Many homeowners love working on their yard and expanding their outdoor living space. Building a deck or growing a garden are great past-times with lovely results. But for a pair of do-it-yourselfers in Zionsville, they found their backyard vision was too big to pull off by themselves. They brought us in to turn an ignored area of their yard into a usable, finished space they could enjoy year-round.

Though many patios are laid right next to a house, it is not always the best place to put them. Our clients wanted to install a large patio and fire pit at the back of their property among the trees. They already had a deck, and liked to use most of their open backyard for their kids’ activities. Putting the patio out in the woods afforded them more grassy space, and made that wooded area usable to them. Our client’s property abuts a utility easement, and much of the trees do not belong to them. To make the most of their space, we installed their new outdoor living space right up against the easement property line.

With woods as the background, it made sense to stick to natural stone for the hardscape material. We suggested a durable quartzite sandstone, and once our clients saw pictures, they fell in love with its color and variation. We used large pieces to create a more spacious feel, and capped the fire pit and the seating wall to match. The walkway steps on either side were built with sandstone as well.

The seating wall wraps around some plantings, providing a nice defining line to the patio. On the other side we used boulders as a natural retaining border. We like to use boulders whenever we can in place of retaining walls—it’s a cheaper option, easier to put in, and visually looks more interesting and natural than a uniform wall.

One of the most challenging aspects of the backyard was its slight slope which resulted in poor drainage. Heavy rains in June and July would make the yard a rushing river! To minimize this problem we dug a drainage system and installed grates, directing the water away from the patio and landscaping.

We finished this project with plantings, landscaping lighting and a fresh layer of mulch for the year. Our clients worked closely with us to bring their vision to reality, allowing us to solve their landscape problems while providing them with a great outdoor living space that didn’t get in the way of their backyard. Questions about this project? Send us an email or give us a call at (317) 997-4803.

Eagleson Landscape Company provides landscape and hardscape services in the Greater Indianapolis area, including Carmel, Zionsville, Westfield, Fishers and Geist.