Mike Pyle Shares What You Should Know About Landscape Design - Exclusive
In the world of home improvement shows, landscape designers tend to get overlooked. Most shows focus on home construction and interior design challenges, and the perfectly polished landscaping that appears around the finished house typically just kind of happens.
But landscape designer Mike Pyle, co-host of the HGTV show "Inside Out," wants everyone to know that there's more to an impressive landscape than meets the eye: Behind every beautifully-manicured walkway or backyard is a lot of work and strategizing. On "Inside Out," Pyle and his co-host, interior designer Carmine Sabatella, each pitch their dream exterior and interior renovation plans to homeowners, who then decide how much of their fixed budget to allocate to each. Thus, on each episode, Pyle's mission is to convince clients that a show-stopping landscape will not only add to the home's value, but also enhance their quality of life. In an exclusive interview, Pyle shares the important facts homeowners should know about landscape design.
A polished landscape requires serious planning — and a serious investment
Over his 20-year career in landscape design, Mike Pyle has found that a common misconception among homeowners is that exterior design is inherently simpler and less expensive than interior design. "You've just got to admit [that] people think that 'It's outside. It's just dirt, plants, and irrigation, and call it a day. And we're good,'" he revealed.
But, Pyle points out that exterior design entails much more than planting a few hedges and installing some sprinklers — it can include swimming pools, fire pits, sitting areas, walkways, decorative water features, and more. Thus, getting the most from an outdoor space requires the same creativity and planning as a refresh of an indoor space. Additionally, like interior renovations, landscape renovations can get pricy really fast. "The thing will add up real quick; before you know it, you're spending more money on the outside than the inside," Pyle continued. "It's not worth it depending on the remodel. I just did a remodel, and it literally cost me double what I anticipated. Things are just very expensive right now."
Outdoor spaces can become memorable focal points for your home
Mike Pyle believes that well-designed outdoors spaces are not only visually attractive, but can also serve as a focal point of the home. Thus, he strives to create spaces that people will want to interact with. And communicating this vision to homeowners, who often think of their yards as nothing more than kids' play areas or spaces for the occasional cookout, is a regular part of his work process. "Just creating moments outside is something that I know a lot of people can't see," he explained. "But, once I get on site, once I walk through something, and create an interior courtyard, or create the back space for their home, and create all these moments in the yard — once I walk through with them, they can kind of see it."
Both Pyle and his co-host, Carmine Sabatella, believe that a good way to make exterior areas more inviting is by designing exterior and interior spaces that naturally flow together. Plus, Pyle has found that bifold doors are a high-impact way of inviting movement between these places. "I just did my house," he added. "I did a bifold door on the front side of my house to create length and a courtyard, and on the back side, I did the same to kind of connect my backyard once you open up the bifold doors. They are pricey, but personally, I would think that this is at the top of my list for any remodel."
Season 2 of "Inside Out" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV.