What's the most prevalent trend, you ask? Turning backyards into literal getaways that in many cases rival the finest private resort, that's what.
"No question, it's a trend that's being driven by the price of gas and cottage country property," says Don Carson, co-owner of Krevco Lifestyles on Berry Street. "Doing up your backyard to meet your needs is way more cost-effective and convenient. Your yard is there for life, and if you put some thought into it, you can get some real bang for your buck."
There's another factor -- other than the desire to have a place go to find physical and mental renewal -- that's convinced people that transforming their backyard into an outdoor spa is the way to go, he adds.
"A significant increase in product quality has also fuelled the trend. Today's outdoor furniture and accessories are made to last, and stand up better to elements than ever before. The result is that you can create a complete outdoor great room with all the features you want, with accessories that stand up," he says. "It's become a very worthwhile investment."
Aqua-Tech Pool and Spas' Joe Urmos agrees.
"People are definitely spending more -- from $35,000 and up, from what we're seeing," he says. "It's not unheard of for someone to go to town and do up their yard in the six-figure range. Really, it's becoming more the rule than the exception. Our average job would be in the $58,000 range. Last year, we built about 45 to 50 pools alone. Why are people doing it? Simple: It adds significant value to their home, and they don't have to go anywhere to take a load off and enjoy themselves."
You name it, people are doing it, says Urmos: Pools, waterfalls, hot tubs, stamped concrete surrounds, outdoor kitchens with gargantuan barbeques (even outdoor sinks) -- not to mention the (almost) obligatory deck. Projects can either encompass the whole yard, or part of it, depending on budget and a customer's needs.
"Some customers have us do it for them all at once, others in phases. We can do it all for you, including the concrete, which we do ourselves to quicken project timelines and quality," he explains. "We can even show you how it will look before we start -- we can do a 360-degree view on computer that shows you exactly what you'll be getting. That's an incredibly important feature when you're spending lots of money."
Carson's partner at Krevco, Craig Gatzlaff, says the sky is virtually the limit. For one-third of the money that might be spent on buying a cottage, a backyard spa/great room can pay for itself in short order.
"Because it's right there, you'll be getting that much more use out of it," he says. "You can spend $20,000, $80,000 or even $150,000 to $200,000, it's your call -- you can get a dynamic, beautiful backyard for $15,000 to $20,000. We have the product from entry-level to high-end, so you can create a quality backyard escape that meets your budget and needs that's very affordable. The strong Canadian dollar is also helping, because our supplies and accessories now cost 20 per cent less."
One of the hottest trends, say Urmos, Carson and Gatzlaff, is installing waterfalls by pools. The reason for that is linked strongly to a feeling of well-being.
"We've done about 40 Rico Rock (simulated rock) waterfalls in the last five years -- they not only look great, but the sound is very relaxing and therapeutic," Urmos says. They also require very little maintenance."
Last year, Sandy Debroure and her husband Rollie decided to transform their backyard into a summer retreat. It's a decision they've never regretted.
"It's our own little oasis," she says. "We'd searched cottage country and and ended up purchasing a small place out a Clear Lake. Eventually, we gave up the ghost because of the effort and dollars involved in heading out their on a regular basis. Ultimately, we decided doing the backyard suited our family better."
Once everything was in place -- and all family members were enjoying the retreat -- it was very apparent they'd made a very good choice.
"Our three kids (ages six, 12 and 14) are out there several hours a day swimming and having fun -- it's just a great thing. It's easier on us, because we don't have to pack, unpack and maintain the cottage every week," says Debroure. "It's right here for us to just enjoy on a daily basis. The kids can bring their friends over for a safe, fun time, and my husband and I can come home and enjoy it at any time. We still go to the lake, but we spend the bulk of our time here. It's been a great addition so far."
Former NHL goaltender Trevor Kidd, who recently had Aqua-Tech revamp his entire backyard, echoes Debroure's sentiments.
"We have three kids, and with soccer and so many other activities, we don't have a lot of time to drive out to the cottage in Kenora," says the former Calgary Flames star. "It got to the point where we just said, 'we've got to put a pool in the backyard.'"
After shopping around, Kidd settled on Aqua-Tech to do the entire job. In his mind, three particular design features stand out: An oversized deep end, waterfall and stairs (instead of a ladder) in the deep end.
"Our kids are older, so we decided to extend the deep end for them to dive and swim," he says. "The waterfall has been a great surprise -- if you can bite the financial bullet, I would tell everyone to get one. The kids have so much fun on it and diving off it, and it looks great. And the stairs in the deep end mean you can just walk out. Now, we're not going to the lake every weekend. When we have the time, our family spends two or three hours in the backyard, we enjoy it so much."
