ping pong table: How To Turn Your Backyard Into An Outdoor Rec Room

New Products Can Extend The Use Of Your Yard

Dorothy Tucker
Reporting

(CBS) Recent warm temperatures have everyone heading outdoors. Is your backyard ready for the summer rush?

CBS 2 Consumer Reporter Dorothy Tucker shows us some of the latest luxuries that will transform a simple backyard into the perfect summer getaway.

Summer fun in the backyard at the Spitz home has been elevated to a new level. There's a weather-resistant ping pong table and a basketball court that doubles as a dance floor. There are also plans for much more, including more speakers and more lights.

"The advantage is it extends our living space," said homeowner Jennifer Amdur Spitz. "We barbeque, we eat out here. We play ping pong. The kids play together instead of watching TV."

The outdoor rec room is the latest trend in family fun, and the latest luxuries are truly impressive.

Jennifer plans to buy outdoor wireless speakers for her yard. Bose makes waterproof speakers you can hide in the bushes by burying them 8 inches in the ground. The Bose Free Space 51 Environmental Speakers retail for $449. The speakers are made to hold up in bad weather, and their cords extend 80 feet. They held up well to water exposure in Good Housekeeping Institute tests.

For about $1300, you can add a portable video projector to watch on the side of your garage. The InFocus Play Big IN72 Projector lets you watch wide-screen DVDs inside and outside. This was a big hit for folks shopping for backyard furniture.

"A movie on the garage would be really fun. It would be like having a drive-in theatre without the car," said shopper Sid Himes.

With so many toys, you'll probably want to spend as much time as possible in your backyard. For $349, you can fire up an outdoor patio heater. The BernzOmatic Outdoor Patio Heater runs off a gas grill propane tank.

"This new patio heater is a great way to extend the season and be able to use your patio either in the spring or fall," said John Kupsch with the Good Housekeeping Institute.

A portable heater may be the next purchase for the Spitz family, but for now, family and friends are enjoying the new toys they've got this summer.

The products featured have been tested by the Good Housekeeping Institute for strength and durability.

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