With the amount of time we’ve spent in our homes over the past two years, it’s only natural that many of us have found new ways to make the most of them.
“Outdoor living spaces are very hot,” says Bobby Krull, owner of St. Louis–based Bobby K Designs and Rescue Landscaping and Outdoor Living. Krull designs and installs decks, patios, and the like for a living, but his thousands of followers on YouTube and TikTok know him as the friendly design talent whose creative ideas help bolster curb appeal. “[Outdoor areas] are an extension of the home,” he says. “A lot of times, those rooms crush the inside rooms—they’re that cool. With HGTV and YouTube and all these DIY shows, it’s made our business and market explode. People see the value.”
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That value often translates into additional square footage for living and entertaining, as well as into dollars and cents. According to 2022 St. Louis REALTORS president Katie Berry, homes with ready-to-use outdoor spaces, such as a kitchen or water access, command higher prices in an already hot market.
“If you own a property with a unique outdoor space, it’s really going to give you a leg up. [For example], in a typical market, we don’t think of pools as adding value to homes, but right now, pool companies are seeing rushes. It’s my understanding that many companies have extensive waitlists, which is pushing competition on already-built homes with pools to be a lot higher.”
Such outdoor features as fire pits, kitchens, and living rooms with media centers and app-controlled heating, air, and sound are some of the most popular projects right now, says Krull. Recently, he converted his own backyard into an inviting living room with a lean-to–style structure complete with a fireplace and kitchen overlooking the pool. He says his goal was to demonstrate how homeowners benefit from well-designed outdoor spaces year-round, even in Missouri.
“I don’t want people to be locked down into thinking, I can’t have that because I don’t live in California, or I don’t live in Florida,” Krull says. “That is not true. I absolutely can bring those kinds of spaces to St. Louis.”
But buyers should do their research before contacting a designer and writing that first check. Berry says it’s important that homeowners understand whether their property will retain its value with the addition of a new outdoor space, and if they can add one at all.
“If you have a project in mind when buying a house, talk to your Realtor about it,” she says. “They can make sure you’re protected.”
For example, when drawing up the contract, agents can stipulate that the sale is contingent on getting permission to install a pool or deck. “Say there’s a sewer easement that runs through the property, and now you can’t build that pool,” she says. “Talk to the professional while [you’re] in that home-buying process.”
Homeowners should also consider their long-term plans. For those investing in a forever home, building a space tailored to specific tastes makes sense, but anyone planning to stay in a home for a short time may want to solicit the opinion of their agent before proceeding. Find out what sells and what features are a good return on investment.
Whatever project homeowners decide upon, they should make it their own. “Once you start getting furniture, you start decorating, you start getting little focal points out there, [that’s] when it starts to take on a life of its own,” says Krull. “People end up spending more time outside than they do inside. I’ve seen it; I do it at my own place. You want to spend as much time out there as possible.”
