The sky is the limit when it comes to new outdoor living spaces.

How fitting that in 2009, the International Year of Astronomy, the sky is the limit when it comes to outdoor living. Outer space is now in our own backyards, where a variety of structures, fixtures and amenities promises to turn the great outdoors into an outdoor great room.

Once the final frontier for home improvements, the residential backyard is undergoing an odyssey of space, complete with pools, hot tubs, fireplaces, and separate areas for cooking, eating, drinking, sitting, lounging, and even sleeping.

Lofty new porches, patios and pergolas are as well suited to quiet reflection as to lavish entertaining, with luxurious furnishings, and sophisticated decorating schemes that run the gamut from shabby chic to sleek teak. Outdoor dining areas now boast well-padded chairs that encourage family and friends to linger longer over a summer meal. Backyard décor features couch-style seating and modular pieces that create conversation groupings.

The outside is suddenly in, and factors including rising gas prices and global recession have conspired to create a phenomenon called the "staycation".

Thanks at least in part to the "staycation" movement, the backyard is the recipient of many of these home improvement dollars. "The yard has become an extension of the house," says Maurice Meagher, the owner of Nova Scotia Archadeck, a Halifax company that specializes in decks, screened porches, three-season rooms and sunrooms. According to Meagher, the current design trend is to divide the backyard into distinct functional spaces that flow together for seamless entertaining. Apart from the standard requests for separate areas for cooking and relaxing, Meagher has been asked to design outside spaces for such diverse purposes as home offices, gyms spas, rumpus rooms and potting sheds.

"The outdoor room is becoming the extra room," explains Brad Sweet, "and the major focus these days is the outdoor kitchen." Far more than just a place to flip burgers between ball games, the outdoor kitchen now rivals its indoor counterpart. Tired of running inside for food and drink and pots and pans and plates? Consider a state-of-the-art open-air grill and a stainless steel refrigerator that's specially wired for damp conditions. Complete the ensemble with weather-resistant modular cabinets, granite work surfaces, griddles, smokers, warming drawers, sinks, wine coolers, sushi bars and pizza ovens. The drawback, of course, is that these amenities come at a price.

Happily you can reach for the stars without reaching too deeply into your wallet. For one thing, construction costs for untreated outdoor living space are substantially lower than construction prices for interior space. As well, there are DIY directions for constructing everything from pizza ovens to open-air pavilions. Once sold only at specialty stores, components for outdoor kitchens are now available at home supply stores and department stores. Buy them in stages rather than all at once. The important thing is to have a cohesive plan-something the folks at NASA call a space program.

Creating a functional backyard space program isn't always a breeze. Most homeowners benefit from consulting either a landscape architect or a designer. A thoughtful approach to renovating the backyard will take into account the style and the scale of the house, the size and the shape of the yard, and important details like the orientation of the lot. Viable plans for outdoor structures like pergolas and porches should reflect the need for resistance to wind and weather and the requirements for sunlight and shade. They should also consider the need for privacy.

Like most aspects of home design, the best-laid plans are those in which form follows function. For example, when the weather is fine a vine-topped pergola is a lovely place to enjoy an alfresco meal in the dappled light of the late afternoon sun. It is less inviting in the heat of the day or during a driving rain. Awnings, shade sails and gazebos will block both sun and rain, but they won't keep the bugs at bay. For that you require a screened enclosure.

Despite all the modern conveniences, there is still something special about spending time outside. Whether your vision for outdoor living is a simple shelter for cooking and eating or a sophisticated studio that doubles as a home office, be sure to include an unobstructed area for watching the night sky.

Sunspots

Until recently there was little attempt to match the style of the deck with the style of the house. That has now changed with the development of new decking materials, an increased variety of architectural railings and spindles, and reinforced glass panels that don't obstruct the view.

Although most decks are still constructed from wood, people have begun to experiment with low-maintenance composite decking products made from wood fibre and plastic. The first composite decking looked lifeless and synthetic; new products have come a long way and now have a more natural look.

The cost of composite and PVC decking may be lower over time, but when compared to regular wooden lumber, the upfront costs are higher. Meagher estimates that using composite decking instead of pressure treated lumber would add an additional 60 per cent to the cost of a project. Using composites instead of Western Red Cedar would increase the price by about 20 per cent.

Splashdown

When it comes to swimming pools in Atlantic Canada, small and bubbly just might win the race. "We have a limited season here," says Greg Butler, owner of Bubba's Tubs in St. John's Nfld. "You'll get far more use out of a swim spa than you will with any other type of pool in our climate."

Also called lap pools and exercise pools, swim spas are as ideally suited to swimming and aqua aerobics as they are to splashing around with the kids or relaxing. Their compact size is also an attraction. "In the majority of new home construction, the houses are getting bigger and the lots are getting smaller," says Butler. "A swim spa won't chew up the entire yard."

Although swim spas are intended for use as small swimming pools rather than large hot tubs, it is possible to crank up the heat. "You have to remember that you'll be heating a much larger amount of water than you would in a hot tub," says Butler, "but even then, you can heat a swim spa in January for the same cost as heating a large swimming pool in July."

Bubba's Tubs sells most of their swim spas in St. John's, although there has been interest throughout the province. "It's the fastest growing segment of the outdoor/home leisure industry in North America," says Butler. "Twenty years ago there was one company making them. Now there are 20."

Prices for an installed unit start at about $18,000. The conventional patio-placed hot tubs generally run $3,000 to $10,000 depending upon size.

Hot Spots

Outdoor entertaining spaces have come in from the cold with gas and wood burning fireplaces and innovative heating devices like propane heaters. "I've seen the demand for outdoor fireplaces increase within the last two to three years," says Maurice Meagher. Outdoor fireplaces provide both heat and ambience. They can be either simple or robust, ranging from inexpensive propane model that sit directly on the deck to outdoor hearths with full chimneys faced with stone or stone veneer. According to Meagher, a fireplace will extend the outdoor living season by several months. "Even a warm day here will cool down quickly when the sun goes down."

Check local restrictions before purchasing. Some municipalities have restrictions on outdoor fires.

The Twilight Zone

Lighting is as important outdoors as it is indoors. "It's a cost effective way to make a dramatic difference in a project," says Maurice Meagher. Decorative low voltage lights on the closed risers of stairs create an inviting atmosphere and prevent falls. Ambient light from electric fixtures and movable lamps extends the day and provides the task lighting required for after-dark activities like grilling, preparing food, playing games and reading. Other after-dark activities are best accompanied by flickering candles and dimmer switches. Look for lamps and fixtures made specifically for use outdoors.

New on the horizon

1. New software uses photographs of your house to provide a full-colour picture of proposed outdoor living spaces. "It's an opportunity to see how paths, decks and other features look in your own backyard," says Maurice Meagher. "It takes a lot of the guess work away. Customers know exactly what they're going to get."
2. New screening has come a long way since the days when people made crude insect barriers from coarse strands of horsehair. Today, most screening is made from aluminum or vinyl-coated fiberglass, although some high end products are manufactured from copper, stainless steel, bronze and brass. Fiberglass is the least expensive screening material. Unlike aluminum, it doesn't dent when it's bumped, but it is subject to tearing.
3. New green initiatives have companies like Four Seasons Sunrooms sourcing materials for their pergolas from sustainable, well-managed forests in British Columbia. Millions of acres of forests in BC are certified by the Canadian Standards Association, integrating the growth and harvesting of trees with the protection of soil, air, water, plants and wildlife. 
4. New components for outdoor kitchens are available in the Centro line of gas barbeques. Look for Centro's stainless steel Sink and Prep Centre ($299.99 at Canadian Tire) and the Centro Propane Breakfast Centre with its 400 sq. in. cook top, (also $299.99). Join the two units together with a corner leaf work surface in matching stainless steel, ($29.99).
5. New low-maintenance shade sails will provide shelter when an umbrella is too small and a roof is too big. The Bay Hammock company in Seabright, NS manufactures custom shade sails in three basic shapes: rectangular, square or triangular. Simply select the shape that best suits your application, choose from a range of hot colours, measure the space you want to cover and install the fixing points.