Las Vegas homebuilders are delivering ‘outdoor rooms’

Builders across the Las Vegas Valley are becoming more innovative with their patio options as the indoor/outdoor lifestyle continues to grow in popularity.

Though temperatures in Southern Nevada prohibit many homeowners from enjoying their patios during the day this time of year, Blue Heron Principal Tyler Jones said the company is incorporating sophisticated patio features to combat that.

“We integrate different elements to make them comfortable spaces such as misting systems and heating elements so families can gather around when it’s cooler in the winter,” Jones said. “We also do media with the patios and incorporate televisions, movie projectors and sound systems to create outdoor movie theatres.”

Jones said Blue Heron’s patios are “finely finished,” as their clients are looking for elements that make their patios more interesting and usable.

“In the past, people used to think about yards as concrete slabs, a pool and some plants, and they’re not thinking of it that way anymore,” he said. “We spend more time designing patios and outdoor spaces just as much as our interior spaces, and that’s what makes the home appealing.”

Blue Heron, Jones said, spends a lot of time creating outdoor spaces that blur the lines between indoors and outdoors.

“We feel like we’ve accomplished something if you’re outside but you don’t realize you are,” he said. “We’ll continue to figure out more interesting ways to give homeowners that perception that in/out is one continuous living space.”

Jones said Blue Heron will continue to make their patios more useful and attractive to encourage people to live outdoors.

“We walk people through our models that have outdoor bedrooms and while some people might not use them, some think, ‘Wow, I’d sleep out here, it’s beautiful,’ ” he said. “We want them to envision themselves living outside more often and anything we can do to make it more comfortable, practical and appealing is kind of a fun challenge for us so we’ll continue to push the envelope.”

Another Las Vegas builder, Century Communities, offers homeowners covered patios with pavers either as a standard feature or optional upgrade depending on the plan and community, marketing manager Melissa Fama-Flis said.

“Last year, Century considered what wasn’t working for home shoppers in the current housing market and designed new products with the buyer in mind,” she said. “Most importantly, small and shallow patios are not on most homebuyer’s wish lists. The Century buyer wants room for their patio furniture along with plenty of space to relax, dine and entertain.”

Fama-Flis said Century’s covered patios typically range from 10 feet to 12 feet deep while its newest model at Monte Lucca at Lake Las Vegas is 17 feet deep.

“Many of the Century floor plans are designed to allow for a seamless flow from the kitchen or great room through an oversized multislide door and onto a covered patio, creating an exceptional indoor/outdoor-living experience,” she said. “Whenever a buyer adds a balcony option, it will always be a covered area because, especially in Las Vegas, it is difficult to enjoy such a feature without a little shade.”

Touchstone Living offers homeowners an array of patio options including oversized, detached covered and even a double-decker patio, which engulfs two floors and is open on two or three sides, company president Tom McCormick said.

“We get pretty elaborate with our patios,” he said. “It’s not small like the ones we used to see. They’ve become outdoor rooms.”

McCormick added that Touchstone offers larger lots, which give homebuyers more patio opportunities.

“There’s more of a demand for patios because homebuyers often want to spend more time outside if they’re asking for a larger lot,” he said. “They tend to gravitate toward covered patios because while having the sun on you is uncomfortable, people live here because they like the dry, warm weather and they can enjoy it during cooler months, too.”

Touchstone’s newest communities in the northwest portion of the valley boast great views that homeowners can enjoy from their patios, McCormick said.

“It’s meant to be a room that you can use literally every day with unbelievable views attached to it,” he said.

McCormick said Touchstone will continue to incorporate the latest ideas into its patios.

“We think for a company like ours to be competitive that we have to try things that are different and when people began talking about indoor/outdoor living, we jumped in with both feet,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate because the idea has worked really well.”

Contact reporter Ann Friedman at afriedman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Follow @AnnFriedmanRJ on Twitter.