Patio of the Week: Zones Create an Inviting Yard for a Family
A landscape design-build pro preserves existing trees while creating outdoor rooms and solving drainage issues
Becky Harris
July 25, 2020
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
These homeowners in Vancouver had some wonderful maple trees in their modest-size backyard, but runoff and standing water on the patio were creating a big problem. A comfortable lounge area, a dining area and a play area for their two children were on their wish list, and they liked the idea of incorporating decking. Landscape design-build pro David Andersen created a modern landscape zoned for all three of these activities. The result is a pleasing combination of outdoor rooms and lovely new plantings that enhance what was already there.
“After” photos by Henry Recinos
Patio at a Glance
Who uses it: A family of four
Location: Vancouver
Size: 462 square feet (43 square meters)
Designer: David Andersen of Inside Out - Design & Build
Before: The patio area measures 14 by 33 feet. The yard had lovely trees, including vine maples (Acer circinatum) and weeping red Japanese maples (Acer palmatum var. dissectum), and the patio related nicely to the house. But frequent rain showers caused runoff water problems and often left a lot of standing water. Also, the patio surface and fencing looked tired.
Andersen began the design process by sharing Houzz ideabooks full of images he thought his clients would like. They selected their favorites, and based upon those choices, he mocked up 3D models of the landscape design. He presented them to his clients, and together they tweaked them to come up with the final plan.
Find a landscape designer on Houzz
Patio at a Glance
Who uses it: A family of four
Location: Vancouver
Size: 462 square feet (43 square meters)
Designer: David Andersen of Inside Out - Design & Build
Before: The patio area measures 14 by 33 feet. The yard had lovely trees, including vine maples (Acer circinatum) and weeping red Japanese maples (Acer palmatum var. dissectum), and the patio related nicely to the house. But frequent rain showers caused runoff water problems and often left a lot of standing water. Also, the patio surface and fencing looked tired.
Andersen began the design process by sharing Houzz ideabooks full of images he thought his clients would like. They selected their favorites, and based upon those choices, he mocked up 3D models of the landscape design. He presented them to his clients, and together they tweaked them to come up with the final plan.
Find a landscape designer on Houzz
After: Andersen created a tiered design that divides the patio into two zones. Ipe decking delineates the lounge zone. To address the water issue, he placed gravel beneath the decking. “We get a lot of rain here. The water goes through the decking and lands on a gravel bed. Then it slowly seeps down into the soil,” he says. The overall design of the yard keeps the water on-site so it doesn’t affect neighboring properties or contribute to nonpoint-source pollution, or polluted runoff.
They gave away the original pavers. “We do this whenever possible. There’s always so many people willing to take them, plus we save on dumping fees,” Andersen says.
They gave away the original pavers. “We do this whenever possible. There’s always so many people willing to take them, plus we save on dumping fees,” Andersen says.
LED lighting along the deck’s edge creates a nice ambiance and prevents people from tripping at night.
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Shop for outdoor lighting
The homeowners already had the outdoor lounge furniture. The new deck provides a wonderful stage for it right outside the back door.
Browse outdoor lounge furniture in the Houzz Shop
Browse outdoor lounge furniture in the Houzz Shop
The structure behind the lounge is the existing garage. Andersen found a good spot for a play structure across from it. The path in between the two leads to an open grassy play area in the back.
Before: There was a significant grade change between the patio area and the rest of the backyard. While some nice plantings existed along the slope, there was room for improvement.
After: Andersen designed a new set of terraced retaining walls to organize the plantings in a modern way. He was able to preserve the existing maple trees and added golden Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’), hostas, oakleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia) and heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica).
The walls are crafted of cinder blocks covered in acrylic stucco. Andersen had them painted in a color that complements the tiles and the hardwood decking. They have a sandy textured finish.
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The walls are crafted of cinder blocks covered in acrylic stucco. Andersen had them painted in a color that complements the tiles and the hardwood decking. They have a sandy textured finish.
Hire a masonry and concrete contractor
Andersen used large-format porcelain tiles to give the patio a modern look. “These have a very creamy look that is not at all gray,” he says. He used the decking and the tile to create two zones.
The tiles mark the dining zone as well as the passageway to the upper part of the yard. Andersen also tiled over the existing concrete stairs for a clean and cohesive look.
Stucco walls wrap two sides of the dining zone and form a built-in dining bench on two sides of the table. Like the decking, the bench is made of ipe. Andersen made the table himself. He used the Japanese method of yakisugi-ita on the base. This means he charred it with a blowtorch to weatherproof it. The result is a lovely dark patina.
Before: The new dining area was not of much use before, and the bricks had become slippery with moss from all of the standing water. Also, the fencing was so tired that it was leaning over (check out the board holding it up on the right).
After: Drainage was also important in this portion of the yard. Andersen used Romex permeable bedding mortar and grout, which allows water to flow through the patio’s grout into the gravel layer below. “This is great for helping control stormwater at the source rather than having runoff into city sewer systems,” Andersen says. “We also installed gravel behind the retaining walls and under the concrete footings, so the drainage essentially all connects to the main gravel layer below the deck and patio.”
New horizontal clear cedar fencing lends a more modern look to the yard. The wood complements the plantings.
New horizontal clear cedar fencing lends a more modern look to the yard. The wood complements the plantings.
The dining side of the patio did not have all the great existing plantings that the other side had, which gave Andersen an opportunity to add different textures to the sunny spot. ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’), blue fescue (Festuca glauca) grass and black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) add a pleasing mix of colors and textures as well as movement.
Please note how the concrete walls keep the bamboo reined in here. Andersen also had the roots wrapped in a root barrier. Bamboo is an invasive plant that can spread rapidly, so it should be planted only with this level of caution. The client really liked black bamboo, so the designer took extra precautions in order to include it in the design.
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Please note how the concrete walls keep the bamboo reined in here. Andersen also had the roots wrapped in a root barrier. Bamboo is an invasive plant that can spread rapidly, so it should be planted only with this level of caution. The client really liked black bamboo, so the designer took extra precautions in order to include it in the design.
More on Houzz
Read more landscape design stories
Get landscape design ideas
Find a landscape designer or architect
Shop for outdoor products
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Love the makeover! I noticed the family had a portable grill to barbecue, but don't see that around. Did they pass on that option of incorporating it to the renovation?
love the LED lighting within the patio step, can you deaxribe how that was done?
Impressive makeover. I have drainage problems myself. How deep is your gravel layer ?