Yelp trend report: What’s hot in Texas backyard living

Living in Texas means triple-digit temperatures during summer and downright frosty conditions in winter. And yet, somehow, those climate extremes don’t stop Texans from spending a lot of time outdoors. They’re making backyard upgrades to enjoy life outside in any weather, from swimming pools and pergolas to entire backyard living rooms.

Yelp’s data scientists have uncovered the most popular outdoor living trends in the Lone Star State. Read on to find out what makes these historically rough-and-tumble people comfortable underneath that big sky. 

Related: Yelp’s Texas food and drink trend report

With average August temperatures surpassing 100 degrees, Texans enjoy staying cool in the pool. According to Yelp’s research, Texans are 3 times more likely to have a custom backyard pool than residents of any other state. Fly over the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and you’ll see a multitude of backyards dotted with blue pools.

Pools have come a long way since the classic kidney bean shape surrounded by scalding hot concrete. Recent trends in pool design include elegant angular, resort-style pools with fountains and infinity edges, similar to those built by Regal Pools in the Houston area.

Other homeowners prefer a more organic look, with nature-mimicking stonework that features cascading waterfalls, grottos, and sometimes a built-in slide. Frisco-based Medallion Pools of Texas in the DFW area specializes in this design trend. 

“Cowboy pools,” also known as stock tank pools, are a more affordable alternative to in-ground pools (which typically cost $25,000 or more). And they’re sturdier than typical above-ground pools.

Originally designed as water troughs for livestock such as cattle and horses, these galvanized metal tanks range from 6 to 11 feet in diameter; you’ll pay around $2,500 for a 9-foot pool with a filter installed. A professional installation company can handle the set-up, or it can be done as a DIY project. Bonus: Cowboy pools can be moved because they’re not permanently installed in the ground. 

Gone are the days of the lone charcoal grill on an uncovered patio. Outdoor kitchens have become extravagant with ceramic smokers, pizza ovens, refrigerators, sinks, cabinet storage, and bar seating.

Outdoor kitchens make a great addition to a backyard pool, allowing Texans to entertain friends without tracking wet towels and bathing suits through the house.

“Outdoor kitchens bring out the chef in all of us,” say the folks at Freedom Outdoor Living in San Antonio. “Imagine grilling steaks on a stainless-steel grill, beer cooling in the fridge, and friends and family eagerly awaiting your culinary surprise.” 

Texans are known for doing things big, so it makes sense that they would create entire living rooms outside. These outdoor living areas often feature TVs, fireplaces, sofas, chairs, and dining tables, all made to withstand the elements and stay pristine through rough Texas weather.

Today’s innovative outdoor fabrics are more resistant to stains, fading, and water damage. Weatherized TVs are designed to withstand wind, rain, snow, dust, humidity, and insects, and offer increased brightness for visibility in daylight.

Your Texas Patio in Cypress, outside of Houston, has created projects that feature oversized TVs, firepits, and other fun elements. Yelper Eloy R. says, “Jacob did exactly what we wanted with our patio. It looks like it’s been there since the house was built 18 months ago. Our neighbors want to know, ‘When’s the BBQ.’ We plan on making many great memories with it.”

During certain months, living in Texas feels a lot like being on the surface of the sun. To protect against beating rays, no outdoor living space is complete without a covered patio. In fact, covered patios and pergolas (a structure with a beamed or slatted roof that offers partial coverage) are more than twice as popular in Texas as in other states, Yelp’s research found.

Covered patios have come a long way since the old-fashioned, tent-like canopies of yesteryear. These trendy covered patio ideas not only look great, they offer protection from the elements as well as an anchor for lighting, ceiling fans, and overhead heaters.

Businesses like Reformed Outdoor Structures in Dallas create slatted pergolas and patio coverings that extend the roofline of your home, making a seamless transition from inside to outdoors.

“We had them [demolish] an old wooden deck and install a new deck that is twice the size of our original,” Sam S. says. “They also constructed a new pergola that is attached to our roof by a cool proprietary system they came up with. It turned out beautifully. Cannot recommend them enough.”

Texans are a fiery bunch, known for their big personalities as much as their barbecue—so it’s no wonder that fire pits are the centerpiece of many outdoor living spaces.

According to Texas Outdoor Oasis in Wylie, “A fire pit makes a great outdoor cooking tool. Almost anything you can cook on a grill can be cooked on a fire pit. It’s perfect for making s’mores, toasting marshmallows, and grilling hot dogs with your family.”

In addition to freestanding fire pits, many homeowners opt for outdoor fireplaces or opulent fire features that are built into retaining walls or perched atop columns, providing yet another way to make a statement in the Lone Star State. 

Out on the Texas prairie, it gets as dark as the inside of a cow—but the right outdoor lighting allows Texans to show off their homesteads proudly. Imagine lighting that can highlight the front of your house, illuminate beautiful trees and gardens, and even make the pool change colors. As a result, outdoor lighting is 30% more popular in Texas than anywhere else in the US, according to Yelp research. 

With many options for outdoor lighting, experts can help design a scheme that’s right for your Texan home. “One of the biggest trends is cafe or string lighting,” according to Outdoor Lighting Perspectives in Austin. “The subtle and warm tones have become a very popular way to enjoy evening into nighttime.”

“Good fences make good neighbors,” poet Robert Frost famously wrote. Nowhere is that more true than in Texas, where searches for fence companies on Yelp are 20% higher than in the rest of the nation.

Fences are especially important on farms and ranches to prevent livestock from wandering off, but city folk like them as well. These days, you can find many options for backyard fences that are sleek, sophisticated, and go beyond traditional whitewashed wood.

“Lately, people are going with horizontal pickets with an iron or metal post,” says Todd Ratajik, owner of Austin’s Finest Fence and Deck. “It’s a flashier look, but it lasts longer and looks slick with cedar pickets. [Homeowners] want a more modern look the closer into the city we go.”

According to Ratajik, wrought iron fences are very popular with property owners who don’t want to lose a treasured view. Other current fencing trends include wooden rail fences, metal rail fences, chain link, and rough-hewn garden fences. Prices average $30–50 per foot for fence installation and materials. 

 If you’ve got a green thumb—or just a lot of stuff—garden sheds can be the perfect place to store all of your equipment and free up space in the garage. Yelp’s research shows that residents of Austin and San Antonio have become especially fond of these convenient backyard structures, which can also serve as a hobby room or playroom for the kids.

Yesterday’s prefab metal boxes have gotten an upgrade: companies such as Quality Storage Buildings in Itasca can build and install everything from simple backyard sheds to larger and more elaborate cabins, complete with customizable window and door options.