At Home

Stephen Fanuka's Summer Backyard Tips

May 25, 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 four ways to revamp your outdoor space.

Pizza Ovens. This outdoor accoutrement is going to be huge in the Hamptons this summer. Go to Cambridgepavers.com and get a ready-made unit that your contractor can have installed just in time for dinner. Not only will you be enjoying homemade pizza fast, the oven is also usable for grilling vegetables, baking bread, and creating other tasty delights.

Fire Pits. Whether gas or log burning, there’s nothing like having an after-dinner drink and making s’mores with the family over a nice stone fire pit. Cambridgepavers.com has ready-made fire pits available, too. If fire pits are too basic, go all out and get an outdoor fireplace unit to really up the ante.

Outdoor Game Room. Games are synonymous with summer fun, so why not bring your indoor game room outside? Purchase an all-weather outdoor pool table, or make multiple gaming stations with a ping-pong table and foosball. Please guests who prefer sitting—or children who are video-game-obsessed—with an all-weather flat-screen TV.  

Brook & Waterfall. If you cant bring the house to the stream, bring the stream to the house…literally. A crackling brook and a cascading waterfall signify this season, and it’s an easy addition that would work in just about any backyard setting.

—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."