Careful planning provides comfortable outdoor living spaces, even in shoulder seasons and winter.
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
From decks to terraces and rooftop gardens, carving out a little bit of outdoor space is top of mind for today’s builders and designers. Many are incorporating innovative and functional floor plans that flow beautifully from indoors to out, across the seasons.
“Maximizing outdoor living spaces has become increasingly important, not just for enjoying the beautiful summer weather, but also for extending outdoor living into the cooler fall and winter months,” says Isabella Barone, marketing co-ordinator at Jayman Built, noting that covered outdoor terraces and patios are becoming increasing popular.
One of the Jayman’s latest designs, the Bentley 24, encapsulates the essence of outdoor living. The show home, located in the community of Legacy, offers four bedrooms and more than 2,400 square feet of living space, along with a third-floor loft with an oversized 165 sq. ft. front-facing terrace and an 11 ft. by 10 ft. deck off of the main level dining room, accessed through sliding glass doors. In addition to this design, many of its multi-family offerings feature enviable outdoor decks, for example, the Magna in University District offers more than 2,000 sq. ft. of outdoor space in its penthouse designs and close to 700 sq. ft. terraces in its Springs collection at the Streams of Lake Mahogany.
Carla Dean, designer of product development at Homes by Avi, notes that customers have come to expect outdoor spaces.
“But it’s really how these spaces are addressed that makes the biggest difference to the value of a home,” says Dean. Increased living area, enhanced entertainment, connection with nature, a place for pets and children to play, as well as an opportunity for customization are just a few of the pluses.
“Overall, outdoor living spaces offer a number of benefits for new home buyers, enhancing their quality of life, increasing functionality and adding value to their investment and lifestyle,” says Dean, noting that some of these spaces also add plenty of “wow” to a home’s look.
“A ground level patio creates a welcome entry and provides a spot to interact with neighbours, or a rear balcony off your kitchen extends your living space, while a covered balcony off of a primary suite provides the perfect oasis,” says Dean, adding that some of the most appealing outdoor spaces involve a deck over a walkout patio, doubling the outdoor living opportunities.
One of the reasons for the push to create an array of indoor-outdoor living plans is the move toward smaller lot sizes in new communities.
“As we move into communities where the lots are becoming smaller in width and length, we are having to come up with solutions for the rear yard,” says Richard Bukarewicz, vice-president of architecture and design at Cardel Homes. “Rear amenity spaces that are functional, with a focus on hard landscaping and low maintenance and subsequently water conservation, are becoming increasingly important.”
He says the vision is to design rear courtyards as a sanctuary from the city’s noise and bustle. He also notes that home designs that flow from inside to out are in demand. Cardel has introduced new designs in the community of Alpine Park, where the vision embraces walkability and connectivity, including architecture that features front porches and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks. The Apex, one of the new designs, is a 2,020-sq.-ft., three-storey, three-bedroom, laned home with a covered third-storey balcony, which offers lovely views of the surrounding park spaces. The architecture exudes plenty of character, while providing excellent flow from the indoors to the outdoors.
“The Savoy is also another very good example of a design that we took and wanted to extend the inside of the home to the outside. Larger patio doors and windows look out onto the rear courtyard. The change in the wall material invites you outside to spend time in the spaces,” says Bukarewicz of this 2,600-sq.-ft. luxury home that presents on a wider lot offering a triple-car garage.
“The whole notion of creating indoor and outdoor living spaces is about creating a flow that allows you to move comfortably through the spaces,” says Christopher Lemke of Alloy Homes. “We try to create homes that are comfortable to be next to when you are outside. How does the house have your back? People like to be embraced by the architecture.”
Many of Alloy’s designs use the arms or the massing of the home to create a courtyard.
“But all of these opportunities for indoor-outdoor interaction are unique to each site,” says Lemke, noting that you may want to open up to the views or protect yourself from winds or a busy road.
As for what’s trending: folding glass door systems that dissolve the entire wall, screened-in patios with retractable louvered roofs, and natural, authentic materials.
“It’s really important to create a halfway zone, a gradual transition space between the inside and the outside,” says Lemke. “What this allows you to do is build a smaller house, as visually, your eyes are drawing out of the envelope into the yard and functionally, you are creating a microclimate that can be used in the shoulder seasons.”
But really, “when it comes to outdoor spaces, the sky is the limit,” he says, describing a current project, a home with a 600-sq.-ft., two-storey treehouse in the midst of a forest that will be accessed by a bridge from the main home.