When outdoor designer Jordan Daneker first meets with clients, about 75% usually walk in looking for just a swimming pool and leave with a contract to create a dream backyard.
“We’re past putting just in a pool,” says the owner of Evolve Design + Build, located by the Outer Banks of North Carolina. “It’s an entire outdoor living space.”
It’s a slowly developing trend that began well before the pandemic, as busy people began finding refuge right outside their own back door with landscaping, outdoor kitchens, firepits, pergolas, and more. The concept ignited in the pandemic and continued even as the world re-opened.
According to a 2022 survey by Fixr.com of 40 home design experts, 62 percent said year-round use of the outdoor living space was a top priority, followed by 56 percent stating that having the comforts of the indoors outside was essential – such as oversized sectionals and accent furniture.
Daneker’s company does all the work in-house: pool building, hardscaping, landscaping, design and everything outdoor related. He says that people’s ability to search for ideas online has also fueled the demand for an all-encompassing backyard transformation.
Pergolas, landscaping, outdoor kitchens, pizza ovens, and fireplaces are just some of the latest items Britt Godfrey, marketing and advertising manager at Lyon Financial, says her company is providing financing options for.
While firepits have become a literal hot ticket item, Daneker says the opposite has also recently become a major demand: shade structures, so people can stay out of the sun during the hottest time of day. Some people will add a television, and rather than stay cooped out inside the house on a nice day or night, they’ll gather under the structure and enjoy drinks and food.
Another increasingly popular request is a waterfeature independent of the pool. People enjoy having the gentle sound of water trickling while relaxing in their backyard paradise.
Homeowners still often budget for one item but actually desire more, except they don’t always have a clear picture of what building beyond the pool means. Daneker will paint clients a scene: It’s 7:00 on a fall night or summer night, swimming time is over, but everyone can enjoy cooking on the grill with a nice outdoor kitchen. Then conversation around the firepit.
As Daneker listens to customers describe their ideal backyard, he creates a rendering of that vision. He can tell that clients really want the comprehensive plan but hesitate due to costs. To help make it possible, he also introduces financing options, which he says makes people realize they can actually afford their dream yard.
Godfrey explains that with financing, the price tag is actually a lot more affordable if broken down into a monthly cost. “[Financing] is a tool, it’s not an encumbrance. It really is a tool to increase sales and increase tickets.”
Since Daneker started offering financing with Lyon Financial as an option at the start of his client meetings, his business has grown almost 40%. “People want to be in these spaces,” he says.
For information about partnering with Lyon Financial to build your customers’ backyard dreams, visit Lyonfinancial.net.
