Landscape Design
Patio of the Week
Yard of the Week: Making the Most of a Long, Narrow Space
A designer repurposes a carport to fit a pool, a covered dining area and an outdoor lounge into a tiny Arizona yard
Space behind this Tucson, Arizona, row house was very tight — so tight that it was hard to imagine enough room for a pool. But by taking over an existing carport and approaching the space with precision and creativity, landscape designer Kathryn Prideaux was able to squeeze in not just pool but a covered grilling-dining area and a lounge area. Here’s a look at how she fit these elements together in a pleasing way.
After: To fit in a pool and the Argentine grilling station that was on the husband’s must-have list, Prideaux took about 11½ feet from the carport. This expanded the width of the backyard to over 48 feet, giving her enough space to work in the grilling station-dining area and a pool.
She reused the original carport roof over the grilling and dining area. Then she added on to that structure, extending it over part of the pool to shade it from the desert sun.
Find a local landscape designer
She reused the original carport roof over the grilling and dining area. Then she added on to that structure, extending it over part of the pool to shade it from the desert sun.
Find a local landscape designer
The new structure is made of pre-rusted, sealed steel and, for the roof, latilla — slats made of peeled branches. This adds an organic element that fits in nicely with the rest of the outdoor space.
What to Know About Adding a Pergola
What to Know About Adding a Pergola
The pool measures 24¼ by 7¼ feet. This size allowed for a slim garden bed between the pool and the existing perimeter wall. Distinctive prickly pear cactuses (Opuntia ficus-indica, USDA zones 8 to 11; find your zone) add color and sculptural shapes against the brick wall.
To create a wider walkway to the grilling and dining area, Prideaux added two large pavers within the pool near the large glass doors to the house. “These pavers allowed us to put in a bigger pool,” she says.
The opposite end of the yard contains a small, chic lounge area. “The homeowners really did this part by themselves. They chose the furniture and the pots and planted them,” she says. The beautiful blue glazes on the pots play off the turquoise trim on the house.
Hire a swimming pool contractor
The opposite end of the yard contains a small, chic lounge area. “The homeowners really did this part by themselves. They chose the furniture and the pots and planted them,” she says. The beautiful blue glazes on the pots play off the turquoise trim on the house.
Hire a swimming pool contractor
Along the waterline, the designer added a patterned porcelain tile that will stand up to the weather and pool chemicals. “I was inspired by the look of encaustic cement tiles that are seen a lot around the historic neighborhood,” she says.
She lined the rest of the pool in a material called PebbleSheen. This is an aggregate composed of tiny pebbles in a range of blues. She chose a color scheme that would play off the house’s trim but is a subtler shade of turquoise.
Pool finish: PebbleSheen in Turtle Bay, Pebble Technology International
She lined the rest of the pool in a material called PebbleSheen. This is an aggregate composed of tiny pebbles in a range of blues. She chose a color scheme that would play off the house’s trim but is a subtler shade of turquoise.
Pool finish: PebbleSheen in Turtle Bay, Pebble Technology International
After: Prideaux removed the roof over the lounge. She added steel framing and a steel wall to divide the carport into a grilling-dining area and small storage area for bikes and pool equipment on the street-facing side. The steel is pre-rusted and sealed, as mentioned above, and matches the new structure over the pool. She used the same material on the vent hood over the grill as well as a toe kick around the bottom of the grill’s base.
She originally planned to preserve the existing concrete flooring in the carport, but construction issues threw a wrench into that plan. It worked out for the best — Prideaux found digitally printed porcelain tiles that look like wood planks. They add to the dining area’s rustic vibe, and the way she clad the edge with planks helps establish the floor as a strong design element.
She originally planned to preserve the existing concrete flooring in the carport, but construction issues threw a wrench into that plan. It worked out for the best — Prideaux found digitally printed porcelain tiles that look like wood planks. They add to the dining area’s rustic vibe, and the way she clad the edge with planks helps establish the floor as a strong design element.
The Argentine grill is fueled by wood, so Prideaux tucked niches for wood storage underneath. The countertop is a slate slab atop a smooth stucco base. “The husband was very interested in working with one of these grills. They are getting really popular among my clients lately,” she says.
Mexican star pendant lights animate the wall over the counter.
Shop for outdoor dining furniture
Mexican star pendant lights animate the wall over the counter.
Shop for outdoor dining furniture
The designer anchored one of the open sides of the grilling and dining area with two large steel planters. This allowed her clients to plant some sculptural cactuses — this one is a totem pole cactus (Pachycereus schottii var. monstrosus, Zone 9).
Not sure where to start on your home project? Click here to learn the basics
Not sure where to start on your home project? Click here to learn the basics
The plan on top is the “before” plan, and the two plans below it are the “after” plans. Look to the right side of them to see how Prideaux altered the carport to incorporate it as part of the yard and provide storage.
More on Houzz
Read more landscape design stories
Get landscape design ideas
Find a landscape designer or architect
Shop for outdoor products
More on Houzz
Read more landscape design stories
Get landscape design ideas
Find a landscape designer or architect
Shop for outdoor products
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: Two college professors
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Size: 757½ square feet (70 square meters)
Landscape designer: Kathryn Prideaux of Prideaux Design
Pool and hardscape contractor: Azure Gallery
Before: The row house is located on a corner lot in Barrio Historico, a very well preserved neighborhood in Tucson that stretches about 20 blocks. It is full of brightly colored 1920s adobe brick houses and has a lot of historic guidelines. “The neighborhood is really cool. It has a real village feel, and the front door of this house opens onto the sidewalk,” Prideaux says.
While this house is infill constructed in the early 2000s, it was designed to be integrated into the neighborhood — the brick on the house and surrounding walls looks like adobe brick, and the trim is painted a very bright turquoise. Prideaux took all of this into account and planned the backyard to fit in with the historic Sonoran Desert-inspired architecture.
The narrow backyard was 37¼ feet wide and 15½ feet deep. “This yard is like a little postage stamp,” Prideaux says. However, she could see that a carport on the street-facing side, which the homeowners used to store their bicycles, had potential.