Best Backyard for kids?

[iamshack]

So as some of you are aware, me and the fam live out in Las Vegas. We have a large, 1 acre yard full of mature trees and grass.

 

While that is nothing special in the midwest, in the desert, that is pretty unique. Particularly because that requires lots of water.

 

Anyways, I've been putting a lot of thought into how to get the family out in the yard. There is no sense in paying for and maintaining all this if we aren't going to get out and actually enjoy it. Right now, it's mostly enjoyed by our four dogs and a variety of local birds, varmints, and insects. The main issue is it is not particularly functional...pretty to look at, but not really much to do.

 

So...I've been considering a number of different options:

 

Option 1 - the obvious Las Vegas choice - a large swimming pool (20x40) and spa - this will allow us to enjoy the outdoors during the summers, instead of being cooped up inside.

 

Option 2 - An outdoor pavillion, say 25 x 30 or so, complete with lounge seating for 8-10, a bar, a large tv for watching sports and movies, a small area for outdoor exercise, and perhaps a plunge pool (think a pool a little larger than a hot tub that can be used for either cool water or warm water).

 

Option 3 - A large multi-sport court, perhaps 48x80, complete with a fence and lights. This could be used for basketball, hockey, racquet sports, you name it. May require taking down some trees, but otherwise we definitely have the space.

 

Full disclosure, we currently have a 15 month old boy, with no current plans to have any additional children, although I am not yet willing to rule out having one more. I also enjoy hooping it up, and often play with co-workers on the weekend at local parks.

 

Any input would be appreciated...also, other suggestions are welcome! I am really struggling with this.

[southsider2k5]

For my two cents, it would be all about personal preference. What will you get more usage out of? If it is JUST about kid safety, pools are one of the most dangerous things out there. It takes seconds for a kid to wander away and fall in. But if you guys are good with securing the pool, etc, that's something that can be over come as well.

[iamshack]

For my two cents, it would be all about personal preference. What will you get more usage out of? If it is JUST about kid safety, pools are one of the most dangerous things out there. It takes seconds for a kid to wander away and fall in. But if you guys are good with securing the pool, etc, that's something that can be over come as well.

Yeah, that is a great point about safety. Drowning is the largest cause of accidental death for children below the age of 16 in southern Nevada (or something like that).

 

For the pool option, we were planning on an automatic pool cover to help provide additional security, in addition to the legally required fences and what not.

 

As for what would we get more usage out of...I honestly don't know...I know as a kid I would have been out on that sport court as much as I could...heck, I used to throw a ball against the brick wall of my house for hours at a time...I can only imagine if I would have had something like that.

 

The pavilion is also pretty cool, but I just wonder if that really offers activities we can't already do, just outside...not sure that is worth the kind of $ a project like that would require.

[southsider2k5]

Yeah, that is a great point about safety. Drowning is the largest cause of accidental death for children below the age of 16 in southern Nevada (or something like that).

 

For the pool option, we were planning on an automatic pool cover to help provide additional security, in addition to the legally required fences and what not.

 

As for what would we get more usage out of...I honestly don't know...I know as a kid I would have been out on that sport court as much as I could...heck, I used to throw a ball against the brick wall of my house for hours at a time...I can only imagine if I would have had something like that.

 

The pavilion is also pretty cool, but I just wonder if that really offers activities we can't already do, just outside...not sure that is worth the kind of $ a project like that would require.

 

Have you got room to mix 2 and 3? Have an entertainment area, and maybe a half court instead of a near full court?

[iamshack]

Have you got room to mix 2 and 3? Have an entertainment area, and maybe a half court instead of a near full court?

Yeah..the space isn't the issue...it's just a matter of budget...certainly this could be done in phases as well.

[knightni]

Option 2 would be good for him until he's about 5. You'll have to decide if you want to remodel after that.

 

It's got to be hard since there's not much grass out there.

[bigruss]

Oh man this project sounds awesome shack!

 

I personally would do a pool/lounge combo, you're in the desert and to me a pool is necessary out there. Designating at least some space to a lounge/patio area gives you some non-pool play/bbq/hosting area.

 

As much as the sports complex idea intrigues me, if you have local parks in the area that can fulfill the basketball court, etc wants then I'd rather leave that there and do a pool.

[RockRaines]

Pools are a god damn money pit, but it is hot where you are so it would be nice. I would never own one though.

Sport courts are nice, but I like to entertain the most so I would do the patio/firepit/bar/outdoor kitchen and TV thing myself if my yard wasnt currently covered in dog poop. Once she passes we are redoing it that way.

[Jenksismyhero]

Agreed on voting no for the the pool. My parents always had one and I enjoyed it as a kid/teenager/young adult, but once my other siblings moved out and I went to college (i'm the youngest) it's rarely been used. My parents never use it. Grandkids use it maybe 3-4 times a year. My dad throws money/time/energy into it for very little gain. So as a kid/young adult i'd vote yes, but as an adult i'd vote hell no. Buy a membership at a local club instead.

 

Patio/bar/bbq area is where I'd go with it. We use our large deck constantly to entertain or just to hang out as a family.

Edited October 4, 2016 by JenksIsMyHero

[iamshack]

Appreciate all the input, guys!

 

Keep it coming!

[iamshack]

Agreed on voting no for the the pool. My parents always had one and I enjoyed it as a kid/teenager/young adult, but once my other siblings moved out and I went to college (i'm the youngest) it's rarely been used. My parents never use it. Grandkids use it maybe 3-4 times a year. My dad throws money/time/energy into it for very little gain. So as a kid/young adult i'd vote yes, but as an adult i'd vote hell no. Buy a membership at a local club instead.

 

Patio/bar/bbq area is where I'd go with it. We use our large deck constantly to entertain or just to hang out as a family.

I have similar hesitation in regards to maintaining a pool...it is different here though. Pools are to backyards in Vegas kind of like decks are to midwesterners. When our house is appraised, we get docked for not having a pool. Not necessarily enough to make me shell out $85k for one, but it is clear that most homebuyers expect a pool when considering a property such as ours.

 

Outdoor living is a big consideration here. It almost never rains, and the weather is very temperate for 5-6 months of the year. Late September through mid-December and then late February through the beginning of June we have temperatures between 60-80 on most days. So getting outside and being active is a major consideration for deciding to live in the middle of the desert.

 

Another big consideration for us is our location within the Las Vegas Valley. We live in an older part of town, close to urban centers. I am just a few miles from the Strip and downtown Las Vegas. As such, we don't necessarily have easy access to the suburban parks and sports complexes that some folks that our located in the newer master-planned communities have. As a result, we would like to make our property something of an oasis for our son and his friends as he gets older. We'd like our home to be a place where he and his friends can hang out and play, as opposed to having to either seek out places to play in some of the more urban areas (which can be a bit shady) or having to truck him out to those newer areas. Not that we won't have to do that on occasion, but we'd like him to have things to do at home and it would be comfortable to be able to have some clue of what he is doing when he is out playing.

 

While I would love to build the pavilion, I'm not sure that does a whole lot for him. It probably would be something our friends and family could use more so than our son and his friends. Which is why if we do choose that option, I think we have to be prepared to put in either option 1 or 3 later on once he gets older.

 

I'm still in the process of gathering info as to costs. I suspect the pool option will cost somewhere between $75-100k. The pavilion option is probably in that same ballpark. I suspect the sport court, assuming we put in fencing and lights, is going to run close to that as well. I hope to finish that part of the process within the next few weeks.

 

If you guys were kids though...like age 5 or 6 all the way up through high school, which option do you think you would have liked your childhood home to have had?

[bigruss]

Well now knowing that you don't have easy access to parks, I would reconsider the sports pavilion option. The only problem is, what do you and your wife get out of it until your kid is ready to use it? That's probably at least 5 years away from being useful for him, so would you guys be using it in the interim?

 

Hybrid is probably the way to go, have a halfcourt setup along with either an outdoor living area or pool to round it out.

[bigruss]

I should add, a full basketball court isn't needed unless they are practicing with a team or something. Most neighborhood games as a kid are halfcourt format in an alley, driveway, etc. I don't think fullcourt was really needed as it was usually hard to get 10 guys anyways, but if you really want the mecca of the neighborhood then fullcourt would be the way to go.

[iamshack]

I should add, a full basketball court isn't needed unless they are practicing with a team or something. Most neighborhood games as a kid are halfcourt format in an alley, driveway, etc. I don't think fullcourt was really needed as it was usually hard to get 10 guys anyways, but if you really want the mecca of the neighborhood then fullcourt would be the way to go.

Well to answer your first question, I would definitely use it myself. I still enjoy being active and I still play pickup games against guys at work (both basketball and football). We could definitely have some fun playing some games at night over here rather than having to jockey for space at one of the parks.

 

As for the full court/half court question, I agree...when I was a kid, I rarely ran full court, but I am thinking for things like roller hockey or soccer it might come in handy. Heck, maybe even a little football will break out!

 

It is going to depend on the cost. One would assume the additional cost will be incremental at that point, since the same types of things will need to occur for a half court setup as a full court setup. We do have the space, so that isn't an issue. I do enjoy running full court with my friends. While the pace isn't exactly that of an NBA game, it does allow you to really experience the game in a different way than a half court game does.

 

 

[RockRaines]

I have similar hesitation in regards to maintaining a pool...it is different here though. Pools are to backyards in Vegas kind of like decks are to midwesterners. When our house is appraised, we get docked for not having a pool. Not necessarily enough to make me shell out $85k for one, but it is clear that most homebuyers expect a pool when considering a property such as ours.

 

Outdoor living is a big consideration here. It almost never rains, and the weather is very temperate for 5-6 months of the year. Late September through mid-December and then late February through the beginning of June we have temperatures between 60-80 on most days. So getting outside and being active is a major consideration for deciding to live in the middle of the desert.

 

Another big consideration for us is our location within the Las Vegas Valley. We live in an older part of town, close to urban centers. I am just a few miles from the Strip and downtown Las Vegas. As such, we don't necessarily have easy access to the suburban parks and sports complexes that some folks that our located in the newer master-planned communities have. As a result, we would like to make our property something of an oasis for our son and his friends as he gets older. We'd like our home to be a place where he and his friends can hang out and play, as opposed to having to either seek out places to play in some of the more urban areas (which can be a bit shady) or having to truck him out to those newer areas. Not that we won't have to do that on occasion, but we'd like him to have things to do at home and it would be comfortable to be able to have some clue of what he is doing when he is out playing.

 

While I would love to build the pavilion, I'm not sure that does a whole lot for him. It probably would be something our friends and family could use more so than our son and his friends. Which is why if we do choose that option, I think we have to be prepared to put in either option 1 or 3 later on once he gets older.

 

I'm still in the process of gathering info as to costs. I suspect the pool option will cost somewhere between $75-100k. The pavilion option is probably in that same ballpark. I suspect the sport court, assuming we put in fencing and lights, is going to run close to that as well. I hope to finish that part of the process within the next few weeks.

 

If you guys were kids though...like age 5 or 6 all the way up through high school, which option do you think you would have liked your childhood home to have had?

 

 

I've always liked the desert homes that have those big outdoor living rooms with kitchens and fireplaces and TV's with misters for when it gets hot. But then again, alot of those houses ive been to have pools as well...

[NorthSideSox72]

Having spent a lot of time in the Southwest with family... whatever you put in, make sure you heavily consider shade. Having places to play that aren't in that bright sun will be key with kids, especially little ones.

 

Also echoing that I would never get a pool, especially with young kids. Expense AND risk. Even in a place like Vegas.

 

[knightni]

Outdoor living is a big consideration here. It almost never rains, and the weather is very temperate for 5-6 months of the year. Late September through mid-December and then late February through the beginning of June we have temperatures between 60-80 on most days. So getting outside and being active is a major consideration for deciding to live in the middle of the desert.

The last time that I was there, it was in the mid 50s and rainy all week.

 

People's yards were getting flooded and they were running from it like it was acidic.

 

[LittleHurt05]

I have similar hesitation in regards to maintaining a pool...it is different here though. Pools are to backyards in Vegas kind of like decks are to midwesterners. When our house is appraised, we get docked for not having a pool. Not necessarily enough to make me shell out $85k for one, but it is clear that most homebuyers expect a pool when considering a property such as ours.

 

Outdoor living is a big consideration here. It almost never rains, and the weather is very temperate for 5-6 months of the year. Late September through mid-December and then late February through the beginning of June we have temperatures between 60-80 on most days. So getting outside and being active is a major consideration for deciding to live in the middle of the desert.

 

Another big consideration for us is our location within the Las Vegas Valley. We live in an older part of town, close to urban centers. I am just a few miles from the Strip and downtown Las Vegas. As such, we don't necessarily have easy access to the suburban parks and sports complexes that some folks that our located in the newer master-planned communities have. As a result, we would like to make our property something of an oasis for our son and his friends as he gets older. We'd like our home to be a place where he and his friends can hang out and play, as opposed to having to either seek out places to play in some of the more urban areas (which can be a bit shady) or having to truck him out to those newer areas. Not that we won't have to do that on occasion, but we'd like him to have things to do at home and it would be comfortable to be able to have some clue of what he is doing when he is out playing.

 

While I would love to build the pavilion, I'm not sure that does a whole lot for him. It probably would be something our friends and family could use more so than our son and his friends. Which is why if we do choose that option, I think we have to be prepared to put in either option 1 or 3 later on once he gets older.

 

I'm still in the process of gathering info as to costs. I suspect the pool option will cost somewhere between $75-100k. The pavilion option is probably in that same ballpark. I suspect the sport court, assuming we put in fencing and lights, is going to run close to that as well. I hope to finish that part of the process within the next few weeks.

 

If you guys were kids though...like age 5 or 6 all the way up through high school, which option do you think you would have liked your childhood home to have had?

 

My -wife's family lives in Palm Springs, and it's the exact same way. I don't know if it gets as hot in Vegas as it does there, but you need to have a pool there. Living without one is almost out of the question, especially for those long extra hot summer months.

[Chisoxfn]

So Shack...interesting thread and interesting ideas. My general vote is for the outdoor living (but I'm biased as that is a prerequesite for when my wife and I move to a bigger place...we've been house hunting but very very picky right now as the next play we buy we are buying under the presumption it is our "forever" place, albeit you never know if job changes force a relocate, etc).

 

I think one major pro of outdoor living is that you could combine it with the sports or pool concept and have something that kind of works great for your kids now, but as they get older, they'll likely shift more to leveraging the outdoor living area and given what you mention, it is when they are older, that you probably want them to hang out around the house more (vs. less) and provide that safer spot for them to hang out with friends, etc, where they at least have some supervision, etc.

 

Pools can be really fun, but I'm like Rock, the maintenance, etc, I don't want to deal with it, but I also live in an area where I can walk to multiple nice pools / hot tubs that are part of our local HOA, so I don't see much value in spending all the money for my own home (and it isn't any major requisites from a resale perspective, which I believe differs from where you are, where a lot of people likely have "pool" as a must have when it comes to resale.

 

One thing I have learned is even after talking to a few contractors (to get a rough idea so I have an idea of what it will take if I buy a new house and then add some outdoor living to it when I do the yard), is the ideas I had in my head, cost twice as much as I had presumed (evidently with the housing market hot, contracting costs are up quite a bit out here...not sure if it is the same in Vegas area or not).

 

And when it comes to basketball, it can be pretty easy to find a nice portable on the driveway (presuming it is flat) and then you have the low-cost way to still have a sports court / area for kids to play, plus all the outdoor area (and possible pool) to hang out at and leverage in the backyard (and I presume that would also be something you would be more likely to leverage).

[iamshack]

So Shack...interesting thread and interesting ideas. My general vote is for the outdoor living (but I'm biased as that is a prerequesite for when my wife and I move to a bigger place...we've been house hunting but very very picky right now as the next play we buy we are buying under the presumption it is our "forever" place, albeit you never know if job changes force a relocate, etc).

 

I think one major pro of outdoor living is that you could combine it with the sports or pool concept and have something that kind of works great for your kids now, but as they get older, they'll likely shift more to leveraging the outdoor living area and given what you mention, it is when they are older, that you probably want them to hang out around the house more (vs. less) and provide that safer spot for them to hang out with friends, etc, where they at least have some supervision, etc.

 

Pools can be really fun, but I'm like Rock, the maintenance, etc, I don't want to deal with it, but I also live in an area where I can walk to multiple nice pools / hot tubs that are part of our local HOA, so I don't see much value in spending all the money for my own home (and it isn't any major requisites from a resale perspective, which I believe differs from where you are, where a lot of people likely have "pool" as a must have when it comes to resale.

 

One thing I have learned is even after talking to a few contractors (to get a rough idea so I have an idea of what it will take if I buy a new house and then add some outdoor living to it when I do the yard), is the ideas I had in my head, cost twice as much as I had presumed (evidently with the housing market hot, contracting costs are up quite a bit out here...not sure if it is the same in Vegas area or not).

 

And when it comes to basketball, it can be pretty easy to find a nice portable on the driveway (presuming it is flat) and then you have the low-cost way to still have a sports court / area for kids to play, plus all the outdoor area (and possible pool) to hang out at and leverage in the backyard (and I presume that would also be something you would be more likely to leverage).

Oh for sure...the Vegas real estate market is not unlike the California market in that you experience these massive swings in very short time periods. Since the housing bubble burst in '08, which was right about when I was arriving here, our market declined until about 2012, and then began the rebound back. At this point, we are probably in a similar position to where our market was in 2004 or so...strong, but not to the ridiculous place it go in '05-'06. Lending/credit has loosened up a bit, banks are willing to offer home equity products and even construction loans again, and so not only are we seeing lots of new home building again in Las Vegas but the renovation space has really been very active over the last few years. What this has done is really allowed contractors/builders to ask for big dollars again. Prices to build new or renovation projects are increasing 15-20% per year. Had I been able to do these projects in 2012, I suspect I could have done it for something around half the cost of the quotes I am receiving now.

 

As some of you know, I've been all over the map in terms of what to do in regards to staying in this house or moving to something else, and so I've been looking at this from every angle. We've looked at building new, both custom as well as production builders, we've talked to architects to look at whole-home renovations, we've discussed both small and large additions, and we've looked at putting money into our yard. Everything we consider seems to cost a bajillion dollars. It has reached the point where I've considered sitting on the sidelines until the market cools off so I can reduce costs as the labor market slows down a bit.

 

To be honest, I don't think we can necessarily go wrong with any of these choices. And the good thing is, our yard is big enough so that if we would like to eventually select more than one, or even all of them, we can. It's just a matter of how much $ do you really want to invest in your yard?

 

All this input has been very helpful, however. I don't disagree with many of you in regards to the pool, although what LittleHurt pointed out is accurate. Thanks everyone, and by all means, feel free to weigh in if you'd like!

[iamshack]

I've always liked the desert homes that have those big outdoor living rooms with kitchens and fireplaces and TV's with misters for when it gets hot. But then again, alot of those houses ive been to have pools as well...

Yeah, those are a key feature that a lot of builders have added to their floor plans recently.

 

Another feature that has become very popular with builders are those massive sliding door systems that basically allow your living room to become and indoor/outdoor type space. I'm not much of an outdoor kitchen guy, mainly because I still prefer cooking on a weber grill, but I certainly like the idea of having a sink area that I can fill with ice to keep beers cold without having to run back and forth to the house.

 

I spoke with an architect about my vision for the pavilion idea, and it's definitely something he is excited about. I'd like it to have sort of a rustic feel, but at the same time have some space for outdoor workouts - think like some rubber flooring that can double as a play area for the kid. What frightens me is the costs he was throwing out there...you easily get to some big dollars without it being nearly as nice in terms of finishes as you would think.

 

 

[Chisoxfn]

Yeah, those are a key feature that a lot of builders have added to their floor plans recently.

 

Another feature that has become very popular with builders are those massive sliding door systems that basically allow your living room to become and indoor/outdoor type space. I'm not much of an outdoor kitchen guy, mainly because I still prefer cooking on a weber grill, but I certainly like the idea of having a sink area that I can fill with ice to keep beers cold without having to run back and forth to the house.

 

I spoke with an architect about my vision for the pavilion idea, and it's definitely something he is excited about. I'd like it to have sort of a rustic feel, but at the same time have some space for outdoor workouts - think like some rubber flooring that can double as a play area for the kid. What frightens me is the costs he was throwing out there...you easily get to some big dollars without it being nearly as nice in terms of finishes as you would think.

Mine would have those big sliding doors, going out to the outdoor living room and then off to one side you'd have a grill (probably would have to go with a built in weber with counter, although I could opt for keeping with my original weber and more just kind of having a bar area without the grill and then on the other side kind of having non-covered area (nice stone on the ground) and then a fireplace over in that area (so more like a lounge area of sorts) and a flatscreen in the main outdoor area.

 

I only cook outside, so having the big sliders that open up when you have guests over (kids can be inside or outside while your friends / family (adults) are on the other part, but still everything wide-open. Only thing I occasionally think about with those big sliders is how the hell do I keep the animals out (cause I don't want some random critter showing up in my house while everything is open).

[Middle Buffalo]

Yeah, that is a great point about safety. Drowning is the largest cause of accidental death for children below the age of 16 in southern Nevada (or something like that).

 

For the pool option, we were planning on an automatic pool cover to help provide additional security, in addition to the legally required fences and what not.

 

As for what would we get more usage out of...I honestly don't know...I know as a kid I would have been out on that sport court as much as I could...heck, I used to throw a ball against the brick wall of my house for hours at a time...I can only imagine if I would have had something like that.

 

The pavilion is also pretty cool, but I just wonder if that really offers activities we can't already do, just outside...not sure that is worth the kind of $ a project like that would require.

I had a pool before I moved. Vegas weather is similar to my situation in AZ, and as nice as it is to have a pool when you want to use it (especially with out of town guests, etc), it often goes unused for big stretches of time. It's kind of a pain to maintain, and believe it or not, it can be too hot outside to even be comfortable in a pool in the summer. So, you're limited to night swimming and a slightly longer swim season. But, with the desert nights cooling like they do, the water doesn't get to a comfortable temp until May and goes away in September.

 

 

[RockRaines]

Mine would have those big sliding doors, going out to the outdoor living room and then off to one side you'd have a grill (probably would have to go with a built in weber with counter, although I could opt for keeping with my original weber and more just kind of having a bar area without the grill and then on the other side kind of having non-covered area (nice stone on the ground) and then a fireplace over in that area (so more like a lounge area of sorts) and a flatscreen in the main outdoor area.

 

I only cook outside, so having the big sliders that open up when you have guests over (kids can be inside or outside while your friends / family (adults) are on the other part, but still everything wide-open. Only thing I occasionally think about with those big sliders is how the hell do I keep the animals out (cause I don't want some random critter showing up in my house while everything is open).

This is what I want for Chicago for god sakes. Wide open lower FR with a patio and outdoor kitchen/grill and TV area with bonfire pit. I'm just now redrawing our original plans for this type of thing

[Jenksismyhero]

I dunno man, you'd have about 3 weeks out of the year when you could comfortably open up the space. After that it's bug city.