Double Take: This Outdoor Screen Makes Game Day a Snap
A Michigan family goes long and wide on their backyard party central with a supersize screen, fire pits and lounging for a crowd
Browsing Houzz the other day, I came across an outdoor media pavilion that stopped me in my tracks. How is the TV protected from weather? Just how big is it? Who are these people? It turns out this is a family of big Michigan State University fans, and they love to have their friends over to enjoy game day and movie nights in their dream outdoor media room, entertainment patio and living space in Ann Arbor.
Family and friends can sit at the counter-height table and roast hot dogs and marshmallows while they enjoy the show. The base of the table is cedar to match the facade of the pavilion; the top is flamed granite.
Outdoor heaters and another fire pit near the sectional keep fans warm during football season. Indoor speakers and large windows in the back of the house allow them to watch the Detroit Red Wings from inside during hockey season.
A custom glass and bronze overhead door protects the screen when not in use, and split-face ledge stone on the bottom helps the structure blend in with the landscaping. The hip-style roofline has a slender pitch for runoff and an overhang to help block the sun.
Tell us: What photo on Houzz has made you do a double take lately?
Tell us: What photo on Houzz has made you do a double take lately?
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A projector inside designed for both day and night viewing shoots the picture onto the back of a 9-foot-wide glass screen. Small speakers are strategically placed to distribute the sound evenly to the seating areas only, so that any neighbors beyond the large lot aren't disturbed.
Colorworks brought in Grand Home Automation to install a weatherproof Wi-Fi system that works both outside and inside the house. Viewers can use an iPad app to turn on FM radio or pipe playlists and other music to the outdoor speakers. "The equipment itself is not particularly exotic, but the hookup interface to have all the pieces 'talk' to each other is," Krass says.