Preparing Your Home For Football Season
School is back in session, the sun is setting sooner and the temperature is beginning to drop—signaling the beginning of fall and football season. Whether you live close to your favorite college and pro teams or are cheering them on from afar, one of the best ways to watch the big game is from your own outdoor living space. Alvarez Construction knows how much of an impact comfortable outdoor and open-concept indoor living spaces can have on the functionality of homes, which is why we offer back porches and front patios in as many of our floor plans as possible. Our team has rounded up some ideas to bring the excitement, camaraderie and tailgate-friendly traditions to your home this season.
Get your space ready for gameday
The first step to creating the ideal atmosphere for your at-home tailgate is preparing a seating area. It can be an outdoor dining set to enjoy your favorite football food, furniture around a patio-safe television or a gathering spot inside around the big screen to watch the game. For a real tailgating experience, consider buying a team-branded canopy tent to hang out under (if you don’t already have a covered patio).
Be sure to add in some spirited decor. You can find branded tablecloths, napkins, plates and more for most teams to make it clear who you’re rooting for. Embrace your team’s colors by adding a few throw pillows to your indoor or outdoor couch, or really go all out with your team’s logo hung up as an outdoor-safe metal sign or flag.
Cook up the tastes of tailgating
Arguably one of the best parts of tailgating is the food, and now you get to enjoy it from the comfort of your own home. Louisiana tailgating meals are a delicacy in their own right, with regional specialties like jambalaya, cracklins, boudin and bacon-wrapped shrimp filling the plates of hungry football fans across the state. For a more traditional stadium-food fill, fire up the backyard grill for hot dogs or burgers. Since you’ll be tailgating close to the beautifully designed kitchen, keep the big batch of gumbo warm inside on the stove top. Another benefit to tailgating from home is keeping cold items crisp in your refrigerator instead of a cooler. Make layered dips, fresh salsa and pasta salads the night before to free up your mornings.
Bring old traditions and create new ones
The hardest part of being away from the stadium for games is being away from the traditions that make your team special to you—so be sure to include them in any way you can. Play their fight song over your speakers, participate in whatever chants you have memorized and maybe even pull up halftime performances (marching bands, dance teams, etc.) on YouTube to get the ultimate home-game experience.
We also recommend busting out your favorite tailgating games in the yard or driveway. Toss a football around, compete in cornhole or play some ladder toss before kickoff.
Watching the game from home with fellow fans can be just as fun as attending the game in person, and we hope these tips inspire you to show team spirit and enjoy your outdoor and indoor living spaces in a whole new way. If you’re looking for a new home that you’ll love spending more than just football season in, Alvarez Construction has just the right lineup throughout the greater Baton Rouge area. Browse our roster of quick move-in homes or learn about our communities built in the most-sought after towns by contacting us today.
