Liz Quinn, the landscape designer for GrandScapes, talks about the patio and outdoor kitchen that she designed for a customer's home in Portsmouth.
Photo: Michael Derr

Homeowners in South County are upgrading their outdoor areas into complete living spaces, featuring gourmet kitchens, integrated sound systems, resort-style water features, and lighting that can transform any Tuesday night into an unforgettable evening. The investment is genuine, the products are more advanced than ever, and local experts confirm that the time to start planning a project for next summer has already arrived.

The Kitchen Outside Your Kitchen

Outdoor kitchens have moved from luxury novelty to an expected feature in any serious backyard renovation. Liz Quinn, landscape designer at Grandscapes in Wakefield, has watched demand steadily surge — with no signs of slowing — since the pandemic.

She generally recommends custom builds over premade kits because they offer superior durability and are more aesthetically pleasing. Her team typically incorporates premium materials like Unilock pavers, thermal bluestone, and natural stone veneers, as well as RCS gas grills. While a standard paver-block setup typically starts at $12,000, high-end projects, including higher-end materials, can drive the total costs into the $30,000 to $45,000 range.

For homeowners who wish to further upscale their outdoor cooking space, a pair of nationally available products is worth considering. The True Caliber Signature Rockwell is a freestanding grill with a 360-degree walk-around design and a fully retractable disappearing lid that slides beneath the cooktop. It features three 20,000 BTU Crossflame burners, over 600 square inches of active grilling surface, a sapele wood base, and a marine-grade aluminum body built from 300-series stainless steel. It is available in 96 color-hardware combinations and can be found locally through Wickford Appliance.

For cooks drawn to the precision of pellet technology, the recteq X-Fire Pro 825 is the only dual-mode pellet grill on the market with a temperature range of 225 to 1,250 degrees Fahrenheit, effectively functioning as both a smoker and a high-heat searing grill in a single unit. It retails for $549.99. Homeowners who prefer a cleaner, fuel-free option should consider Kenyon Grills, manufactured in Connecticut, which are electric, smokeless, and flameless. Kenyon grills are UL-listed for indoor and outdoor use and are available in built-in and standalone configurations.

Quinn advises homeowners to think strategically when allocating their renovation budgets. She says vertical elements like seating walls and fireplaces deliver the most immediate visual payoff.

“Spend your money there,” she said, “because that’s your immediate eye catcher.”

Mixing materials is another move she consistently recommends.

“I like to try to mix the paver product in with the natural stone, and I feel that it adds a nice dynamic feature to any backyard.”

Her bottom line on quality is equally direct.

“There’s nothing worse than spending this money to get this dream backyard that you want that doesn’t last.”

One notable shift Quinn has observed is a preference among clients for raised paver or stone patios over traditional wooden decks. For homeowners who prefer the low-maintenance durability of a composite surface, Fiberon Promenade PVC decking is engineered specifically for moisture-rich coastal environments, resisting salt air and harsh weather while offering a slip-resistant surface that mimics painted wood without the upkeep. It is an especially practical choice for coastal properties.

Sound, Light, and the Technology of Ambiance

A stunning outdoor living area looks best under the right light and sounds infinitely better with a quality audio system. John Miceli, owner of Castle Hill Audio Video in Stonington, Connecticut, has been wiring South County backyards for exactly that purpose, and he makes a compelling case for treating AV and lighting as design elements rather than afterthoughts.

“If you’re spending the money to have a professionally landscaped backyard, sound system and lighting is pretty much pinnacle,” Miceli said. “It really transforms it because everybody looks at it during the day and says, ‘Wow, that’s a really nice space.’ But once the sun goes down, you need something to enhance that look.”

Castle Hill Audio Video is a dealer for Coastal Source, a brand Miceli considers among the best in outdoor audio. Coastal Source makes bollard speakers (round units that sit at ground level) as well as wall-mounted speakers designed to install at a 45-degree angle in an alcove or flush against a surface. At roughly four inches deep, they barely protrude, keeping their visual footprint minimal. A companion subwoofer rounds out the sound in a way that compact portable speakers simply cannot replicate.

For video installations, Miceli regularly recommends 65-inch or larger outdoor-rated screens. He collaborates with landscape designers early in the process to find the ideal location, whether that means viewing from a covered pergola or pool deck. Rather than creating a standalone configuration, he typically links the backyard into the existing audio system as an additional zone, all managed via a mobile app.

Castle Hill offers its clients the very best in lighting. Ketra, a division of Lutron, produces color-adjustable LED systems that allow homeowners to shift the mood of a space via an app, from warm and intimate to vivid and festive.

A middle-of-the-road quality package for outdoor AV and lighting starts at around $10,000 for homeowners starting from scratch.

Miceli is direct about cutting corners in AV projects.

“If you don’t spend the money up front, you’re just going to keep spending the money,” he said.

Castle Hill also extends Wi-Fi networks to outdoor spaces and installs cameras for homeowners who want security around pools or gates.

For homeowners unsure about committing to full outdoor sound systems, Castle Hill offers in-home demonstrations. The company leaves a demo system at a client’s home for a weekend to try. He notes that the clients’ responses afterward are almost always the same.

“Usually by the time they’ve played with it for a little bit, it’s, ‘Can you leave this here until our stuff comes?’” Miceli said.

Once clients experience a professional sound system around a pool, he explained, portable Bluetooth speakers no longer seem like appealing options.

The Water Journey Starts Here

In the heart of North Kingstown, Quinn Camp, the proprietor of Pool and Spa by WhitePine and WhitePine Outdoors at 1051 Ten Road, frequently astounds newcomers with the depth of its offerings. Aside from pools and spas, WhitePine builds outdoor kitchens, installs louvered pergolas and screen systems, and offers specialty shade products like marine-grade Shadow Spec umbrellas. Camp describes his company’s purpose in terms of a larger goal.

“We got into hot tubs and pools a number of years ago because we saw that was generally people’s first interest in backyard renovations,” Camp said. “And so our goal is to help people start the water journey and then develop the rest of their backyard along the way.”

WhitePine carries two main hot tub lines. Welles Hot Tubs is a European acrylic brand for buyers undertaking larger backyard renovations who want a permanent installation. Acrylic tubs in his showroom range from approximately $11,000 to $25,000, with most purchases totaling around $15,000. These units generally require electrical permitting and a concrete pad or base preparation.

The company’s biggest seller, though, is the Softub, an American-made portable unit manufactured in New Bedford, Massachusetts, by former NASA scientists around 40 years ago. Made from structural foam, units weigh about 80 pounds, run on a standard 110-volt household outlet, and can be placed on any level surface indoors or out.

“It weighs about 80 pounds, so you can roll it and move it anywhere you want,” Camp said. “It’s one of the only hot tubs that won’t void the warranty as well if you decide to move it.”

Softubs range from $5,750 to $9,500.

WhitePine’s construction division can handle everything from basic delivery and placement to a full A-to-Z backyard design-and-build.

“If you take a picture of a person’s backyard, we can help design and build and provide the product as well,” Camp said.

The Right Time to Call

All three local experts offer the same piece of advice for anyone feeling the pull of inspiration. To be ready for next summer, the time to start the conversation is now. Landscape design plans, AV system integration, and permitting for larger structures all take time, and the most in-demand contractors fill their spring calendars sooner than most homeowners expect.

For projects that are well-defined and straightforward, turnaround can be faster than anticipated. Miceli notes that once a design is approved, many AV installations begin and wrap within one week. Camp can place a Softub the same day with minimal site preparation. Quinn’s hardscape crews work year-round thanks to the open-grade base installation method, meaning a fall project is not out of the question.

The backyard is now considered an extension of the home, a space that reflects a family’s lifestyle and is worth the investment. Today’s options, such as outdoor speaker systems or recessed fire pits, make outdoor design exciting for South County homeowners. The only question is where to start.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Grandscapes, 61 Tuckertown Road, Wakefield, RI 02879, (401) 210-2067, grandscapesri.com

• Castle Hill Audio Video, 201 N. Main St., Stonington, CT 06378, (860) 599-1234, castlehillaudiovideo.com Serving North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Narragansett, and surrounding South County communities.

• Pool and Spa by WhitePine/WhitePine Outdoors, 1051 Ten Rod Road, North Kingstown, RI 02852, (401) 386-3417, poolandspabywhitepine.com Showroom visits by appointment only.

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South County homeowners are rewriting the rules of outdoor living spaces