Landscape Design
Before and Afters
Before and After: 4 Yards Transformed by Decks and Patios
Looking to invest in your backyard? Boost usability and your garden’s overall look with a stylish deck or patio
If you’re considering investing in a new deck or patio or updating your current setup, take a look at the following four backyard makeovers. Each one shows how a well-designed deck or patio can boost the overall function and style of an outdoor space. From a tiered deck that elevates viewers over a creek in Texas to a satellite patio set beneath a rose-draped pergola in London, these decks and patios do more than provide a level surface for outdoor furnishings; they transform the experience of a garden.
After: This photo, taken from the same vantage point as the “before” shot, shows how the team at Plant Architect used an elevated deck to create a much more functional courtyard garden.
The use of a deck, rather than a patio, enabled the landscape architects to create one expanse of level flooring from the back of the house to what was the bottom of the slope without any major regrading. The grade changes are hidden below deck level. The planting pockets hint at the actual ground level. Notice how the kousa dogwood tree (Cornus kousa, USDA zones 5 to 8; find your zone) at the back of the garden is growing a few steps down from the bunchberry (Cornus canadensis, zones 2 to 6) and redtwig dogwood (Cornus sericea, zones 2 to 7) shrubs growing on left.
To break up the expanse of cedar decking, fencing and shed, the design team had some of the boards painted in saturated sunset hues before installation. The vibrant golds, oranges and reds add a welcome jolt of color during the long Canadian winters.
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The use of a deck, rather than a patio, enabled the landscape architects to create one expanse of level flooring from the back of the house to what was the bottom of the slope without any major regrading. The grade changes are hidden below deck level. The planting pockets hint at the actual ground level. Notice how the kousa dogwood tree (Cornus kousa, USDA zones 5 to 8; find your zone) at the back of the garden is growing a few steps down from the bunchberry (Cornus canadensis, zones 2 to 6) and redtwig dogwood (Cornus sericea, zones 2 to 7) shrubs growing on left.
To break up the expanse of cedar decking, fencing and shed, the design team had some of the boards painted in saturated sunset hues before installation. The vibrant golds, oranges and reds add a welcome jolt of color during the long Canadian winters.
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One long built-in bench running along the right side of the courtyard provides ample seating for both dining and lounging. The strategic orientation of the deck boards delineates spaces, much like area rugs and runners might do indoors. A locked shed at the back of the garden provides a safe spot for storing bikes and other equipment.
See more of this Toronto backyard
See more of this Toronto backyard
2. Half Deck, Half Patio Doubles Down on Style
Location: Los Angeles
Designer: Bosler Earth Design
Before: A bare, sloped backyard with not much more than a few shrubs and a small lemon tree — and with no sources of shade — did little to entice the owners of this Southern California home outside.
Location: Los Angeles
Designer: Bosler Earth Design
Before: A bare, sloped backyard with not much more than a few shrubs and a small lemon tree — and with no sources of shade — did little to entice the owners of this Southern California home outside.
After: A garden renovation by Bosler Earth Design and the addition of a deck and patio have transformed the backyard into an inviting place for indoor-outdoor living.
A new ipe wood deck sits outside the kitchen in the dappled light under a pergola. The deck defines the outdoor dining area and zigzags around a central water feature to a small private seating area outside the master bedroom (left side of image). The seating areas look out to a dynamic landscape of low-water plants native to Australia and California, with fruit trees (including the original lemon tree, which got transplanted) studded through the landscape.
A new ipe wood deck sits outside the kitchen in the dappled light under a pergola. The deck defines the outdoor dining area and zigzags around a central water feature to a small private seating area outside the master bedroom (left side of image). The seating areas look out to a dynamic landscape of low-water plants native to Australia and California, with fruit trees (including the original lemon tree, which got transplanted) studded through the landscape.
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A few feet beyond the shade of the pergola, the floor material transitions to 24-by-24-inch concrete pavers, which form the floor for a fire pit patio. Here, a floating L-shaped bench crafted out of ipe and set into the concrete retaining wall provides seats that look back toward the house. The deck and patio define areas in the relatively small space and complement the exterior of the home.
See more of this Los Angeles backyard
See more of this Los Angeles backyard
3. Creekside Viewing Platform Brings Nature Close
Location: Richardson, Texas
Designer: Jamie Turrentine of Southwest Fence & Deck (deck design) and Kevin Emery of Design Out (landscape design)
Before: The existing deck in this backyard, located in a suburb of Dallas, felt clunky and awkward, with a boxy shape that didn’t relate well to the garden or the natural creek at the bottom of the property. Plus, the homeowners reported that the lattice skirt created a partially enclosed space below the deck that attracted various small animals.
Location: Richardson, Texas
Designer: Jamie Turrentine of Southwest Fence & Deck (deck design) and Kevin Emery of Design Out (landscape design)
Before: The existing deck in this backyard, located in a suburb of Dallas, felt clunky and awkward, with a boxy shape that didn’t relate well to the garden or the natural creek at the bottom of the property. Plus, the homeowners reported that the lattice skirt created a partially enclosed space below the deck that attracted various small animals.
After: The new curved deck and naturalistic plantings surrounding it create a much more natural connection with the site and maximize usability of the slope.
The deck, made from low-maintenance, heat-controlled PVC, is split into tiers for various activities. An outdoor lounge and grill are positioned closest to the house, an outdoor table sits on a midlevel tier (shown in the foreground here), and a creekside seating area is at the bottom of the garden (shown in the background).
The deck’s curved footprint and metal railings hug the hillside and mimic the curves of the dry creek bed of river stones leading down the slope.
The deck, made from low-maintenance, heat-controlled PVC, is split into tiers for various activities. An outdoor lounge and grill are positioned closest to the house, an outdoor table sits on a midlevel tier (shown in the foreground here), and a creekside seating area is at the bottom of the garden (shown in the background).
The deck’s curved footprint and metal railings hug the hillside and mimic the curves of the dry creek bed of river stones leading down the slope.
Gone is the troublesome skirting, replaced by a foundation designed to promote ventilation and enable the edges of the space below the deck to blend into the garden.
See more of this creekside backyard
See more of this creekside backyard
4. Satellite Patio Set Under Rose-Laden Arbor
Location: South London, England
Designer: Tracey Parker Landscape Design
Before: This backyard in South London proves how a patio can be quite simple and still completely transform an outdoor space. Although the original yard had a small patio just outside the back door of the home, there wasn’t an area in the larger garden where adults could hang out. Instead, a children’s play structure occupied the prime spot.
Location: South London, England
Designer: Tracey Parker Landscape Design
Before: This backyard in South London proves how a patio can be quite simple and still completely transform an outdoor space. Although the original yard had a small patio just outside the back door of the home, there wasn’t an area in the larger garden where adults could hang out. Instead, a children’s play structure occupied the prime spot.
After: Moving the play structure to the left side of the garden along the fence allowed room to add a second patio the whole family could enjoy. The patio has enough room for both a screened-in grill area and a dining area. Now a table for six sits below a new arbor with both new and existing roses planted to climb up the sides.
The new patio aligns with the sightlines indoors, so the family can enjoy a view of the rose-draped arbor from inside the home — through a large glass window added as part of a recent kitchen addition.
See more of this London backyard
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Before and After: 4 Backyard Makeovers With Space-Saving Ideas
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See more of this London backyard
More on Houzz
Before and After: 4 Backyard Makeovers With Space-Saving Ideas
Browse thousands of patio photos
Work with a landscape designer
Shop for your outdoor space
Shop for Your Outdoor Space
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Location: Toronto
Designers: Lisa Rapoport, Lisa Dietrich, Carla Lipkin and Taylor Gould of PLANT Architect
Before: This narrow 550-square-foot (51-square-meter) backyard in downtown Toronto was hardly used by the family who lived in the home. The lot sloped away from the house, there was nowhere to position an outdoor table on level ground, and the yard was bordered by retaining walls and a chain-link fence.