We’re seeing a trend over the past couple of years with more clients coming to us for creative ideas on how to transform their home and unlock its full potential.
Clients are typically interested in developing their entire property into a solace, resort, estate or potential income-earner. What about your hopes for your home? If you need inspiration on how you might go about such a transformation, explore our round-up of ideas, then contact us to bring those dreams to life.
What could transform your backyard into a welcoming resort?
Resort Backyard
The destination backyard is having its moment. The high-maintenance green field behind a home that’s used occasionally for kickball can evolve into a year-round living space.
The master plan usually includes an indoor/outdoor space and an area for cooking. We recently created a full-blown kitchen, including a quincho (small house outside the home for preparing food), pizza oven and a big green egg.
Of course, there are many other options, such as a pool and spa, firepit or fireplace, putting green or a tennis, pickleball or bocce court.
Want to dream bigger? We can carry the AV/automation system outdoors, which is perfect for an outdoor movie night or catching the game or perfecting your backyard’s ambiance with background music. (Don’t forget to ask us how to incorporate solar and take advantage of the current tax credit!)
What does your solace look like to you?
Finding Solace
Sometimes the best alternative to downsizing after your kids leave is to reinvent the backyard into what you consider solace.
The house is where you have enjoyed living, you love your neighbors, and you may be mortgage-free at this point. Now, you have the opportunity to create a place you can enjoy in new ways.
For one Jones Pierce client, we looked for clues on their property to inform the project. We learned they liked to garden, so we reinvented the garden in a way that helped ground (pardon the pun) the backyard space. The design concept included a vineyard under a fruit tree canopy, protected with a farm fence to keep out their four-legged child. We used bluestone slabs to create raised beds with irrigation that framed a dining and outdoor pizza oven grill area.
Another client wanted an outdoor shower, so we created a master bath-accessible experience to more easily enjoy a lake house-style amenity in the middle of the city.
Who gets the first stay at your future guest house — your mom or mother-in-law?
A Guest House for Mom
These days, most city zoning categories allow for a separate structure on the property to use a guest house, home office, exercise room, art studio or as a rental unit. (See Multi-Use ADUs below.)
A recent client of ours combined a new porch and outdoor living area with a guest house for their mom, creating a multi-generational property. And with the continued popularity of vacation rentals, these units can quickly pay for themselves — especially when you train your teen to be a property manager!
Which unused spaces in your home need reimagining?
The Spaces In Between
Porches, patios and decks are great transition spaces that can be transformed with outdoor fireplaces, a dining area or outdoor family room.
Outdoor spaces for night use can be screened with phantom screens that disappear during the day. Install flush-mounted ceiling heaters to extend the comfortable use of a space through colder seasons. Add a television and speakers to convert the space to an outdoor living and game room. We like a beefy structure with bluestone floors and heavy timbers to frame the view and help connect the porches to the grounds.
Have you asked a favorite kid in your life about the backyard of their dreams?
Kid-Magnet Spaces
Whether you’re creating a backyard for your grandkids or want to ensure the neighborhood herd gathers at your home, a kid-friendly outdoor space will be appreciated.
Consider design options that can evolve as your needs do along with unexpected elements, such as a treehouse with a zipline.
Which part of your home gets your attention at the beginning of the day or at day’s end?
Your Daily Ritual, Reinvented
To truly transform your home’s surroundings, think outside the backyard box. There are almost endless options for connecting the outside of your home to the inside — whether it’s your bathroom, bedroom or another interior space.
Several of our clients have installed a large spa (what we call a “spool”) to provide a nice view from the master bedroom and to make a relaxing soak part of their daily ritual.
Are you harboring any hoop dreams for your front yard?
A Basketball Hoop is the New Front Porch
Society changed when we shifted from front porches to back decks through the 1970s. We lost the eyes on the street and the community connection. How can you bring the engagement while utilizing your ignored piece of property?
A basketball hoop brings activity and fun to the front yard. What begins with a couple of people playing can quickly multiply as more join in on the fun. Your favorite sport or game has a place in the front yard as a component of a master plan to transform your home. A hoop gym, bocce court or putting green — any of them can play a starring role in your front yard.
Can your backyard accommodate an ADU? (Photo credit Jack Barnes)
Multi-Use ADUs
We’re big fans of the zoning change that occurred in Atlanta last year when accessory dwelling unit (ADU) zoning was added to the R4 and R5 categories. This change allows for more affordable housing and multi-use spaces in backyards.
The zoning in the city of Atlanta covers most in-town neighborhoods. The flexibility of this type of building can accommodate short or long-term rentals, boomerang kids, an office, gym or backyard cottage to rent out.
Our Jones Pierce team will transform the inside and outside of your home to unlock its full potential!
Next Steps to Transform Your Home
Ready to get started? Step one is to contact our Jones Pierce team. Step two will be for us to develop a master plan for you … and we can’t wait to get started!