TACOMA – There’s nothing wrong with daisies and pansies, with dahlias, peonies, whatever. But in the South Sound, men are finding all kinds of fun ways to “dude-ify” their patios and back yards, make them havens of manly man leisure.
It’s a national trend, said Brian Douvis, patio and backyard guru for the Home Depot near Fircrest.
“We have a lot more men purchasing things for their outdoor spaces than ever before,” Douvis said. “Manufacturers are picking up on that, and you’ll notice that even furniture is changing. It’s no longer just floral print. Now you’ve got big bold colors, even blacks and browns and stripes.”
Consumers in general are beginning to see their patios and back yards as extra living spaces.
“The back yard is the new rec room,” Douvis said.
In Tacoma, Mark Topping had no trouble convincing his fiance, Stacy Meier, that a house with a putting green was the house for them. The couple golf together, so purchasing a home with a large practice green in the back yard was an easy sell.
With help from Andrew McCurry, owner of Tacoma’s Father Nature landscaping business, the couple keep the large green and surrounding features well-manicured. They have redone a small fountain as well as all of the planting and lighting. The green is “the feature item in the back yard,” and putting at night isn’t a problem, Topping said.
The putting green and its adjacent barbecuing patio make the yard perfect for entertaining, Topping said.
Recently, he had planned to make a noonish tee time at the new much-touted Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place and then bring his foursome back home “to enjoy some adult beverages and challenge each other on the putting green,” he said.
“It’s a small back yard, but it’s very friendly and very comfortable.”
It’s not just about who has the biggest barbecue grill, and it’s not all fun and games. But for guys, those notions are part of patio and back yard design, Douvis said.
Home Depot has been presenting popular clinics on everything from building fire pits to installing outdoor kitchens. But there are also clinics on creating outdoor theaters, putting greens, giant checkerboards and ring-toss games. They’re not just for men, but men gravitate toward them in greater and greater numbers, he said.
“It’s amazing what I’ve seen, the things people want outside,” Douvis said. “It’s no longer just a picnic table and chairs. The indoors is coming outdoors.”
“Outdoors” is still honored, though.
Men love that high-tech stuff indoors or outdoors, he said.
“More and more, they’re trying to bring their living rooms outside,” Douvis said.
The primal urge to master technology and the elements seems to be what outdoor living is all about for men, he said.
Along with Wall’s fire pit, McCurry installed more than a dozen huge stone slabs for steps. And then there’s the large pondless waterfall.
“Men love the stone slabs,” McCurry said. “And the water? They love their waterfalls, the bigger the better.”
As for the popularity of fire pits: “Men just like to burn things,” McCurry said.
Wall said that’s true, and he verified that he specifically asked for a large waterfall with “lots of drops and lots of sound.”
Best of all, he said, is the fact that his wife, Karen, has signed off on everything.
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