TheAtlanta Journal-Constitution Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013

More homeowners want usableoutside space with featuresand fixtures. The pros offer tipson creating a space that’s rightfor you. H4

CONTRIBUTED BY BELGARD HARDSCAPES

Use youroutdoorspaces

COVERSTORY

h

On Page H11, you’ll find our weeklyfeature, Private Quarters, which takesyou on a tour of the home of Lee Hopkins.To see more photos of the house, go toMyAJC.com.

Sunday,Sept.22,2013

•TheAtlantaJournal-Constitution•

H4

Sunday, Sep 22, 2013 FIND 4 HHOME4HCyan Magenta Yellow Black

Filename: H4-FIND-HOME0922-HOMES Date/Time created: Sep 20 2013 6:42:25:296PM Username: SPEEDDRIVER08

From their screened-in back porch, Adam and Anna Drost enjoyed looking at their beautifully landscaped backyard.The Dunwoody couple also were satisfied with the functional and portable grill on the nearby deck.

Outstanding outdoorsBy Linda Jerkins,For theAJC

Adam and Anna Drost updated the grilling and cooking area in their Dunwoody backyard. Their outdoor kitchen includes a built-in stainless steel grill, a stone pizza oven and astone counter with seating, where guests can chat or watch the chef. LINDA JERKINS / AJC

COVERSTORY

H5•TheAtlantaJournal-C

onstitu

tion•Sunday,

Sept.22,20

13

Filename: H5-FIND-HOME0922-HOMES Date/Time created: Sep 20 2013 6:42:26:143PM Username: SPEEDDRIVER07

Sunday, Sep 22, 2013 FIND 5 HHOME5HCyan Magenta Yellow Black

Continued fromthepreviouspage

But after “too many lattes,” theDrosts decided they wanted more outof their backyard, including an updat-ed grilling area and more usable out-door living space. The impetus: havingyoung grandchildren and a desire tocarve out multiple areas for cooking,relaxing and playing.

For help and ideas, the Drostsworked with Mario DaSilva, the own-er of Cherokee Stone Center in HollySprings.

For starters, screens were removedto open up the covered porch. Stepsaway, DaSilva created a grilling ar-ea, which includes a built-in Webergrill, prep area, stone pizza oven anda stone counter with stools. A fire pitand seating wall were also added. Forconvenient runs from the grill area tothe indoor kitchen, a bay window inthe kitchen was replaced with Frenchdoors.

In addition to the grilling area, theDrosts created several play areas fortheir five young grandchildren, plusone on the way. By incorporating lotsof natural-looking stone in walkways,steps, columns and walls, multiple lev-els and areas were carved out of thelush backyard for different activities.

“We are using and enjoying thebackyard so much more,” Adam said.

Like the Drosts, more American ho-meowners want more usable outdoorspace, features and fixtures, accord-ing to a 2013 residential survey con-ducted by the American Society ofLandscape Architects.

Across all categories, 97 percent ofrespondents rated fire pits and fire-places as somewhat or very in-de-mand, followed by grills (96.3 per-cent), seating and dining areas (96.3percent), and lighting (95.1 percent).

But backyard updates and enter-tainment spaces aren’t new.

“The American love affair with out-door living started about 10 yearsago,” said Larry Smith, the market-ing manager of Brown Jordan OutdoorKitchens in Wallingford, Conn. “And itcontinues to grow as the economy im-proves and more homeowners whowant to maximize their outdoor livingspaces enter the market.”

Outdoor living areas, no matter howsmall or large, can add value to yourhome. But they take planning. To cre-ate a space that is right for you, consid-er these tips from various sources, in-cluding the Hearth, Patio & BarbecueAssociation, Brown Jordan OutdoorKitchens and Belgard Hardscapes.

The 14-foot-long stainless steel bar top features a floating grill, a built-in ice bin and towel storage space. Lots of outdoor kitchensuse stone and wood but modern spaces need something sleek. CONTRIBUTED BY RYANN FORD / AUSTIN OUTDOOR DESIGN

In this grill and bartending station, the cabinets feature a powder-coat finish in pewter.Powder-coat finishes are available in 10 standard colors and eight realistic wood looks.CONTRIBUTED BY DANVER STAINLESS STEEL CABINETRY

The Kingsley-Bate Nantucket deep seat-ing group offers comfy, stylish and du-rable seating for an outdoor living room.CONTRIBUTED BYAUTHENTEAK.COM / ATLANTA

COVERSTORY

Sunday,Sept.22,2013

•TheAtlantaJournal-Constitution•

H6

Sunday, Sep 22, 2013 FIND 6 HHOME6HCyan Magenta Yellow Black

Filename: H6-FIND-HOME0922-HOMES Date/Time created: Sep 20 2013 6:42:28:516PM Username: SPEEDDRIVER11

Continued fromthepreviouspage

Before you start■Use & location. Decide how you

want to use the space. If you have theroom, do you want separate or multi-ple areas for dining, relaxing and en-tertaining?

■Convenience. Does the distancebetween your indoor kitchen and grillmake frequent trips a hassle? If so, anupdated, more convenient grilling ar-ea may help you use and enjoy it more.

■On the surface. For steady foot-ing, consider the smooth surfaces ofstone, wood and interlocking concretepavers. They also are easy to clean orhose off when spills occur.

■ Integration. Your grill and cook-ing area should flow seamlessly withinan outdoor space. Think about the sizeand shape of a grill island or bar. Will itbe conducive to the space you alreadyhave? Choose styles and colors that fityour home’s aesthetic.

Budget optionsProfessionally built outdoor kitchens

that cost $20,000 and up are increasing-ly common. But you can save big bucksand have a comfortable grilling areawith these budget-friendly options:

■Pre-built, modular pieces that in-stall quickly are usually less expensivethan a custom-built grill area.

■Set up a stylish bar-height outdoortable and chairs (vs. a built-in).

■Portable refrigerators, gas grillswith side burners and roll-away prepcarts with built-in countertops in ornear the dining area are handy, butif you don’t have them, use portablecarts or side tables.

■ If your patio and grill area issmall, but you’re set on having a roomfor eating and entertaining, use the ar-ea for both activities. After dinner, pullyour dining chairs from the table andgroup them around a portable fire pit.

■ If your grill is near the house, cre-ate a pass-through (maybe with ex-isting windows) to the kitchen. Add acounter and stools on the outside.

■Forgo the fancy grill in favor of astone fire pit with attached grilling grates.

■ If you can’t afford a covered struc-ture, like a gazebo, consider an extra-large, free-standing umbrella that youcan move around.

■There are grills for every need,budget and lifestyle. Do you want yourgrill to be the centerpiece of your pa-tio or backyard or just a useful appli-ance for basic burgers? Do you cookoften? Do you cook just for your fami-ly, or do you want to entertain more?

Answering these questions before youshop could save you big bucks.

Product updates■Cooking. Grills, wood-fired pizza

ovens, smokers, refrigerators, sinks,ice-makers, cocktail bars and beertaps, warming drawers, and food prepareas. There are now dishwashers spe-cifically designed for the outdoors.

■Hearth. Wood-burning fireplaces,gas fireplaces, fire pits, plus fire andfountain combinations.

■Furniture. All-weather, high-styledining tables, couches, chairs andloungers.

■Entertainment. TVs with sur-round sound; music speakers; larger,outdoor theaters.

■Flooring. Stone, brick, slate andstamped concrete pavers.

■Shelter. Gazebos, pergolas, aw-nings and umbrellas.

■Lighting. Custom sconces andpendants; pathway and deck lighting.

■Accessories. Water and fade-re-sistant rugs and fabrics on pillowsand chairs; shatter-proof outdoor din-nerware designed to look like glazedearthenware.

■Water. Ponds, waterfalls, swim-ming pools and outdoor showers.

■Heating, cooling, plus. Free-stand-ing patio heaters, commercial-gradeheating and cooling systems; and auto-mated mosquito-control systems.

Trends■Year-round grilling■Restaurant-quality grills and

smokers■Stainless-steel and powder-coat-

ed cabinetry■Modular cabinetry systems■Cooking sheets that keep grill

marks intact and the grill clean.■A robot deemed the “R2D2 of the

grill” that gets the grease and grime offyour grill with minimal effort.

■Grills that offer dual fuel.■Fire pits that can be converted in-

to stovetops.■Forks that act as an all-in-one

baster, brush, bottle opener and flavorinjector.

■Elaborate stands that keep grillssuch as the Big Green Egg off theground.

The compactgrill area at thisMarietta home(above) featuresa sink for easycleanups and agranite countertop for prep. Ifthe area is nearthe house, hook-ups for plumbing,gas and electricare often easierand less costly.CONTRIBUTED BY JOE

COULSON

The wood-firedoven (left) issuitable for bak-ing pizzas, plusroasting andsmoking meats.With five or sixsmall logs, theoven will reach700˚in just 20minutes. CONTRIB-UTED BY

DANVER STAINLESS

STEEL CABINETRY

COVERSTORY

ABOUTTHECOVERPHOTOThepergolaandflooringgivedefinitionto thisoutdoorkitchen,grillinganddiningarea,settingboundaries similar tothewaywalls andceilingsdo indoors.