COVID-19 ‘cocooning’ sparks demand for outdoor projects Homeowners spend on outdoor improvements versus planned getaways by CHRIS BURRITT NW GUILFORD – The COVID-19 outbreak pushed Jennifer LovedayDonovan and her husband, Jason Donovan, over the edge. The Oak Ridge couple was planning to build a patio and firepit in the backyard of their Oak Ridge home several months down the road. The COVID-19 outbreak in March accelerated their plans, as it has done for other northwest Guilford families who have been spending their extra money on outdoor improvements instead of on vacations. “With both of us at home, it made more sense for us to move forward with the project,” said Jennifer,
a Northwest Guilford High School teacher and cheerleading coach. She and her husband, an executive with Herbalife Nutrition, got their project done six months earlier than initially planned, she said.
With the arrival of fall, the couple has spent more time on their new patio and sitting by the fire in their new firepit. Jennifer said she likes drinking coffee while looking across their yard at a big oak tree on an adjoining property. After COVID-19 forced them to cancel their summer vacation plans, retirees Ron and Lynn Black of Oak Ridge hired New Garden Landscaping to remake their backyard pool area, adding a firepit, a terrace and new plants, among other improvements. “The timing seemed right in that we were home and here to make decisions,” Lynn said.
Whether you’re looking for fresh seasonal plants to renew your garden or want to transform your landscape with a refreshing redesign, New Garden is the place to let your imagination take root. Come in or contact us today.
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Fall 2020
Photo by Chris Burritt/PS Communications
Jennifer Loveday-Donovan and her husband, Jason Donovan, accelerated plans for building a patio and firepit after COVID-19 forced them to work from home. Triad Leisure Scapes, the Greensborobased contractor the Donovans hired, has seen a definite increase in home projects related to the impact of the coronavirus, said Chuck Barbour, who owns the company with his wife, Cheryl. “Since COVID-19 hit, people have been staying at home instead of traveling to Europe or Disney or out West,” observed Matt Hunter, president of New Garden Landscaping & Nursery. “We’re seeing more cocooning in our society as people are investing a lot more in patios, firepits and fireplaces.” Hunter confirmed New Garden sales have increased significantly over the last several months, and said homeowners are not only spending on permanent improvements but also on flowers and other plants to dress up their property. “They want it to look nice,” he said. Terry Burns, owner of Colonial Masonry, agrees. “Now that people are at home, they’ve got time to look around and see what they need to do,” Burns said.
In recent months, he’s built patios and firepits, replaced sinking steps and other “projects that homeowners planned to take care of eventually but are now staring them in the face.” The owners of several other landscaping and outdoor home improvement companies with clients in northwestern Guilford County said they’re also experiencing an uptick in sales since the COVID-19 outbreak last spring. “When it first hit, we were really scared,” said Tim Welborn, owner of Southern Style Concrete & Landscapes. Just when the Kernersville-based company was preparing for the busy spring season, the phone stopped ringing as the virus basically shut down the economy, leading employers to lay off workers and cut hours. “I was thinking, ‘this isn’t going to be good,’” Welborn said. “Nobody has to do concrete work or landscaping.” As summer got underway, however, Welborn said he began fielding more calls from homeowners wanting patios,
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