Over the last few years, the term "staycation" has come to mean spending quality time at home and instead of spending money on air fair and travel.  Investing in your own back yard and home is the result. See what the top Landscape Architects say homeowners are looking at and the trends they are following.

From simple back yard fire pits to elaborate dining areas, homeowners are looking to improve their outdoor living spaces. The American Society Of Landscape Architects completed a survey recently of their top members as to what is interesting to consumers and what trends are expected for 2011. Of high importance to many homeowners is green remodeling and water usage management. The survey results below touched on this trend.  

Other Resources:

• The American Society of Landscape Architects 
• Landscape Lighting From "This Old House"
• Environmentally-Friendly and Water-Efficient Landscaping 
• Helpful Videos on Landscape Topics 
• Backyard Tips From HGTV 
  

Back To The Survey! 
(Remember, these responses are from the Landscape Architects when asked about trends homeowners are contemplating.)

The most popular outdoor living features this year include upgraded lighting, with 96.2 percent indicating the feature as somewhat or very popular for 2011. Rounding out the top five are fire pits (94.2 percent), seating/dining areas (94.1 percent), grills (93.8 percent) and installed seating (89.5 percent).

Among landscape and garden elements, interest continues to focus on low maintenance landscapes (94.2 percent), native plants (87.2 percent) water features (81.0 percent), and food/vegetable gardens (80.3 percent).

Respondents also indicated wide interest in several sustainable design features, such as water-efficient irrigation (83.1 percent) permeable paving (77.0 percent) and reduced lawn (72.6 percent).

Outdoor Living Features (Percent rating "somewhat" or "very popular" for 2011)
Lighting - 96.2%
Fire pits/fireplace - 94.2%
Seating/dining areas - 94.1%
Grills - 93.8%
Installed seating (benches, seat walls, ledges, steps, boulders) - 89.5%
Weatherized outdoor furniture - 83.6%
Counter space - 74.2%
Utility storage - 61.3%
Stereo systems - 58.3%
Sinks - 54.7%
Refrigerators - 50.2%
Wireless/Internet connectivity - 46.3%
Televisions/projection screens - 45.4%
Outdoor heaters - 44.4%
Showers/bathing - 42.1%
Outdoor cooling systems (including fans) - 36.7%
Bedrooms/sleeping spaces - 10.4%

Outdoor Recreation Amenities
Decorative water elements such as ornamental pools, splash pools, waterfalls, grottos, water runnels or bubblers - 84.7%
Spa (hot tub, Jacuzzi, whirlpool, indoor/outdoor sauna) - 75.9%
Swimming Pools - 69.4%
Sports/recreational spaces (tennis courts, bocce ball, etc.) - 47.7%

Landscape/Garden Elements
Low maintenance landscapes - 94.2%
Native plants - 87.2%
Fountains/ornamental water features - 81.0%
Food/Vegetable gardens (including orchards/vineyards etc.) - 80.3%
Organic gardens - 65.5%
Ponds/streams - 62.5%
Rain gardens - 56.6%
Xeriscaping or dry gardens - 56.3%

Eco Friendly
Sustainable Design Elements Native/adapted drought-tolerant plants - 88.8%
Drip/water-efficient irrigation - 83.1%
Permeable paving - 77.0%
Reduced lawn - 72.6%
Recycled materials - 64.5%
Rainwater/graywater harvesting - 63.6%
Compost bins - 49.4%
Solar-powered lights - 48.8%
Geothermal-heated pools - 23.2% 

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