Tips for enjoying outdoor living

Relaxing and elegant, the new outdoor spaces are features that home buyers love.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau Housing Survey, homeowners spent more than $40 billion in 2003 improving outdoor areas. Some improvements can fetch 75 percent of the cost when it comes time to sell.

At one time, outdoor living involved mainly a deck with a grill. Today outdoor rooms range from elaborate to simple and there are lots of choices.

At the high end, open-air outdoor rooms can include a full kitchen, dining area, fireplace and television.

Arizona rooms, also called knee rooms, are fully enclosed, climate-controlled, four-season rooms flooded with light from many windows. They often include a door to an open deck. provide comfortable warmth. In warmer climates, the rooms require special glass so that they control the heat in all seasons. Or you could install roll-up blinds to control the heat