At Home

Stephen Fanuka's 5 Ways to a Kid-Friendly Backyard

July 17, 2012 | At Home

Summer is here and it’s officially time to shift your focus outside and ensure your backyard design is ahead of the curve. Contractor to the stars and host of DIY Network’s Million Dollar Contractor, Stephen Fanuka, has five ways to make your outdoor space kid-friendly.

Trampolines – get a safe one with an enclosure net and place it on a flat and open spot. Toysrus.com has a good selection.

Table games – an outdoor pool or foosball table is a no-fail way to entertain older kids (think: teenagers). Outdoorpooltables.com even sells a conversion kit to change your pool table into a ping-pong table.

Treehouses – the classic has gotten a facelift. Danielswoodland.com offers treehouses that come with a real tree, Internet, swings, slides, and monkey bars. Picture a treehouse with a house or houses on it and a bridge to cross in between, plus other cool features—your kids will feel like they have Disneyland in their backyard. 

Cooling mists – keeping children cool will also keep them cool-headed. A micro cool mist system is a pressurized spray that releases 1000 pounds per square inch of water from overhead nozzles. Now here’s the best part: the droplets are so small that the mist evaporates into a fog. Check out Aeromist.com, but be sure to have a professional install.

Inflatable screen and projectors - for something that will amuse both young and old, set up an outdoor movie theater. A giant inflatable screen and projector, like these options from Amazon.com, is sure to make everyone’s evening special.

—STEPHEN FANUKA

Stephen Fanuka has built himself an unsurpassed reputation among the leading decorators, architects, and elite clientele as the go-to guy for high quality general contracting and luxury interior renovations. He was driven by a passion for his family’s business and has grown it from a small father-son custom cabinet shop into the prestigious firm it is today, Fanuka, Inc. Fanuka, Inc. works with some of the world’s top designers and architects such as Francois Catroux, Jacques Grange, Eric Cohler, Thom Filicia, Nancy Bozhardt, Philip Gorrivan, Gordon Kahn, and Christopher Maya, as well as celebrities such as Bethenny Frankel, Beyonce, Lindsay Lohan, Rosanna Scotto, and Tony Bennett.

Stephen’s first television series, Million Dollar Contractor premiered in October 2011 on the DIY Network and in April 2012 moved to HGTV. M$C will debut it’s second season this fall on October 16th on the DIY Network. His book, co-written with Ed Lewine titled What’s A Homeowner to Do? was published by Artisan Books in November and is available on Amazon.com and independent and chain booksellers across the country. Catch more of Stephen's tips on Twitter @StephenFanuka and on Facebook: Stephen Fanuka, "Contractor to the Stars."