Local builders say they almost always rough-in a gas line for outside cooking these days when they build a house, even though most of their clients finish their outside spaces later.
"A gas line outside used to be more of an option," said Phil Leibovitz, principal at custom builders Sandy Spring Builders in Bethesda. "Now it's pretty much standard for us. We didn't used to do that three or four years ago. People are asking for screened-in porches a lot more, too."
Linda Mclean has created an entire living area outside her Brookeville home that includes not only a pool, patio and eating area, but also a Gazebo enclosed spa with builtin television and dvd system.
(Michael Lutzky - The Washington Post)
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At the most extreme end of the outdoor living trend is a product such as the U9000, an outdoor kitchen-entertainment center made by Cal Spas of Pomona, Calif., that retails for $30,000. The outdoor kitchen includes a gas grill, separate burners, a refrigerator, a sink, a fire pit, a fireplace, a seating area and an entertainment center with a 42-inch plasma TV screen that rises from the countertop.
"We built it mostly to show off what we could do," said Casey Loyd, president and chief executive of Cal Spas. "We didn't think we'd sell a lot of them. But it's turning out to be one of our hottest items." Loyd said Cal Spas has sold some 2,000 U9000s around the country since the product was launched in April.
But even for just grilling burgers on a hot summer night, gone are the days of the humble hibachi sitting by itself outside the kitchen door. Americans spent $3 billion on barbecues and accessories in 2003, according to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association; a recent poll by The Washington Post found that 46 percent of area residents, when asked about their weekend, said that they had barbecued food outdoors.
"Grills are larger and fancier than ever before," said Bob Garner, director of design at Reico Kitchen & Bath, which has nine appliance showrooms in the Washington area. "The amount of heat they generate is almost commercial grade. Some have halogen lights incorporated into the top so you can see in the dark. Others have side burners, warming drawers, rotisseries. Some offer heaters incorporated on the side or underneath so that you can stay warm. Consumers want outdoor appliances to do the same things that their appliances inside do."
Around those new outdoor appliances, consumers are then creating distinctive outdoor spaces.
"We're getting requests for more and more elaborately constructed spaces further from the house," said Lila Fendrick of Lila Fendrick Landscape Architecture and Garden Design in Chevy Chase. "Like garden pavilions with remote kitchens, living rooms and dining rooms."
Paul Albright, president of East Coast Wholesale Distributors Inc. in Gaithersburg, said more local consumers are buying gazebos and then using them to create "outdoor environments" around their spas, grills or picnic tables.
He said his company, which sells hot tubs, decks and other outdoor amenities, has had a 250 percent increase in sales in the last five years. "It's amazing how much stuff people are putting into their back yards."
But a pleasing outdoor space can also be created without spending thousands of dollars on fancy new products, "in the tiniest of spaces and with the tiniest of wallets," landscape architect Clinton said. "A room outside can be as a simple as a small Georgetown garden with two chaise longues, an end table, and a beautiful bowl that captures rainwater and acts as a reflective surface. It's all about scale and proportion."
Fabrics for outdoor furniture are also now much more varied -- and durable -- than they were just a few years ago.
"There are performance fabrics that have been developed in the past three or four years that can withstand the most punishing elements outside," Casual Living magazine's Ingram said. "And they look just as good and have the feel of interior fabrics." Ingram said manufacturers have moved away from green or sand colors for outside, too, and are now offering spa blues, hot pinks, oranges and reds.
She said sales of outdoor rugs have taken off in the past couple of years. And outdoor fixtures such as lamps and sconces are now similar in design to what's available for inside the home, but made to withstand the elements.
