A backyard with no landscaping is not a very desirable place to hang out, nor to look upon from the inside. That is what these clients were faced with when they decided to live full time in their Sedona home they had been renting out. I came over to take a look after they called me for a free consultation for a landscape design. While on site, I gave them numerous options on how to situate everything so that it looked well planned and then agreed to come up with a formal design (below).

The yard is about 20 feet deep, has a small covered patio and an above the ground spa. Their needs and wants were pretty straightforward: a place where they could entertain, hang out with friends and create a much more useable patio and outdoor living area.

Their wish list was basically the following: a built in bbq island, a fireplace, new extended patio flooring (they were sold on concrete pavers), and a small lawn area for their dog. Of course, trees and shrubs would be included as well in the overall landscape design.

Sounds pretty typical for a outdoor entertainment area, functioning as an extension of the home and incorporating the existing spa. So the next step would be to explore various locations of where to place these features both in a functional and aesthetic manner.

One big issue however, is the electric powerpole in the right rear corner and a electrical access box at ground level a few feet away. I knew there must be some kind of restrictions about building or planting shrubs too close for them to have access. There may even be some kind of easement as well. Once we find out what the restrictions are, we will adjust the design as necessary, but for now, I think the design works very well given the size of the yard and the views from the inside.

I placed the bbq island with the understanding that there would be some distance required to access the electrical equipment and powerpole. The island was placed in such a way as to use its bulk as a screen. Bamboo would be planted to help mitigate the objectionable powerpole — at least at eye level for the first 10 feet or so.

The fireplace was also placed towards the perimeter of the patio area and situated as a focal point of the backyard. Clearly visible from all windows of the house. The hearth has extended bench seating on each side of the firebox giving it width and angled to reflect the fortyfive degree angles used to accent the patio configuration and the bbq island. The fireplace will be a simple design, stucco and painted to match the house which is of a southwest territorial style.

The paver patio narrows as it follows the narrow covered patio effectively widening the four foot wide walkway leading to a bedroom door by another four feet. This allows improves the flow from that door and makes the backyard seem much bigger because there is now much more hard surface to walk on.

The patio ends and meets an island area for plantings which forms a transition between the paver patio area and the lawn area. It was decided due to the relatively small area involved, that synthetic turf would be a good choice eliminating the need to water, mow and deal with potential dog related issues creating brown or yellow patches in the lawn.

We will get started once the utility issues are understood and the necessary permits are obtained from the City of Sedona. Future blog posts will track the progress.

The real landscape design issue here is twofold: 1) how to deal with the powerlines/powerpole and 2) where to place everything. This design came together rather quickly for me as the clients already knew exactly what things they wanted and just needed a landscape design professional to show them how it would look arranged within the site limitations of their Sedona backyard.

A large backyard remodel in the Village of Oak Creek started out having nothing in it except gravel and a couple decks that kept the new owner wondering, what could or should I do with all this space in the backyard?

Working with this out of state client over the phone and internet, I began the landscape design process starting with a few conceptual ideas. They did want a pool, a gazebo and some kind of connection that integrated the two. The clients concept was taken from a picture in a magazine and they wanted me to apply the concept to their yard and make it work — and of course, look beautiful.

The client’s preferred style was contemporary, clean lines and simplicity.

The most difficult part of this was to make the elements visually interesting and relate to the house — which is angled which effectively creates two separate areas.  You can see in the design below how the yard relates to the house.

The pool was angled to reflect the angle of the house. This served to functions: 1) to create a focal point from the great room to view the deck jet waterfeatures designed into the backend deck of the pool; and 2) to relate to the ramada view deck which was 30 feet away and at a 45 degree angle.

The connection between the two use areas was a raised water channel that starts out as a fountain and then flows down the channel into the pool. The channel was a visual feature that is highlighted when looking down from the observation deck. We raised the back edge of the channel so that at ground level, one could see that it was lined with tile and served as a strong horizontal statement that guided the eye between the two ends of the pool.

Sitting under the view deck, the waterfeature basin contains a contemporary stainless steel fountain consisting of 3 tiered cylinders that creates a vertical movement of splashing water at the view deck end of the yard. At the far end of the view deck is a fire pit also designed in a contemporary fashion using oblique shaped planters set on pedestals. Cobalt blue fire glass was used to reflect the waterline pool tile.

The view deck and fire pit were designed in an axial symmetrical layout tot the french doors accessing the game room and primary entrance to the backyard towards the east side.

At the west side featuring the pool, the deck jets (also fiber optically lighted for night time effects) lines up with the primary view from the great room and front entry. Between the house and the water channel is an expanse of synthetic grass which gives the landscaping part of the design a clean look.

From the view deck patio, we created stairs to descend the slope down to the spa level where a new portable spa was built and integrated into the existing raised master bedroom wood deck. Against one side of the spa, we built a sit up bar with cantilevered counter top using the cobalt blue and glass tiles used in the waterline of the pool.

This kind of project is time consuming because of all the hardscape, infrastructure, grading, drainage and permits involved.

The final video images have not been taken as of this post, but I do have a mid way progress (in the middle of construction) video that I took from time to time to update the clients. Please forgive the unprofessional quality — its a rough “here is what is happening” type of video not a slick production.

The one disappointing thing about the project is that the clients decided to hold off installing or even thinking seriously about the plant material until they had time to absorb and take in the yard. In hindsight, I would now tend to agree since they had not even lived in the house to provide any meaningful reaction to my proposed plantings, nor have a grasp on the kind of plants that grow in our region. It just makes the project look somewhat unfinished, especially when I attempt to share it pictures and videos.

I’m not complaining and am grateful for the opportunity to share my skills, design ideas and construction knowledge with my clients regardless of the size or type of project here in Sedona.

Outdoor rooms extend the useable living areas of the home. Sometimes they are adjacent to the home itself as in a covered patio. Sometimes they are fully detached and separate from the residence and have their own roof structure.

A simple shade structure may or may not be designed to create the feeling of an outdoor room, because it may only be designed for shade as the primary function. In this case, do we want total shade as in creating a solid cover, or do we want partial shade which allows light to filter through an open beam structure?

Most shade structures are not designed as outdoor “rooms” unless they have some kind of wall or enclosure that defines the area under cover. The furniture and other amenities that are placed in the space also define how well the ambiance feels like an true outdoor room.

Today, many pieces of furniture and fabric can withstand the elements including area rugs. Some outdoor speakers are also designed as water resistant.

Look at this slide show of projects I have designed and built giving some examples of Ramadas, Gazebos, View Decks and other structures and spaces:

An upscale residence, perhaps worth $1 million or more can be described as elegant — and usually has elegant landscape design features that are consistent with the degree of architectural elegance designed for the structure itself.  After all, skimping on the outside will certainly be evident when comparing it to the home itself. Most upscale homes include a pool, outdoor grill and expansive entertainment patio spaces, sometimes with a an outdoor fireplace. A waterfeature or fountain is always a  must have element.

Most of these types of high end landscapes are installed during the initial construction of the house when it was first built. This is because a master plan has been prepared for the outdoor areas. Most likely, the building architect brought in a landscape designer who could collaborate with the architect to arrive at an integrated design approach between the elegant indoor and the landscape features of elegant outdoor living areas. The outside of a luxury home is more than just trees, shrubs and patios.

Sometimes I get to design an elegant style landscape where the client wants all the “bells and whistles” — especially when their property can handle a lot of different spaces and features to essentially extend the useable living space of the interior.

Pools, spas, ponds, fountains, outdoor kitchens, gazebos, ramadas, fireplaces, fire pits, sculpture, artwork, accessories, synthetic grass and other amenities must be carefully designed along with the infrastructure of grading, drainage, plumbing, electrical, irrigation and lighting.  All of this detail must certainly be planned out starting with a conceptual design and working into specific details about how everything is to be built.

Not all such projects need to be installed when the home was first built. I have done many extensive remodels of existing landscapes — especially when new owners take over a landscape that is far from what they want. It is especially fun to transform a landscape that needs a lot of work into an elegant, sophisticated work of art customized to the clients wishes.

Remodels are sometimes challenging because often there are mature trees to deal with and many underground and unseen potential difficulties. Demolition of hardscape items such as concrete and masonry can add much to the cost of just getting to a clean slate. So sometimes when there are many elements that cannot be incorporated in the new design, I see the spaces as if nothing existed and thereby I don’t let what I see hinder my creativity.

Here is an example of an extensive backyard remodel I have done as part of my design and construction portfolio. I would consider it to be in the style of elegant with a Tuscany flair:

How to make the most out of any small size yard, garden or patio

You don’t have to be a professional landscape architect to create an inviting courtyard or patio space. Just follow a few basic design principles and you too will get that designer look.

Gardens and landscape areas or any outdoor space for that matter can be approached as a challenge to create defined spaces. These spaces may be either the given size of what you have or a desire to create several spaces depending on your needs and the suitability of the area you are working with.

There are many design idea books and magazines that feature “small space gardens”, “balcony garden”, “container gardens”, “courtyard gardens” or even creating “garden rooms”. The key here is that they are all designing for a distinct area that has some sort of size limitation.

Small Space Gardens

While you typically cannot physically increase the size of a small garden, you can create the illusion of a larger space with some clever ideas and design principles.  For example, keep the design simple and uncluttered by keeping the purpose of the space limited and do not have multiple things going on such as a sitting area, a fountain, a group of pots, a lawn area and a bbq area.

Make sure the plant material is in scale with the size of the space and does not mature to a size that would reduce the useable area. Consider placing fountains against walls rather than free standing. Keep the ground expansive and don’t subdivide the space by building raised planter or low walls.

Consider the use of a mirror perhaps strategically located at the end of a corridor to create the illusion that the space is deeper and continues. Be careful to not place it so it will confuse birds that may fly into the mirror. Also think about if it does crack, that you would be able to easily replace it, so don’t fasten a frame around it that you cannot remove.

Courtyards

Gardens that are surrounded by a building or walls that essentially screen out the outer areas are enclosing, intimate and private. This type of garden is actually one of the most historical in ancient times where the “walled garden” was considered a style of garden where roses and other cultivated plants were grown to separate them from passersby.

A courtyard is essentially an outdoor room. Its use and purpose define the scale in terms of its intimacy. Architecturally, a courtyard fully enclosed within the building walls and open the the air above can add a dramatic impact to the flow and views from within the building.

A courtyard is typically in the front or side of a house and is integrally connected to the building via doors and windows. The entrance to the courtyard is often through a gate that may or may not have a arched structure above it. All courtyards must be designed with a seating area. The inclusion of a fountain can provide the sound of water as well as a focal point and make the space more inviting.

Outdoor Rooms

The concept of the outdoor room stems from extending the interior space outdoors. It is typically not much different than the typical back patio adjacent to the rear access doors. But what makes it a distinct room is the sense of enclosure. Creating an outdoor room not connected to the home, you must design it in such a way that you create a floor, walls and a canopy or ceiling so that the architecture of the space is structured to convey the sense of an indoor room but without the climate controlled environment of the indoors.

Outdoor rooms can be done simply by building a gazebo, or an outdoor kitchen with seating area and overhead canopy. You can also create an outdoor room that is sometimes called by another name, such as a garden retreat or secret garden.

The Strolling Garden

Perhaps one of the most dramatic and interactive garden to design is a garden that is basically a series of loosely interconnected spaces linked together with some kind of path. Such a style was utilized in many of the traditional gardens built in historic Japan.

If the property is large enough, consider creating distinct spaces so that you can enjoy the garden from several perspectives and vantage points. Having several small seating areas or even a bench, located at strategic spots can make full use of the limited area. Garden features can be “hidden” so that one only realizes them after meandering along the pathways. Revealing everything a garden has to offer from a single vantage point is perhaps not the most creative way to make use of the space you have to work with.

Are you getting the most spatial value from your yard?

Do you feel a sense of spaciousness regardless of how small or large it is?

Do you have a front yard but never “use” it? Could you create a courtyard?

Depending on what you have to work with, creating spaces in an otherwise uninspiring yard can be achieved if you put your mind to it and get creative.