Community associations are embracing the comeback of outdoor amenities. They are in fashion, and especially since the pandemic are more in demand than ever. 

Including them in your HOA or Condo can bring many benefits. Here we examine what those are and give 5 ideas of amenities that you can add to your community. We also provide you with a solution as to how to make their usage fairer without increasing your workload.

Outdoor Amenities are In

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) report that home designers are spending more time penciling in these amenities. AIA’s 2023 Home Design Trend Survey, shows that outdoor living spaces remain popular, up from 65% in 2022 to 75% in 2023. 

What Outdoor Amenities are in?

The most popular options are blending indoor/outdoor spaces (e.g. a kitchen that opens up to a garden), outdoor fireplaces, outbuildings, exterior or security lighting, and pools.

Why are Amenities Important?

HOAs and Condos with amenities tend to attract residents more. It gives them an edge when owners and tenants are deciding where to live. Having shared amenities is a bonus for residents, it’s a big attraction when deciding whether to live in an HOA.

For current residents, amenities increase the sense of community and help to increase engagement. It’s a great space to meet their neighbors and begin socializing with them. This socialization improves security, as people know who lives in the community.

Especially since the pandemic, everyone has been valuing outdoor space, and being outside. And if you don’t have one yet, we’re going to dive into what outdoor amenities you can add to your community association that won’t break the bank.

Top 5 Outdoor Amenities For HOAs & Condos

There are many types of outdoor amenities, from playgrounds to dog parks. Here we have 5 options that you can install without too much construction work or breaking your budget.

Fire Pit

We mentioned them above. They are the most desired outdoor amenity, and they don’t require too much space or money to add to your community association. They are a great place for residents to come together and socialize in an intimate way.

Points to consider when looking at fire pits:

• What will it be made of? Natural stone is popular, but you could go more modern or rustic depending on your community feel
• Location: Where can you have one that isn’t too close to any structures and has space for seating?
• Fuel: Should it be wood burning or gas?

Community Garden

A community garden is a great way to get people out of the house, and into nature. If you’re a condo with limited space, this could be a herb garden or something small. If you live in an HOA with more land available, you could create a larger garden where residents can plant vegetables.

It’s a wonderful space for children to learn about where food comes from, and a committee can manage the space and build a wonderful community space. 

You could have committee volunteers in charge of maintaining the space, and get the first pick of produce. Otherwise, you could have rotating allotments, so that for a few months one household has an allotment, and then someone else receives it so that everyone has a chance.

Grill

Owners and tenants appreciate having barbecues to rent during the warmer months. They’re a great amenity that doesn’t require a large budget.

Points to consider when thinking about installing grills: 

• Good ventilation: Grills can’t be too close to homes so that smoke doesn’t blow into anyone’s home. 
• Fire safety: You need to have a water source or fire extinguisher nearby in case there is a fire. 
• After use: There must be rules in place stating that members must clean the grills after us.
• Fuel: Will it be a gas grill? If it is, the HOA will have to provide that and charge residents for use. Otherwise, if it’s charcoal then residents can bring their own charcoal, reducing maintenance costs.
• Booking a grill: Think about how grills will be booked, if you’d like to use software or forms, or if it will be first come first served.

Lounge

Having an outdoor lounge space can be special to hold community events. Especially if you live somewhere where it is often warm, a lounge can be useful for residents to hold events.

This could be linked to the clubhouse, pool, or firepit, or separate from it. It can be a small area if you’re tight for space, that residents could book for cocktails or events.

Bike Storage

To encourage an active lifestyle, and to prevent people from having to store their bikes in their condos, having a bike storage can be a wonderful addition. In New York, bicycle storage is now required for new buildings.

This can be a bike shed, or rack where residents can lock their bicycles. Otherwise, if you have an empty storage room, this could also be used. The board can then charge residents a small fee to store their bikes, which would mean that you would recoup the investment in a bike storage space.

Booking Amenities With Software

When adding amenities, you don’t want to increase the workload by having to manage bookings. For the community garden, a committee can manage who is involved with the garden. Then for bike storage, residents with a bike can pay a small fee to store their bicycles. However, with a fire pit, grill, and lounge they need to be bookable. If they’re first come, first serve you may get an unfair system where the same residents are always using it.

That is where amenity reservation software can help. Neigbrs by Vinteum has a powerful reservation system where the board can include the amenity’s rules and terms of use, as well as adjust opening hours and how often it can be booked. Then residents can easily book it from the desktop or mobile app.

Conclusion to Outdoor Amenities

Having outdoor amenities in your community gives your HOA or Condo an edge with buyers and renters. It also improves engagement, satisfaction, and security in the community as people know each other better and use the outdoor spaces more.

Installing a fire pit, lounge, grill, bike storage or community garden can make a big difference in your community association. And you can make booking them easier with amenity reservation software, like Neigbrs by Vinteum to reduce that workflow and make it easy for residents to enjoy their new spaces.