We’re doing a lot of complete backyard makeovers, outdoor fireplaces, and outdoor kitchens, as well as flashy things like fire bowls and unique lighting packages. I’d say a good 20- to 30 percent of our projects have outdoor fireplaces and outdoor kitchens.
We’re also doing a lot of outdoor structures, much more than we used to. We became licensed a few years back as a general residential contractor, so theoretically we can get a permit to build a house. So we’re doing full-fledged pool houses and pavilions, covered verandas, lanais — all kinds of different things that we can either attach to another building or have freestanding. These structures give more depth to the yard and create more of an outdoor room.
A lot of our bread and butter has been with a core group of home builders and, as times have gotten tougher for their industry as well as ours, they don’t seem to be doing as many huge, high-end mansions. So when opportunities arise to combine what we do, sometimes the relationship changes: Whereas before, they would subcontract with us to do our pools, now, in certain cases, we can subcontract them to oversee our outdoor structures.
