Outdoor living alters landscape

Photos by Borst Landscape & Design

The Kaiser family's Ho-Ho-Kus home after landscaping. Others are adding fireplaces and even TVs.

In the past few years, members of the Kaiser family have radically transformed the back yard of their Ho-Ho-Kus home, starting with a patio, a deck and a built-in barbecue.

Drainage projects came next, followed by additional plantings, exterior lighting and, finally, a full-sized pool.

The home before the landscaping.

"My husband likes to grill and I like not to cook," said Michelle Kaiser, who said their three teenagers adore the pool and their extended family from the city loves to visit the great outdoors. "As the years have gone by, we've been able to make it into the space that we really love and really can use."

Creating outdoor living spaces is one of the hottest trends in landscape architecture, local and national experts say.

"There is a real focus on the exterior of your home," said Mark Borst, owner of Allendale-based Borst Landscape & Design, which did the project on the Kaiser home. "It's almost like creating a different room for your house. It's about the barbecue, outdoor rooms that have a roof but open sides, a fireplace. There are outdoor TVs with surround sound. Everything you think of normally having inside is creeping outside."

The American Society of Landscape Architects 2014 trends survey found that 92 percent of those professionals surveyed indicated that outdoor kitchens and living areas were somewhat or very popular. Also ranking high were lighting; fire pits or fireplaces; and installed seating, including benches, walls, steps, ledges and boulders.

While good landscaping can improve the value of your home, most people caution that you're not going to get a dollar-for-dollar return.

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Outdoor living alters landscape