Landscape – The Outdoor Room

BeforeThis home had an open backyard – a blank slate. The homeowners desired to begin a journey to start to enjoy their backyard. The first step was meeting with our landscape designer, Amy Voight. She designed a Master Landscape Design and the first installment of their backyard was this Outdoor Room.

The Elements of an Outdoor Room

The Floor. For this project the flooring was chosen for its lasting durability, varied color selection and surface. The concrete paving stones are laid in a random pattern from 3 sizes of brick to give a relaxed feel to the space. A border soldier course of a brick in a contrasting brown color defines the edges to give the floor a finished look. The coordinating circle paving stone forms the fire pit area and with its circular design makes for easy and efficient installation.

The Walls. Privacy is desired for this patio. A 4’ high wall on the east side provides a screen and a backdrop for the grill to sit against. The taller wall is flanked with generous columns and drops down to sitting wall height just under 2’ surrounding part of the fire pit area ending with a third shorter column.

Fire pit– The central point for the circle extension of the patio is a perfectly placed fire pit built from coordinating ledge stone block with a 42” diameter. A swing grill attachment provides culinary options to an entertainment space.

Back Door Steps- Continuing the paver theme and keeping with coordinating materials, the grade change from the kitchen door down to the patio is accomplished by building a block step. This set of steps is built with segmental concrete retaining wall block, concrete cobble paving stones and bullnose pavers (rounded edge to the front- ideal for step treads). Two columns each 3’ tall are incorporated for a unique look. A 24” natural stone cap completes all 5 columns.

The Surrounding Landscape– The view to the west of patio included the neighbors outdoor space so Techny Arborvitae were incorporated to provide a year round screen and are the backdrop for yellow perennials and blue foliage grasses. Natural stone steppers form the secondary path that leads around the back of the house and wanders through the landscape plantings. The combination of landscape rock and colored bark mulch for the different planting sections provide interest through texture and color contrast. The Master Landscape Plan details planting beds, shed and shade tree locations for future installations throughout the entire backyard.20130808_150430

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