COVID has most of us spending a lot of our time in our houses. The resulting monotony from a daily indoor routine is leading homeowners to look for ways to spend time outside instead. Our clients reached out to us in early spring about a new patio design, but once the pandemic hit, the project ended up bringing “a little sanity” for their family.

Our clients were looking for more room for outdoor entertaining. They already had a deck off the back of the house, but it was not providing the space they. Our design kept the deck and added a patio with a seating wall surrounding a portable firepit and a dining area.

Their home is located on a slight hill, so we had to build a retaining wall to lift up one end of the patio as the grade sloped away from the house. Once the wall was installed, we filled in the patio area with gravel, covered it with Gatorbase, and laid Boardwalk pavers. We also added a stone step from the deck to the new patio. The seating wall was created from a matching block material and capped with the pavers. We also connected their front yard to the back via a nice flowing path for guests to come or go.

The seating wall design creates the look of an outdoor room and provides a more intimate feel to the patio area. It also offers additional seating around the portable firepit. We left an opening for the steps down into the yard, creating a clear separation between the hardscape and the landscape. We wrapped landscape beds around the structure and added a few plants – perennial pops of color, boxwoods, hydrangea and a Locust tree for shade – as well as boulders. The homeowners wanted the fun of choosing and planting the rest of the landscape over the summer.

When the project was complete, the family was well-into the stay-at-home lifestyle we are all leading right now. The outdoor space ended up being exactly what they needed to keep family equilibrium. The enclosed patio become the play area for their small kids, providing a safe spot for them to hang our while their parents worked on the deck and dining area. The outdoor space ended up being more about functionality than entertaining, but our clients said it has been the key to maintaining their happiness during COVID.

If you have been contemplating expanding your outdoor space to accommodate our new way of life, reach out to us. We can make plans now for an early spring ground-breaking, giving you a lovely space just in time for the perfect outdoor weather. Send us an email or give us a call at (317) 997-4803.