appear as an additional room, without walls.

The old lawn furniture designs have also gone by the wayside. Now they've been replaced with couches, easy chairs and coffee tables made from waterproof materials and all-weather TV's. Outdoor kitchens with built in appliances, fridge, cupboards and counters are also widely used. All season deck use is more common now with the addition of patio heaters and awnings.

When it comes to barbecues, you can throw out your old black model and opt for a shiny stainless steel version with more options than an Italian sportscar. Start with your basic 6 or 8 foot long unit, with interior and exterior lighting, large griddle, double burners, butcher block food preparation area, and bar prep area including blender and sink. If you really want to splurge, thow in an add-on brick fireplace for authentic stone oven pizzas.

Other popular trends in today's decks include low maintenance products such as composite decking. A colonial baluster looks just like wood, but is composed of PVC and has a pre-painted wood look. Although composite decking usually runs about 30% higher than average wood products, you do save on maintenance costs. Nothing is perfect, however, some homeowners complain of heat build-up in the hot sun, a slippery surface when wet, and others say that the material can stain or scratch over time.

Just like any new trend, homeowners want their decks to be bigger, or more unique than the next guy. North Carolina resident Eddy Zaretsky just spent $75,000 on an 1,150 square foot deck renovation that included wet bar, built-in stereo system, hot tub, two gazebos (one for the hot tub, one for the dining area), fountain and stainless-steel grill. The new deck can easily accommodate 50 to 60 people, and competes with the homeowners association's clubhouse as "party central".

Troy Dana's in Olympia, Washington has employed an octagon shaped, 3,200 square foot deck. It takes advantage of valley views, south side sunshine, an arbor, built-in benches, hot tub and shower. The cooler north end boasts a steel firepit and panoramic view. Although the deck looks and feels like wood, it's made of composite, splinter-free decking material.
Lauren Spencer

About the Author/Author Bio

Everything you need to know about Santa Cruz real estate is right here at MySantaCruzRealEstate.com. Lauren Spencer, Coldwell Banker Realtor will be glad to answer your questions about homes in Watsonville CA.

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Bringing-the-Indoors-Out/185706

Article Tags: home construction, home building, home design, architecture, design styles, renovations, home remodeling

Article Submitted: 2009-05-11 | This Article has been viewed 146 times.

Rate Article

Related Videos

Play Video
Designing an Outdoor Entertainment Area
Play Video
How to Redecorate a Small Backyard With Verticals
Play Video
Building a Deck Part 5: Stairs & Railings
Play Video
Building a Deck Part 2: Tools You'll Need
Play Video
Building a Deck Part 1: Getting Started
 

More "Real Estate" Related Articles

 
 

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Real Estate" article category.

People interested in the above article "Bringing the Indoors Out" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

 
In the past, finding out who owns a property was considered one of the difficult tasks due to unavailability of sufficient resources but now in the age of technology finding out these details is not a problem anymore. There is a great significance of discovering who owns a property.
Many new buyers are interested in the lowest possible foreclosure prices. The truth is, you can purchase a foreclosure in some cases for as little as one dollar. However, even savings of just a thousand dollars can mean big savings over the term of your mortgage. There are many factors which determine the value and price of a repossessed home. You will want to take all these factors into consideration if you are on a strict budget.
Like it or not, an increasing number of homeowners are dropping their mortgage and choosing to take the hit on their credit.• Morals are not a good platform to base one's argument on - if major corporations can do it without being censured (or even noticed) by the majority, why should people who own their homes not be able to?• 
Investors today, who work in tremendously high foreclosure areas such as Hialeah Foreclosed Homes, have found that the defaulting borrower, the lender, and themselves can be made relatively happy by foregoing foreclosure. Many borrowers as well as lenders have worked diligently to avoid foreclosure, but there comes a time when foreclosure appears to be more than eminent, it's almost a done deal.
If you are going through default on your house and it is soon to be one of the many Los Angeles Foreclosed Homes, you do not have to move out as soon as you get a notification. Many people think that they have to be out of the home right away and this is not the case. When you receive notification from the bank that you have defaulted on your home loan and the foreclosure process has begun you do not have to move out right away. The process is simple but the move out process can actually take some time.
The agency has previously been criticized for backing mortgages for very little or no down payment; starting home buyers out with no equity at all in their homes which has been a contributing factor in the current economic climate. Whereas the FHA does need to better protect its funds so that a government bailout does not become a necessity, it does also hold some responsibility to helping the housing market to recover as well.
While this seems like a reasonable strategy, when you consider that the fall in housing prices has greatly reduced the amount of money that many of these homes are worth now, it is easy to see how listing your home at possibly a hugely inflated price is most certainly going to hurt your chance of a sale.
 
Article Directory Home All Categories Real Estate
 
 

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!
 
(We serve worldwide - Locations updated as at Wednesday, 10 February 2010 02:09 am , Singapore)
United States of America, USA . United Kingdom, UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) . Canada . Afghanistan . Albania . Algeria . American Samoa . Andorra . Angola . Anguilla . Antarctica . Antigua & Barbuda . Argentina . Armenia . Aruba . Australia . Austria . Azerbaijan . Bahamas . Bahrain . Bangladesh . Barbados . Belarus . Belgium . Belize . Benin . Bermuda . Bhutan . Bolivia . Bonaire . Bosnia-Herzegovina . Botswana . Brazil . British Virgin Islands . Brunei Darrusalam . Bulgaria . Burkina Faso . Burundi . Cambodia . Cameroon . Cape Verde . Cayman Islands . Central African Republic . Chad . Channel Islands . Chile . China . Christmas Island . Colombia . Comoros . Congo . Congo (Dem. Rep.) . Cook Islands . Costa Rica . Cote d'Ivoire . Croatia . Cuba . Curacao . Cyprus . Czech Republic . Denmark . Djibouti . Dominica . Dominican Republic . East Timor . Ecuador . Egypt . El Salvador . Equatorial Guinea . Eritrea . Estonia . Ethiopia . Falkland Islands and Dependencies . Faroe Islands . Fiji . Finland . France . French Guiana . French Polynesia . Gabon . Gambia . Gaza . Georgia . Germany . Ghana . Gibraltar . Greece . Greenland . Grenada . Guadeloupe . Guam . Guatemala . Guinea . Guinea-Bissau . Guyana . Haiti . Hawaiian Islands . Honduras . Hong Kong . Hungary . Iceland . India . Indonesia . Iran . Iraq . Isle Of Man . Israel . Italy . Ivory Coast . Jamaica . Japan . Johnston Atoll . Jordan . Kazakhstan . Kenya . Kiribati . Korea (North) . Korea (South) . Kuwait . Kyrgyzstan . Laos . Latvia . Lebanon . Leeward Islands . Lesotho . Liberia . Libya . Liechtenstein . Lithuania . Luxembourg . Macau . Macedonia . Madagascar . Malawi . Malaysia . Maldives . Mali . Malta . Marshall Islands . Martinique . Mauritania . Mauritius . Mexico . Micronesia (Federated States) . Midway Islands . Moldova . Monaco . Mongolia . Montserrat . Morocco . Mosquito Coast . Mozambique . Myanmar (Burma) . Namibia . Nauru . Navassa Island . Nepal . Netherlands . Netherlands Antilles . New Caledonia . New Zealand . Nicaragua . Niger . Nigeria . Niue . Norfolk Island . Northern Mariana Islands . Norway . Oman . Pakistan . Palau . Palestine . Panama . Papua New Guinea . Paracel Islands . Paraguay . Peru . Philippines . Pitcairn Islands . Poland . Portugal . Puerto Rico . Qatar . Reunion . Romania . Russia . Rwanda . Ryukyu Islands . Saint Helena . Saint Kitts and Nevis . Saint Lucia . Saint Pierre & Miquelon . Saint Vincent & The Grenadines . Samoa . San Marino . Sao Tome & Principe . Saudi Arabia . Senegal . Serbia . Seychelles . Sierra Leone . Singapore . Slovakia . Slovenia . Solomon Islands . Somalia . South Africa . Spain . Sri Lanka . Sudan . Suriname . Swaziland . Sweden . Switzerland . Syria . Taiwan . Tajikistan . Tanzania . Thailand . Togo . Tonga . Transkei . Trinidad & Tobago . Tunisia . Turkey . Turkmenistan . Turks and Caicos Islands . Tuvalu . US Virgin Islands . Uganda . Ukraine . United Arab Emirates . Upper Volta . Uruguay . Uzbekistan . Vanuatu . Vatican City (Holy See) . Venezuela . Vietnam . Wake Island . Windward Islands . Yemen . Yugoslavia . Zaire . Zambia . Zimbabwe
Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.

Afrikaans Albanian Arabic Belarusian Bulgarian Catalan Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Croatian Czech Danish German English Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Irish Italiano Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Maltese Dutch Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swahili Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Welsh Yiddish