Before and After: 3 Family-Friendly Yards for All to Enjoy
See how landscape pros turn underutilized spaces into inviting outdoor retreats that encourage play and relaxation
A family-friendly backyard has to work hard. It needs to be a place where kids can feel comfortable playing as well as a spot for adults to enjoy. It’s generally the main outdoor entertaining area as well. Most of all, it needs to feel comfortable for everyone in it. Read on to find out how three designers turned unused or underused spaces into yards that combine good looks with function for all ages.
After: A path of dry-laid New England flagstone, which complements the existing stone walls, cuts through the space and ends at a freestanding fountain.
Several garden rooms, including two small lawns and two paved patios, flank the path. All are filled with soft plantings of flowers, trees and shrubs that define the spaces and make them feel secluded. “We made it so that there were little areas [where the daughter] could do different things, even just lying in the grass,” Martin says.
Martin describes the majority of the plantings as wild, in cottage garden style. She also chose plants that would be enjoyable for kids, looking for fun and playful options that weren’t too tall but rather at heights where kids could appreciate and admire them. Children “can just be right up close and in them,” she says.
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Several garden rooms, including two small lawns and two paved patios, flank the path. All are filled with soft plantings of flowers, trees and shrubs that define the spaces and make them feel secluded. “We made it so that there were little areas [where the daughter] could do different things, even just lying in the grass,” Martin says.
Martin describes the majority of the plantings as wild, in cottage garden style. She also chose plants that would be enjoyable for kids, looking for fun and playful options that weren’t too tall but rather at heights where kids could appreciate and admire them. Children “can just be right up close and in them,” she says.
Find a landscape designer on Houzz
While the path and garden rooms encourage wandering through the space, there are also plenty of places where everyone can sit, relax and enjoy the view. In the garden room seen here, visitors can sit on the bench and face the main path and overall garden. They also can turn the opposite way and admire the birds visiting the birdhouse.
A second small flagstone patio features a bistro table for writing or having tea. Opposite it is another paved area with a bench. Martin made this area more formal than the rest of the garden. “It’s the one formal space. You need to have some order and formality to offset the loosey-goosey fun stuff,” she says.
Read more about this makeover
A second small flagstone patio features a bistro table for writing or having tea. Opposite it is another paved area with a bench. Martin made this area more formal than the rest of the garden. “It’s the one formal space. You need to have some order and formality to offset the loosey-goosey fun stuff,” she says.
Read more about this makeover
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2. Casual, Modern Feel
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Two working professionals and their two school-age kids
Location: Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco
Size: 2,250 square feet (209 square meters); 30 by 75 feet (9.1 by 23 meters)
Designer and builder: The Garden Route
Before: A San Francisco family of four rarely used their prime backyard space. An old flagstone patio sat at the foot of the skinny staircase. A stone wall built from rubble served as the only accommodation to the change of grade in the space. The homeowners turned to landscape designer Richard Radford, whom they found on Houzz, to give them a space that would be kid-friendly for their two school-age children and also would allow easy outdoor living for the entire family. “They’re kind of outdoorsy people, and they wanted space to grow food and relax outside,” Radford says.
Radford started from scratch, scraping everything that was there. In its place he added a series of outdoor living spaces and terraced wood decks that flow together while making it easier to navigate the uneven terrain. There’s even a gate that connects to the neighbors’ yard.
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Two working professionals and their two school-age kids
Location: Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco
Size: 2,250 square feet (209 square meters); 30 by 75 feet (9.1 by 23 meters)
Designer and builder: The Garden Route
Before: A San Francisco family of four rarely used their prime backyard space. An old flagstone patio sat at the foot of the skinny staircase. A stone wall built from rubble served as the only accommodation to the change of grade in the space. The homeowners turned to landscape designer Richard Radford, whom they found on Houzz, to give them a space that would be kid-friendly for their two school-age children and also would allow easy outdoor living for the entire family. “They’re kind of outdoorsy people, and they wanted space to grow food and relax outside,” Radford says.
Radford started from scratch, scraping everything that was there. In its place he added a series of outdoor living spaces and terraced wood decks that flow together while making it easier to navigate the uneven terrain. There’s even a gate that connects to the neighbors’ yard.
After: Radford replaced the existing stairs with 5-foot-wide steps ending at a landing that’s a jumping-off place to the sunken lounge area as well as the rest of the backyard. The step width is comfortable for two people to use at one time and also allows the steps to be used as additional seating. A stainless steel cable railing keeps the space feeling open.
The lounge area, located next to the house for added shelter from the wind, consists of pavers set over rock and a permeable substrate to encourage draining. Cantilevered ipe-clad benches sit on two sides of the space, and there’s room for a fire pit and freestanding furnishings. “The design strategy was to create a more modern, contemporary feel but have it feel warm and textural,” Radford says.
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The lounge area, located next to the house for added shelter from the wind, consists of pavers set over rock and a permeable substrate to encourage draining. Cantilevered ipe-clad benches sit on two sides of the space, and there’s room for a fire pit and freestanding furnishings. “The design strategy was to create a more modern, contemporary feel but have it feel warm and textural,” Radford says.
Shop patio furniture on Houzz
Multiple 2-to-3-foot-tall retaining walls throughout the yard soften the various elevation changes. “Having these elevation changes creates a little character and balance,” Radford says.
Near the back of the yard, a deck for more lounging sits at the same level as the lawn. The nearby hot tub is easily accessed by a combination deck and sun shelf. A wider deck off the back of the spa doubles as a sun shelf for anyone in the hot tub.
Planters at the back of the yard house two existing pear trees as well as additional plantings, including seasonal vegetables. The planters are clad in ipe to match the decking.
Fire bowl: Hemi, 36 inches, Solus
Read more about this makeover
Near the back of the yard, a deck for more lounging sits at the same level as the lawn. The nearby hot tub is easily accessed by a combination deck and sun shelf. A wider deck off the back of the spa doubles as a sun shelf for anyone in the hot tub.
Planters at the back of the yard house two existing pear trees as well as additional plantings, including seasonal vegetables. The planters are clad in ipe to match the decking.
Fire bowl: Hemi, 36 inches, Solus
Read more about this makeover
3. Leafy Retreat
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Jess and Reuven Young and their two children
Location: London
Size: 1,292 square feet (120 square meters)
Designer: Tracey Parker Landscape Design
Before: Homeowners Jess and Reuven Young knew their backyard needed help. It had overgrown shrubs and a formless lawn with a playset in the middle. “It was a chaotic mess,” landscape designer Tracey Parker says.
The couple asked Parker for a design that would work for their whole family. Their wish list included a spot for play equipment, plantings that could stand up to a soccer ball being kicked around and a place they could also enjoy, both from their newly remodeled kitchen with its picture window overlooking the yard and in the yard itself.
The couple also wanted a garden that would reflect their New Zealand roots. “Kiwi clients are used to lots of evergreen structure and having something to look at year-round,” says Parker, who’s also from New Zealand.
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Jess and Reuven Young and their two children
Location: London
Size: 1,292 square feet (120 square meters)
Designer: Tracey Parker Landscape Design
Before: Homeowners Jess and Reuven Young knew their backyard needed help. It had overgrown shrubs and a formless lawn with a playset in the middle. “It was a chaotic mess,” landscape designer Tracey Parker says.
The couple asked Parker for a design that would work for their whole family. Their wish list included a spot for play equipment, plantings that could stand up to a soccer ball being kicked around and a place they could also enjoy, both from their newly remodeled kitchen with its picture window overlooking the yard and in the yard itself.
The couple also wanted a garden that would reflect their New Zealand roots. “Kiwi clients are used to lots of evergreen structure and having something to look at year-round,” says Parker, who’s also from New Zealand.
After: The new kitchen window looks out onto a pergola that replaced a garden bed and path. “Now it’s possible to look through the picture window all the way down to the pergola covered in roses,” Parker says. There’s space for outdoor dining and grilling or simply relaxing at the end of the day. A slatted screen conceals the barbecue.
Parker used composite decking in a soft gray underfoot to finish the space. “It needed to be low-maintenance and hard-wearing,” she says.
Adding the pergola not only provided a spot where visitors can sit, but also tamed the chaos of the previous garden. “It gives structure,” Parker says. “There were some trees [here before], but this leads the eye down the garden.” She also kept as many of the existing plants as possible, wanting the garden to look mature rather than newly planted.
Parker used composite decking in a soft gray underfoot to finish the space. “It needed to be low-maintenance and hard-wearing,” she says.
Adding the pergola not only provided a spot where visitors can sit, but also tamed the chaos of the previous garden. “It gives structure,” Parker says. “There were some trees [here before], but this leads the eye down the garden.” She also kept as many of the existing plants as possible, wanting the garden to look mature rather than newly planted.
The play equipment was moved to the back of the garden. “I wanted it away from the prime view,” Parker says. While the family uses the play area now, Parker designed it to be flexible for when the children outgrow it. In the future, the homeowners can use that space for something else, such as a kitchen garden.
Steppingstones lead to the pergola and also through some of the garden beds. They resemble wood but are made from concrete, which is more durable.
Read more about this makeover
More on Houzz
Spark Wonder in the Garden With These Family-Friendly Ideas
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Steppingstones lead to the pergola and also through some of the garden beds. They resemble wood but are made from concrete, which is more durable.
Read more about this makeover
More on Houzz
Spark Wonder in the Garden With These Family-Friendly Ideas
Browse landscape photos
Find a landscape contractor
Shop for your outdoor spaces
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their school-age son and daughter
Location: Duxbury, Massachusetts
Size: 4,000 square feet (372 square meters) on a 3-acre property; 50 by 80 feet (15 by 24 meters)
Designer: Amy Martin Landscape Design
Contractor: Toomey Landscape
Before: Rather than remove the ruins of an old barn that sat in the middle of their backyard, these Duxbury, Massachusetts, homeowners asked landscape designer Amy Martin to incorporate it into their new garden. Martin, whom the family discovered on Houzz, says they wanted a garden that would invite people of all ages to get outside and play. They also wanted to focus on a space for their daughter that wasn’t structured. “They know that she is a very imaginative and creative, artistic child. They wanted to nurture that,” Martin says.
Before starting work, Martin’s team repaired and stabilized the walls and added a low fence as well as a gate and an arbor. Along with the new plantings, these help screen much of the interior. “I think they had the idea of it being a secret garden,” Martin says.