Gary Krambeck
Home owner Terry Speak relaxes with a copy of the Radish and the company of his dog Maxx on his new patio designed by Robert Lowder of Robert's Lawn and Landscape. More photos from this shoot
It's a beautiful summer evening - birds are chirping and a gentle breeze is blowing. You look around and see your family glued to the TV and/or computer, oblivious to the lovely weather. Didn't they spend enough time inside last winter? There has to be a way to get them outside, without resorting to flagging down the ice cream truck. The key to getting the family to spend time outdoors is to make it as inviting as possible, and dragging a TV outside doesn't count. Having an amazing view helps, but even if you live in the middle of town, you can create an outdoor living area that captivates your family. 'Outdoor living has become very popular with families,' says Robert Lowder of Robert's Lawn and Landscape, Inc., in the Quad-Cities. 'Eating meals and reading can be done outside and recreational fires are great for getting people together outdoors.' According to Shauntelle Hamlett, owner of the blog A Beautiful Abode (abeautifulabode.com), 'the key to creating a family- and budget-friendly backyard haven lies in determining exactly how you want to use the space, BEFORE you start buying furniture. Will you have outdoor dinners in the evenings? Do you want your children to play games, color and read outdoors? Or do you just need a space to sip lemonade and relax? To get started, make a list of every activity that you want to enjoy in your backyard with your family. Then decide which activities could occur in the same areas; for instance, reading, relaxing, playing board games and having dinner could all occur in the same area, but you'd probably want a separate area for water gun fights and playing Frisbee or kickball.' After deciding how the space can be used by your family, the next step is to determine which activities will take place outdoors. There's no sense planning an outdoor area that can handle large dinner parties when you only entertain crowds once or twice a year. 'Suppose you have a patio and a grassy area,' says Hamlett. 'The patio will be perfect for quiet activities like dinner, reading, board games, etc. The grassy area would be better for active pursuits. 'At this point, you can start purchasing furniture to fit each area. This doesn't have to be an expensive endeavor. If you have a covered patio, you might have basement furniture you can repurpose to bring outdoors to create a reading/relaxing/dining area. It could be as simple as a few folding chairs with chair cushions and a small wooden table. Use attractive large flower pots to store books, magazines and board games. One cute idea is to use a tent in a shady corner of the yard for a reading/quiet spot for the kids. The most important thing is to find a decorative way to store the items you want to encourage your family to use in each area. If bubbles are stored outdoors, kids are more likely to gravitate outdoors to use them. Ditto with books, crayons, paper, water guns ... if you provide the entertainment, they will use it.' If you've been using a lot of chemicals on your lawn, you may want to change to more organic measures if you want your family to spend time outdoors. 'Nix the chemicals,' says Jenn Savadge, author of 'The Green Parent: A Kid-Friendly Guide to Earth-Friendly Living.' 'Sure, you want your yard to be beautiful, but you also want it to be safe for your family and for the environment,' she says. 'So steer clear of synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Look for natural alternatives instead.' If your outdoor living plans include new landscaping, be sure to involve the whole family. 'Plant a tree or a garden with your kids and you will create a memory that will last well after the last vegetable is picked or the last leaf has fallen,' says Savadge. The best places to get ideas for outdoor living areas are local garden centers, but Lowder cautions that not every idea is ideal for the do-it-yourselfer. 'Major brick work (such as an outdoor fireplace) should be left to a professional. Also, homeowners may need help with placing plants in the right spot.' Home and garden magazines and Websites, such as Lowe's Creative Ideas (lowescreativeideas.com) are full of ideas. Don't worry that all your hard decorating work will go to waste on your family. If you build it, they will come and enjoy themselves until the snow flies.
See an example of Robert Lowder's brick landscape design at the 2008 Healthy Living Fair. To contact Lowder, call (563) 359-0504.
