Our clients, a young couple with a new addition on the way, needed a back yard that would accommodate their growing family. Although they had a small patio, plantings and a sloping lawn, they were exposed to on two sides to people driving and walking by and felt exposed and cramped whenever they went outside to cook or entertain. Subdivision regulations prohibited solid fencing and all landscape improvements were to be approved by the Las Colinas Association. Our solution called for elevating the back yard above street and alley levels and using ornamental iron fencing supplemented by dense planting to create the exterior walls that defined the back yard. A small pool, water wall, fireplace, water urn and see-through fireplace created the ambience that draws them out into the yard.