During your home search, whether visiting homes virtually or online, many “must-haves” are obvious: a great location, the right schools, updated kitchens and bathrooms, ample square footage, and more. One often overlooked, but arguably–an equally important feature of any home is the backyard space.
The practicality of a house drives much of the decision-making in selecting the perfect property. During your real estate hunt, you may envision your furniture placement in the living areas or whether that alcove off the master bedroom will suffice as a home office. You may try to see yourself cooking in the kitchen or soaking in the garden tub. Perhaps you are calculating whether or not all of your holiday decor will fit into the attic or how you might set up a craft area in the bonus room. Will some of those curtains you’ve been toting around each PCS finally get put to use?
Sure, it’s wise to be pragmatic. There is another space you need to take some time to consider: your backyard. This summer, set aside your usual framework for judging a home’s typical criteria and instead let your mind settle into a dream state about all your outdoor space may have to offer you.
(Cue hammock, a refreshing cool beverage of choice, and that reverie between wakefulness and sleep…)
It’s the weekend or perhaps you just happen to be spending more time at home than usual. As you drift off you begin to imagine the limitless possibilities of the space behind your house as it lures you in. How will you utilize the space? Go ahead, count the ways.
Backyards can be places of freedom for pets and children. Backyards can be places to relax by planting a vegetable or flower garden, or a row of fruit trees. Backyards can be an oasis with hammocks or a pergola over a patio.
Backyards can be a place for nature gazing: deer, birds, constellations, and more. Backyards can be where you put a pool to keep cool in the warm summer months. Backyards can house a tire swing, an inflatable for your kids’ birthday parties, a fire pit for s’mores and ghost stories, or a place to host the neighborhood happy hour.
Backyards can invite hospitality without the pressure of a clean house. Backyards can be large or small; have lots of grass or be xeroscaped; have concrete or gravel. May host the wood pile for a cold winter. Have a fence or wide open space. No matter the size or layout, the perfectly planned space can help you enjoy the life you work so hard to provide for yourself and your family.
A backyard is the gift that keeps on giving. You don’t have to stress about keeping it mowed and manicured– pay a local teenager or hire a lawn service. Or let it be your stress relief where you decompress, have time to think behind the mower or weed eater, and in the process create a pattern in your grass that will earn you the envy of your neighbors.
During this time of stay at home orders, families have returned to practices reminiscent of a simpler by-gone era. People are utilizing this precious space heavily and realizing what a valuable commodity a great yard space can be.
Corn hole, inflatable pools, cricket, wiffle ball, spreading a quilt to lay in the sun, badminton, and a place to play fetch with your pups have all become vitally important. Swing sets, trampolines, reading hammocks, running through the sprinkler, and grilling burgers in outdoor kitchens are all the rage. For some families having the space for these pursuits has been a literal sanity saver.
The thing to note about a backyard is its limitless possibilities for adventure, fun, relaxation, restoration, and recreation. Think of your backyard as the fun zone. It’s like a bonus space. It can be as primitive and private or as manicured and welcoming as you’d like; a place for solitude or for gathering. A place for letting loose or watching things grow: kids, plants, pets, green grass, or wildlife.
A space for catching fireflies, kids playing neighborhood tag, dogs running laps or having a place to stretch their legs, birthday parties, a simple wedding, bonfires, campouts in tents, or solitary star gazing. Think outside the box and the traditional floor plan. The sky really is the limit.
