Creating shaded outdoor havens | Real Estate Newsletter
And Philly’s shrinking apartments.
In the heat of summer, shade can mean the difference between relaxing on your patio or deck for hours or feeling your skin cooking in the sun for 30 minutes before you’ve had enough and head back inside.
With housing costs as high as they are, homeowners are looking to get the most out of their properties. And they’re turning outdoor space into living space they can use for most of the year. That means adding shade.
Options range from budget-friendly DIY shade sails and simple pergola kits to custom structures that can cost tens of thousands of dollars or more.
A couple in Washington Square West spent about $140,000 to extend their living space into their yard with a fancy pergola.
Keep scrolling for that story and more in this week’s edition:
Shrinking floor plans: Philly apartments are getting smaller.
High home equity: New Jersey outpaced most other states in typical housing wealth in a national study.
Intense backlash: Controversial apartments that a developer wants to build on Manayunk’s PHS beer garden site have been delayed.
Life in color: Peek inside this Merion Station property with a yard that went from almost lifeless to garden-filled.
— Michaelle Bond
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When Amy and Bob Kothari moved from Ambler to Washington Square West, they wanted city living but didn’t want to give up the outdoor space they loved in the suburbs.
The historically designated home they chose has an 800-square-foot yard they wanted to make the most of.
They spent about $140,000 to transform the space. A pergola includes a ceiling fan, heaters, and a roof with slats that automatically close in the rain. The couple added lighting, brickwork, flagstone, and landscaping.
The yard is not only a spot to relax and entertain, but it also functions as a home office.
Homeowners like the Kotharis are extending their living spaces and keeping cool in the summer with pergolas, awnings, motorized retractable shades, screens, and UV-resistant fabric strung up for shade.
Keep reading to learn about options and what to keep in mind.
📮Have you done something with your outside space that makes you use it more? Tell me about it.
If you’ve noticed that newer Philly apartments seem smaller, you’re not imagining things. They are.
In fact, among the country’s largest cities for renters, Philly has some of the smallest new apartments. The city ranked 88th in a list of 100.
That’s according to a new report by RentCafe, the nationwide apartment search website.
New Philly apartments, which the platform defined as those built between 2016 and 2025, span an average of 747 square feet — 163 fewer square feet than the national average.
And although apartments across the country got slightly bigger last year, in Philadelphia, they’re shrinking.
Keep reading to learn how much space apartment renters have lost and why Philly’s in-demand rental market means smaller homes.
The latest news to pay attention to
New Jersey outpaced most other states in typical housing wealth in a national study.
Controversial apartments planned for Manayunk’s PHS beer garden site have been delayed.
A Philly judge took the rare step of ordering outside supervision of the city’s sheriff sales after years of dysfunction in processing deeds.
West Philly parking wars heat up amid plans for a 420-unit apartment complex on Lancaster Ave.
This homebuyer borrowed $11,000 from her 401(k) to transform a “total dump” in South Philly.
Vanguard sold one of its Chester County offices for $17 million, but it’ll stay put for now.
The rehab of historic Walnut Street buildings will not include salvaged materials.
The controversial East Whiteland data center project got a second stop-work order.
House of the week: For $715,000 in Lafayette Hill, a three-bedroom house with a new kitchen in a walkable area.
I’d give myself a solid C+ in caring for plants.
My home is filled with greenery, and my spider plant makes more babies than I know what to do with.
But I accidentally killed the vine my mom had grown for decades. (My fault for bringing it to the office.) I couldn’t keep my money tree alive. (Is that a bad sign?) And I’ve recently learned — on my second attempt — that I can’t handle lilies. (How could drooping leaves mean I either gave them too much water or not enough?)
But many people I’ve featured in my newsletter have had green thumbs.
When Laura White and her husband, Boots Levinson, bought their Merion Station home, the yard didn’t have much life. Now, it’s filled with thriving flowers, and gardens surround the house.
White learned to garden from watching her dad and, more recently, seeking advice from neighbors.
Take a look at the fruits of the homeowners’ labor and learn what goes into maintaining their gardens.
📷 Photo quiz
What is this building in the foreground?
📮 If you think you know, email me back.
Last week’s quiz featured a photo of the Market Street Bridge.
Bob D. and Heidi O. were among the readers who got that right. Heidi told me her grandfather worked in the Peco building in the background for 50 years.
In case you haven’t heard, the Market Street Bridge will be closed to cars for more than a year.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
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