When we started looking at ways to make our community spaces in Southern California more engaging, we weren’t just after something pretty to look at. We wanted something people would actually use.
We’re in the Los Angeles and San Diego area, where the weather is good year-round and outdoor living is part of everyday life. Our residents grill on the weekends, hang out by the pool after work, and gather in common areas without much prompting. But for a long time, those spaces felt more like places to pass through, not places to stay and connect.
That started to change the day we installed our concrete cornhole boards near the barbecue patio. Then came the concrete ping pong table, concrete foosball, and eventually a concrete shuffleboard and chess table in the park area.
What happened next surprised us — in the best way possible.
We’ve tried amenities before that were only popular with one group. A gym attracts the same ten people every day. The pool is seasonal. The firepit gets used when someone remembers to bring wood.
But the concrete games are different.
- Teenagers stop by the ping pong table after school and pick up spontaneous games.
- Parents toss cornhole bags while they wait for the grill to heat up.
- Older residents sit down at the chess table in the morning with coffee and a friend.
- Kids climb onto the foosball handles to get their turn.
You can hear the laughter from across the courtyard, especially in the evenings when people are winding down from work. It’s a natural, unforced gathering — and it includes everyone.
2. We Put Them Where People Already Gather
We didn’t build new areas for these games. We placed them where the life already was:
- Right next to the barbecue area, where people hang out and talk anyway.
- Along the path that connects the pool to the main building, so residents see them on their way.
- In a park-like open space, shaded by a couple of big trees, where parents already brought kids to run around.
The concrete ping pong table alone turned what used to be a quiet corner near the grills into the most active part of the property. It’s not unusual now to see a pickup game going while someone’s barbecuing — and people who don’t even know each other end up playing doubles.
3. They Look Good and Stay That Way
We’ve installed other outdoor features before, but Southern California sun and coastal air are tough on anything flimsy. Wood warps. Plastic cracks. Painted metal fades and rusts.
Concrete is different.
Our concrete cornhole boards and foosball tables have been out there for years now. They look almost exactly the same as the day they were installed. No peeling paint. No warped frames. No one worrying about putting them away at the end of the night.
They’re permanent fixtures that feel like part of the architecture, not add-ons.
4. No One Has to “Manage” Them
As a property manager, I can tell you there’s nothing more frustrating than an amenity that needs constant attention — replacing parts, checking reservations, dealing with complaints.
The concrete games require basically nothing.
- There are no moving parts to maintain.
- They don’t blow away in the Santa Ana winds.
- No special cleaning beyond a hose or a broom.
- No one can steal them (trust me — these things weigh a lot).
Once they’re in, they’re in. And people use them without anyone needing to coordinate or unlock anything.
5. They Fit the SoCal Lifestyle
Southern California isn’t about hiding inside. It’s about being outdoors — having friends over for a barbecue, sitting outside after work, taking your shoes off in the grass.
Adding concrete games just made sense here.
The ping pong table gets used even in winter, because our winter is still mild. Cornhole is practically a California backyard tradition. The shuffleboard table stays clean and playable through every season. And the chess table has become a quiet, shaded spot for morning coffee.
We didn’t have to convince anyone to use them. They’re a natural extension of how people already live here.
6. They Work in Big and Small Spaces
1. Everyone Uses Them — Not Just One Age Group
Some of our properties are large with multiple courtyards and amenities, but others are compact — like a lot of urban multifamily communities in Los Angeles. We were able to fit a concrete foosball table and a ping pong table on a rooftop deck without losing valuable lounge space.
In San Diego, where the property has a little more green space, we set up concrete cornhole boards near the community lawn and concrete shuffleboard near the pool. Both areas became magnets for residents.
We didn’t need acres of land — just the right placement in existing spaces.
7. Residents Stay Longer
We used to talk a lot about “tenant retention” like it was some kind of marketing strategy. Now, we mostly talk about the ways our residents actually enjoy living here.
When people play ping pong with their neighbors, or meet someone at the foosball table, they build small relationships that make a big difference. They don’t just live here — they feel like they belong.
We’ve noticed a real shift:
- More renewals at the end of leases
- More families staying put longer
- More positive reviews online
People remember experiences, not stainless-steel appliances. A good game of cornhole at sunset seems to do more for retention than the gym ever did.
8. Perfect for Events — But Also for Everyday
Before, when we scheduled community events, we had to rent things, bring in entertainment, or plan out structured activities. Now, the games are already there.
- We’ve hosted cornhole tournaments during summer cookouts.
- Ping pong brackets for the teenagers.
- “Chess and Chill” mornings on weekends.
- Shuffleboard nights with music and drinks.
But honestly, the best part isn’t the organized stuff — it’s seeing people use the games on their own on a Tuesday night. We don’t have to orchestrate it. It just happens.
9. Families Love It — But So Do Singles and Empty Nesters
It’s easy to assume outdoor games are for kids, but that’s not what we’ve seen.
- Parents bring their kids to play cornhole, then keep playing after the kids run off to the playground.
- Singles use the ping pong table as a low-pressure way to meet new people.
- Retired residents come down early in the morning for a quiet chess match in the park.
The beauty of concrete games is that they don’t belong to any one group. Everyone claims them as their own.
10. Maintenance Costs Are Practically Zero
When we compare the cost of these games to other amenities — it’s no contest.
|
Amenity |
Upfront Cost |
Maintenance |
Lifespan |
Use |
|
Pool |
High |
High |
15–20 years |
Seasonal |
|
Gym |
Medium–High |
Medium |
5–10 years (equipment) |
Year-round |
|
Playground |
Medium |
Medium |
10–15 years |
Seasonal |
|
Concrete Games |
Low–Medium |
Low |
30+ years |
Year-round |
We’ve spent more money on pool furniture in a single year than on the maintenance of every ping pong, cornhole, foosball, and shuffleboard table combined. That matters when you’re budgeting for an HOA or a multifamily development.
11. They Stand Up to Crowds
Our properties see a lot of use — especially in the summer months when friends come to visit, kids are out of school, and weekends are packed with barbecues.
The concrete games hold up beautifully under that kind of traffic. The tables don’t wobble. The boards don’t need replacing. The shuffleboard surface stays smooth. We don’t have to worry about someone leaning on it wrong or spilling a drink.
They’re built like permanent infrastructure, and that’s exactly what they are.
12. Easy to Keep Clean
Southern California has a lot of sun, but it also has dust, wind, and the occasional rain.
With these games, cleanup is simple. A quick hose down or a broom is usually all it takes. No painting. No power washing. No sanding.
That’s huge for our maintenance team, who already has a full plate.
13. They Help Us Market the Property — Without Trying Too Hard
We used to spend time setting up “staged” lifestyle shots for marketing: a model with a coffee cup on a patio, a pool chair with a towel.
Now, we just walk outside and take real photos of people playing ping pong or cornhole. It’s authentic. It’s vibrant. And it’s the kind of thing prospective residents imagine themselves doing.
Concrete ping pong isn’t a line item on a brochure — it’s a moment they want to be part of.
14. They Work in BBQ Areas, Park Spaces, and Common Zones
We’ve learned the best way to make the most of these games is to put them where people already linger:
- Barbecue areas: Cornhole is a no-brainer here.
- Courtyards and pool decks: Ping pong and foosball thrive where there’s already foot traffic.
- Parks and lawns: Shuffleboard and chess add a relaxed, leisurely energy.
We didn’t need to invent a new gathering space. The games made the spaces we already had come alive.
15. A Better Way to Build Community
Community can be a vague idea, but when you see neighbors — who didn’t even know each other’s names last month — laughing over a ping pong game or calling for a rematch in cornhole, you realize this is what builds a neighborhood.
It’s not newsletters or memos. It’s shared experiences.
The concrete game tables became the anchor for those experiences.
People remember the Friday night tournament they won. Or the time their kid scored the last bag in cornhole. Or the early morning chess game that turned into a friendship.
That’s what makes a property feel like home.
16. Weatherproof Means Year-Round Use
Los Angeles and San Diego have one of the most outdoor-friendly climates in the world. Why let it go to waste with amenities that only work half the year?
Our concrete ping pong tables and cornhole boards are in use every single month. Some evenings in January, you’ll still see people out there playing in hoodies.
The weather here gives us a gift. Concrete games let us use it fully.
17. It’s Not Just for Residents — It’s for Their Guests Too
One of the unexpected bonuses has been how popular the games are with visitors.
People bring their friends over for barbecues, and a quick game of foosball turns into a mini-tournament. Kids invite friends from school. Family members visiting from out of town get a taste of why this place feels like more than just an apartment complex.
That energy and activity feeds back into the community, making it feel lively without being forced.
18. They’re Durable Enough to Be Permanent, Flexible Enough to Fit In
We’ve installed these games at several properties now, and what’s nice is they don’t look out of place anywhere.
- They blend in with modern urban courtyards in downtown LA.
- They feel natural in coastal San Diego outdoor lawns.
- They even work at smaller HOA park spaces.
The design is timeless — no loud colors, no cheap materials. Just solid, functional, beautifully finished concrete that looks good year after year.
19. Sustainability Matters
Another thing that appealed to us — especially in HOA meetings where long-term budgeting and sustainability come up — is how eco-friendly concrete game tables are compared to disposable amenities.
No plastic, no resin coatings, no replacing every few years. They’re built once and they last for decades.
That’s good for the budget and good for the planet.
20. A Simple Idea That Makes a Big Difference
If you’d told us a few years ago that a ping pong table would become the centerpiece of our common area, we might have laughed.
But now? It’s the one amenity we can count on to be used every single day.
- Concrete cornhole at the barbecue area.
- Concrete ping pong and foosball near the pool.
- Concrete shuffleboard and chess in the park.
These aren’t just “features” — they’re the heartbeat of our outdoor spaces.
We didn’t need a massive capital project or a fancy design overhaul. We just needed something simple, timeless, and built to last. And that’s exactly what concrete games gave us.
Closing Thoughts: This Is the Amenity That Brings People Together
Every property manager, HOA board, or developer talks about “building community.”
Concrete games actually do it.
They’re not flashy. They don’t require maintenance teams, special access, or endless rules. They just invite people in — to play, to talk, to belong.
Here in Los Angeles and San Diego, where the weather is always ready for a game, they fit right into the rhythm of daily life.
And that’s the real value: not just an amenity, but a shared experience that lasts.