These are truly challenging times for all of us. We’re
all having discussions about how to preserve what we have, and still have enough trust to invest in something that you can
enjoy everyday. I wanted to find out if an outdoor living space would boost the value of a home. I
did a search and here is what I came up with below. The links where I got the quote(s) are listed too.
Before you read these links: I recently got this email from
a client, " Wayne, good to hear from you. Believe it or not, after all that hard work we SOLD the house and purchased
a big new one. We enjoyed our outdoor space very much and it all came out so beautiful. I truly believe the outdoor space
helped to sell our home. We sold it 2 days after listing it and for full asking price!"
This is better than reading what's in the press....:-)
Adding Value to Your Home: Increase
the Square Footage of Your HomeIncrease the Square Footage of Your Home #5: Add an Outdoor
Kitchen
"Outdoor kitchens are becoming extremely
popular. When you add an outdoor kitchen it's like adding another room onto your home. This
is a wonderful way to increase the square footage of your home, especially if you enjoy cooking and entertaining. In the future, homebuyers will
be more interested in your home than homes that lack this feature."http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/242359/adding_value_to_your_home_increase.html?page=2&cat=6 "For example, while a
grill and counter space for preparing food are essential, a refrigerator and sink aren't. But including them can boost
the value of your home by helping your outdoor kitchen qualify as a second kitchen. "The increase may equal the cost
of the project," says Pam Young, a Sacramento, California-based designer and founder of Patio Kitchens, which makes outdoor
cabinetry."
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,220278,00.html "But if you'd
like to practically live outdoors, you can really add some value to your house with a second kitchen with all the amenities."http://www.constructiondeal.com/blog/2006/09/outdoor-kitchens.html "Outdoor kitchens do increase home value because they add usable space to your home,"
said Heidi Karpa, a Chicago-based interior designer and a kitchen design specialist for HGTV (Home and Garden Television).
"For years we had heard people talking about bringing the outdoors in - well, this is an extension of that idea, of that
flow."http://www.kalamazoogourmet.com/news-pph_may_06.php 
