The Most Important Room in the House Might Not Have a Roof
The Most Important Room in the House Might Not Have a Roof
In the summer, the most important “room” in our house is the backyard.
It’s not big. However, it does have a small but mighty Ooni pizza oven. My husband, Matt, has become surprisingly skilled at making wood-fired pizzas over the past couple of years. Friends gather around as someone stretches dough, our son Benson insists that extra pepperoni improves every pizza, and, inevitably, we burn the first one… just a little.
My mom and stepdad’s backyard tells a different story. As soon as June hints at summer, their pool becomes family headquarters. Until their lips turn blue, the youngest cousins squeeze every possible minute out of pool time.
The grownups take turns playing lifeguard while sitting on the steps with their feet in the water, sometimes sharing stories from their own childhoods and sometimes solving the world’s problems. The kids, fueled by nonstop swimming, constantly ask, “What else is there to eat?” By the end of the day, towels cover every chair, and at least one flip-flop has disappeared just as parents think they’ve packed everything up.
My sister Julia’s children transform their backyard, sometimes several times an hour, from a pirate ship to a castle to a jungle worthy of The Backyardigans (think Bluey, but a decade earlier and in much lower resolution).
A few days ago, in that jungle, four-year-old Ashlyn found the new love of her life: a huge brown-and-white striped beetle. Unfortunately, her older sister ran inside to look up how long beetles live.
Three days.
She rushed back outside to share the news.
Ashlyn immediately burst into tears and ran to her mom.
Once Julia figured out why her youngest was so upset, she asked her older daughter, “Why would you tell her that?”
Her daughter answered matter-of-factly, “I thought she’d want to know the truth.”
What’s Your Outdoor Room?
What’s your version of an outdoor room?
Maybe it’s an apartment balcony just large enough for a hammock where you disappear with a good book. Maybe it’s a hot tub where you unwind after a long day. Perhaps it’s a fire pit, a disc golf basket, or a vegetable garden tucked beside a small patio with room for only a table and two chairs.
Years from now, I doubt Benson will remember exactly how much pepperoni was on his pizza. He’ll probably remember his dad teaching him how to slide a pizza into the oven.
My nieces and nephews likely won’t remember every pool game they invented, but they’ll remember summers spent in Grandma and Grandpa’s backyard.
And Ashlyn will long forget that beautiful beetle, but she’ll remember spending endless summer days playing with her siblings.
That’s the real magic of an outdoor room: it’s where life happens.
If You’re Selling This Summer…
Don’t overlook your outdoor “room.”
- Set the patio table.
- Open the umbrella.
- Light the fire pit on cool evenings.
- Add a few welcoming touches that help buyers imagine themselves at home.
When buyers can picture themselves gathering with friends, making memories, and enjoying everyday moments outdoors, they’re seeing more than a backyard—they’re seeing a lifestyle.
Because sometimes, the most valuable room in the house is the one without a roof.
