The Ins and Outs of Entertaining Outside
At the recent Design and Construction Week in Las Vegas, it was obvious that outdoor living is becoming an important focus for new home buyers. Knowing that a home has room to entertain and enjoy the great outdoors, as well as under-roof enclosed living spaces, is becoming a big consideration when looking for a new home.
This year, Design and Construction Week had over 124,000 attendees, 2,500 exhibitors, and over 1.2 million square feet of exhibits. That ended up being a lot of walking, but it was also a wonderful opportunity to view and learn about what trends we will be seeing in 2025 and beyond.
The lines are blurring between outdoor and indoor living spaces. Both Champion and Cavco had two homes at the show, and they both received much attention. Cavco brought two 400-square-foot park models, including one with a rooftop observation deck that was always busy. A covered porch on the front of the home made it feel much more significant than its square footage. The Champion home had a front porch that lent itself to entertaining. Both homes featured a lot of glass with large doors that open to the outside areas.
One of the new trends in outdoor living that we noticed was innovations in grills and outdoor fireplaces. Smeg has a new line of electric grills, making it possible to use them almost anywhere. There are now many options for outdoor fireplaces that use electricity and are also a heat source for those colder days.
Communities also realize that outdoor living areas add lifestyle and value to a property like never before. It is also easier to live in a smaller space when there are community areas to enjoy.
The Reserve at Flores Valley is a new neighborhood community near San Antonio that encourages active, involved residents. Cavco’s In Neighborhood division, Clayton Homes, and Champion Homes all have new homes for sale in the community. The Reserve at Flores Valley features an enclosed soccer field, dog park, beautiful pool, and picnic pavilion complete with grills, which residents can enjoy all year long.
Fire pits are also a great addition to any outdoor space. They can be fueled with propane or firewood and use stones, lava rocks, ceramic logs, or even glass.
These create a great space to gather with friends or family. It’s also the perfect place to watch the sun come up with warm cup of coffee.
Pizza ovens are also becoming a favorite outdoor cooking spot. They range in price from $100 to thousands of dollars and are about more than just cooking pizzas. The clay and brick forms of these have been used for over 4,000 years and are ideal ways to roast vegetables, bake focaccia bread, create a cheesecake, or even make Bananas Foster!
The Louisville Manufactured Housing Show also featured innovative ideas for including outdoor living spaces in our homes. With consumers’ renewed interest in investing more in outdoor living spaces, Franklin Homes had a model with a covered porch area complete with a built-in bar, sink, and refrigerator. There is also an additional seating area with a stone fireplace and TV above — the perfect fall place to watch those college football games.
The Cavco Millenian model at Louisville also was built for outdoor entertaining. Its kitchen has a hydraulic lift window that opens to the outdoor entertaining space, which also has a large television and fireplace. The window makes it ideal for passing beverages or appetizers.
Outdoor kitchens are becoming more popular, with built-in appliances like beverage drawers and ice makers. All-weather cabinetry is now available in hundreds of colors and styles, making it easy to customize your space to your lifestyle.
As these options become more popular, the pricing seems to be improving, too, and favorites like pizza ovens are now within reach of everyone. I can’t wait to see what our manufacturers have in store for us in 2025.
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