Adding Usable Space Without Full Construction
Sruly Friedman of LiVout
Sometimes the constraint isn’t space — it’s what that space is allowed to be.
A property at its floor area ratio limit can’t add a room. A restaurant that needs more seating can’t always go through a full build. A homeowner might want a seasonal room without committing to permanent construction. The footprint is already there — the question is whether it can be made to work differently.
LiVout designs and installs pergolas and outdoor enclosure systems. Because the structures are open, they typically don’t count against floor area ratio. That allows properties that have already hit their limit to add usable space — without going through a full build.
“It’s both,” said Sruly Friedman, when asked whether the work is residential or commercial. “Private housing… and commercial.”
Friedman came to this from product development. He previously worked in private-label manufacturing on Amazon, sourcing and bringing products to market. As that market became more competitive, he shifted into pergola systems. Much of his sourcing is domestic, which helps keep turnaround short — a customer who calls in June can often have a system installed within three weeks.
Those systems — motorized roofs, roll-down screens, and glass enclosures — can be opened, enclosed, or adjusted depending on weather, use, and time of day.
“With the push of a button… everything disappears,” Friedman said.
Behind that flexibility, most projects are custom. Each one is designed around the site’s structural limits and layout — from working around existing beams to fitting within a tight footprint — or, in one recent job, creating custom beams just to make the design possible.
“It’s very, very custom,” Friedman said.
They’ve also expanded the range of colors and finishes, so each system can be matched more closely to the space.
For residential projects, that often means enclosing a patio or creating a seasonal room for dining, hosting, or daily use. In commercial settings, the same systems are used to add usable capacity — restaurants extending seating without going through a full construction process, a more economical way to add seating.
LiVout has exhibited at OJBA multiple times. One installation completed just before this year’s show originated from a custom project first discussed at last year’s show.
Watch Sruly Friedman explain how LiVout’s systems work — and where they fit into residential and commercial projects.
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