Outdoor living: Sprucing up outdoor spaces

Once a concrete slab with a grill, a metal table and outdoor chairs and perhaps an umbrella, the area now goes by the name outdoor living space. Incorporating the space is almost de rigueur in new home construction. In fact, the leisure living category is now a $6.2 billion industry in the United States, according to the Hearth, Patio and Barbeque Association (HPBA).

None of this surprises Allen Huskin, owner of The Fire Escape in Abilene, a business that specializes in outdoor living areas. Huskin has been designing outdoor living spaces for eight years.

"It's exciting," he said recently in his office as he prepared to travel to Stamford to design an outdoor area for a customer. "Basically, we're talking about two or three rooms. You have a kitchen, a place to eat and usually a living area."

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