B4 • Friday, July 9, 2021
thegardenisland.com
THE GARDEN ISLAND
Oasis at home
Outdoor home projects to create a safe, calm place of respite drainage. This self-contained macerating toilet is ideal for small spaces like a cabana or changing room where you’d also like to have a toilet. Plus, the dual-flush system saves water, which can help manage utility bills and support the environment.
BRANDPOINT
Many people are looking for ways to update their homes to provide a sense of comfort and connection to the outdoors. The goal is to create a safe, calm oasis at home, drawing inspiration from biophilic designs, which means enhancements that focus on a human’s innate attraction to nature. Outdoor projects are flourishing as people extend their living spaces to feel closer to their natural surroundings. Check out these top backyard renovation ideas:
Private, personalized outdoor rooms
Water elements There’s something serene about listening to the ocean waves or a bubbling brook, and people are bringing this feeling home by incorporating water elements into their outdoor spaces. The stress-reducing effect of listening to water is welcome, plus water elements add to the outdoor aesthetic and beautify the space. Something as simple as a solar-powered fountain can work this magic, but many people are investing more money into permanent structures, such as garden streams, ponds and pondless waterfalls.
level. Outdoor kitchens are trending, with many people customizing patio spaces with a grill, hearth or pizza oven, refrigerator and even a sink thanks to above-floor plumbing solutions like the Sanivite drain pump from Saniflo. Typically for proper drainage, you would need conFull outdoor kitchens ventional, below-floor Eating al fresco is wonder- plumbing, but above-thefloor options like drain ful for sharing meals, but pumps make it possible to cooking al fresco takes outadd a sink and more where door living to a whole new
no drainage currently exists. After a full outdoor kitchen is established, people are rounding out these spaces with a dining table and even lounge chairs for conversing and making memories at home. Functional landscaping People are striving for thoughtful landscape designs that keep in mind their needs and the needs of the environment. For example, shade elements provide
comfort, privacy and sound control, allowing spaces to be used for gathering or for work and study. Sustainable gardens are another good example, with people wanting the ability to produce herbs, vegetables and fruits at home. Beyond the garden plot, this includes container gardens, raised-bed gardens and integrating edibles into landscaping. People are enjoying the ability to get creative and exercise their green thumb.
With a bit of creativity and a strategic approach, people are creating outdoor “rooms” that are mini-escapes alongside Mother Nature. This might include creating a meditative garden in the corner of the yard, a yoga space for daily practice next to the patio, or a pathway that leads to a backyard bench for a reading retreat. Hardscaping such as rocks and stone is often used to define these spaces while trees, shrubs and vines are used to add privacy. Homeowners are even incorporating their personal tastes into Outdoor bathrooms these spaces with sculpture, glass art or other garden deFor people who have a pool, spa or detached work- cor. The pandemic has had an out space, having an outundeniable influence on ardoor bathroom can be a huge plus. However, it can chitectural, building and realso be costly and time-con- modeling trends, with outdoor projects popular suming to create one sepanationwide. These top projrate from the main home using conventional plumbects reflect the human deing methods. sire for connection to the Saniflo’s Sanicompact ofnatural world and to find comfort in outdoor-living opfers an alternative that requires no breaking up portunities. concrete or excavation to inLearn more at www.sanistall expensive below-floor flo.com.
Save money with a local mortgage. US average mortgage rates continue to fall; 30-year at 2.90%
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ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Mortgage rates continued to fall this week, tracking a decline in yields on Treasury securities as the bond market continues to signal concerns over the strength of the recovery from the pandemic recession. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average for the 30-year home loan eased to 2.90% from 2.98% last week. By contrast, the rate stood at 3.03% a year ago. The rate for a 15-year loan, a popular option among homeowners refinancing their mortgages, fell to 2.20% from 2.26% last week. Freddie Mac economists expect economic growth to gradually push mortgage rates higher in the second half of the year. The bond market has been signaling the economic recovery concerns for months, specifically that it may have peaked and is now leveling off to a steadier pace. Home loan rates tend to track moves of the yield on the 10-year Treasury note — which rises when bond prices fall. The benchmark yield has been falling steadily in recent weeks as traders shift money into bonds. It was quoted at 1.30% around midday Thursday, after trading as high as 1.74% at the end of March. The market concerns also spilled into stocks, which were broadly lower Thursday as investor caution set in after the market hit a series of record highs last week.
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