Diversions May 15, 2014

Yard Project Season Kicks Off for Homeowners

Creating space for entertaining and fixing problems are equally important to homeowners when it comes to landscaping projects, according to the Spring Houzz Landscaping Survey. 
Reported by

As temperatures heat up, so does outdoor living. Backyards are turning into entertaining spaces (83%), outdoor eating spaces (73%) and outdoor living rooms (53%). Features such as patios and decks (83%), barbecues (48%), fire pits (48%), sound systems (19%) and outdoor kitchens (14%) are getting a lot of homeowner love. For evening entertaining, seven in 10 homeowners are installing lights to illuminate their hardscape.

More than half of homeowners (56%) are making updates to improve yards for entertaining. The other half (55%) want to solve a range of issues, such as flooding (41%), sun exposure (25%) and privacy (23%). After a dry winter in the West, 30% of homeowners in that region are working on their yards to address a shortage of water.

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Other backyard improvement trends include:

 

  • Homeowners updating the lighting in their yards are going green, using either LED (58%) or solar-powered lights (56%).
  • Most homeowners (92%) choose plants native to their region.
  • Traditional lawns remain popular but significantly less so in the West (69%) versus the Midwest (88%), East (87%) and South (86%). Alternatives to traditional lawns are appearing throughout the country, with homeowners in the South choosing mondo grass (20%) and those in the dry West saving on water bills and upkeep with artificial lawns (16%).
  • Many homeowners are joining the local food movement, with nearly two-thirds (64%) planning to grow edibles in their yard. Seven in 10 are growing edibles for the first time.
  • Herbs are most popular (73%), followed by vegetables (70%) and fruit trees (51%). 

 

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