Before and After: 3 Outdoor Makeovers in 500 Square Feet or Less
Built-in seating, multiuse features and other space-saving moves create efficient, stylish outdoor living spaces
A small yard can provide a surprising amount of outdoor living space, given the right design and an attention to detail. In the following three projects, landscape designers transformed underused outdoor areas into inviting spaces for entertaining, lounging and grilling.
After: Before tackling the landscape, the couple replaced the aging carriage house with a new garage they could “actually fit a car in,” Sanders-Jacob says. The structure anchors one corner of the yard, framed by a new cedar fence that encloses the overall space.
Fixing the sloping yard so that water would no longer collect near the house was an important goal for the project. After the team dug up the concrete patio, they regraded the yard (it now slopes away from the house) and covered the ground with sand and dry-laid bricks. “Rainwater can now seep through the bricks evenly, and no longer pools on top of the concrete,” Sanders-Jacob says.
The couple also tidied up the backyard planters and decor, adding drought-tolerant plants and contemporary outdoor furniture that complements the new design.
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Fixing the sloping yard so that water would no longer collect near the house was an important goal for the project. After the team dug up the concrete patio, they regraded the yard (it now slopes away from the house) and covered the ground with sand and dry-laid bricks. “Rainwater can now seep through the bricks evenly, and no longer pools on top of the concrete,” Sanders-Jacob says.
The couple also tidied up the backyard planters and decor, adding drought-tolerant plants and contemporary outdoor furniture that complements the new design.
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New board-formed-concrete steps lead to an upper-level lounge area. The steps connect to a new board-formed-concrete planter that holds a camellia tree that came with the property (seen on the right side of this photo).
A crushed-gravel floor matches the concrete steps — and also led to project savings. “The crushed gravel was supposed to form the bottom layer and then be covered up by crushed granite, but we bought more gravel than we needed,” Sanders-Jacob says. “But since the color of the crushed gravel matched the board-formed concrete so well, we decided to use all of it and save some money.”
Orange Adirondack chairs pop against the gray hardscape, tying in with the terra-cotta pots scattered throughout the landscape and contrasting with the lime window trim and mostly foliage plants.
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A crushed-gravel floor matches the concrete steps — and also led to project savings. “The crushed gravel was supposed to form the bottom layer and then be covered up by crushed granite, but we bought more gravel than we needed,” Sanders-Jacob says. “But since the color of the crushed gravel matched the board-formed concrete so well, we decided to use all of it and save some money.”
Orange Adirondack chairs pop against the gray hardscape, tying in with the terra-cotta pots scattered throughout the landscape and contrasting with the lime window trim and mostly foliage plants.
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2. Colorful, Contemporary Courtyard
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple
Location: Camden area of London
Size: 452 square feet (42 square meters)
Designer: Georgia Lindsay
Before: The small courtyard in front of this London home needed to fit in a lot. The homeowners wanted to create a comfortable outdoor living space while also building a more welcoming entryway. Planning for a family, they also wanted to ensure safety, comfort and accessibility.
The home is a refurbished carriage house, and the yard also needed to accommodate parking and trash just next to the small patio.
The yard’s few sparse plantings and worn paving did little to encourage outdoor lingering. “It was like being at the side of a car park,” designer Georgia Lindsay says.
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple
Location: Camden area of London
Size: 452 square feet (42 square meters)
Designer: Georgia Lindsay
Before: The small courtyard in front of this London home needed to fit in a lot. The homeowners wanted to create a comfortable outdoor living space while also building a more welcoming entryway. Planning for a family, they also wanted to ensure safety, comfort and accessibility.
The home is a refurbished carriage house, and the yard also needed to accommodate parking and trash just next to the small patio.
The yard’s few sparse plantings and worn paving did little to encourage outdoor lingering. “It was like being at the side of a car park,” designer Georgia Lindsay says.
After: Lindsay added an L-shaped built-in bench for plenty of seating in a small footprint. “In a small garden, it’s always going to be a good use of space,” Lindsay says. Outdoor pillows soften the wood and bring in more color and interest (and can be easily swapped out for a different look).
The bench is bookended by two concrete planters filled with shade-tolerant ferns and other plants, including wood ferns (Dryopteris sp.) and grasslike sedges (Carex sp.). The plants also grow behind the bench, softening the area and blurring the yard’s edge to visually expand the space.
The new flooring is exterior porcelain, chosen because it’s durable, low-maintenance and nonporous. It’s also a great family-friendly material. “When you have kids and spillages are likely, porcelain is a great option,” the designer says. From this view, you can see the bold striped design she created to complement the home’s siding.
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The bench is bookended by two concrete planters filled with shade-tolerant ferns and other plants, including wood ferns (Dryopteris sp.) and grasslike sedges (Carex sp.). The plants also grow behind the bench, softening the area and blurring the yard’s edge to visually expand the space.
The new flooring is exterior porcelain, chosen because it’s durable, low-maintenance and nonporous. It’s also a great family-friendly material. “When you have kids and spillages are likely, porcelain is a great option,” the designer says. From this view, you can see the bold striped design she created to complement the home’s siding.
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At night, the new custom Cor-Ten steel panels behind the bench come to life. Backlighting emphasizes the screens’ laser-cut design, meant to resemble leaves and pebbles seen in the yard.
The patio sits right off the house through bifold doors, so the homeowners can appreciate their new space from inside and out. “Pools of light fall onto the bench and paving. It’s like dappled tree light making patterns on the ground. It’s really magical,” Lindsay says.
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The patio sits right off the house through bifold doors, so the homeowners can appreciate their new space from inside and out. “Pools of light fall onto the bench and paving. It’s like dappled tree light making patterns on the ground. It’s really magical,” Lindsay says.
Read more about this renovation
3. Sophisticated Lounge for Having Cocktails and Cooking
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a New England couple’s vacation home.
Location: Del Mar, California
Size: 400 square feet (37 square meters)
Designer: SJS Studios
Contractor: Cross Construction
Before: With no outdoor living space to enjoy at their coastal Southern California home, a couple turned to SJS Studios to transform a small concrete side yard used for storing trash cans and recycling bins into an intimate outdoor lounge.
The house sits just a few steps from the beach. The homeowners envisioned using the new outdoor lounge most often in the evenings for relaxing, dining and entertaining, and spending their days at the beach. They wanted to “feel like they’re on vacation in California when they come to their house,” architect Stephen Scirrotto says.
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a New England couple’s vacation home.
Location: Del Mar, California
Size: 400 square feet (37 square meters)
Designer: SJS Studios
Contractor: Cross Construction
Before: With no outdoor living space to enjoy at their coastal Southern California home, a couple turned to SJS Studios to transform a small concrete side yard used for storing trash cans and recycling bins into an intimate outdoor lounge.
The house sits just a few steps from the beach. The homeowners envisioned using the new outdoor lounge most often in the evenings for relaxing, dining and entertaining, and spending their days at the beach. They wanted to “feel like they’re on vacation in California when they come to their house,” architect Stephen Scirrotto says.
A cozy outdoor living room, anchored by an expansive built-in banquette for lounging and dining, has transformed the space. Taking up most of the patio’s 400 square feet, the seating was designed to accommodate the couple’s grown kids and grandkids. The wood-clad seating features custom cushions with Kravet fabric.
A bluestone fire pit is nestled in front of the sofa. Its wide lip can be used to rest glasses and small plates on. A custom cover can be placed over the fire feature when it’s not in use, allowing the piece to double as a table.
At the far end of the patio, an efficient outdoor kitchen allows the owners to grill next to their outdoor eating area. The same wood slatting covers the base. The grill station has a waterfall-edge concrete countertop by Concrete Collaborative. Handmade cement tile from Ann Sacks forms a backsplash, framed by a wood cap.
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A bluestone fire pit is nestled in front of the sofa. Its wide lip can be used to rest glasses and small plates on. A custom cover can be placed over the fire feature when it’s not in use, allowing the piece to double as a table.
At the far end of the patio, an efficient outdoor kitchen allows the owners to grill next to their outdoor eating area. The same wood slatting covers the base. The grill station has a waterfall-edge concrete countertop by Concrete Collaborative. Handmade cement tile from Ann Sacks forms a backsplash, framed by a wood cap.
Not sure where to start on your home project? Learn the basics
The team also changed the paving from concrete to bluestone as a way to delineate the lounge from the driveway. The pavers are 36 by 36 inches; Scirrotto says their size gives the space a more intimate scale. He had them installed on a concrete base, as opposed to being dry-laid, as the homeowners wanted to be able to drive on the paving if necessary.
As the homeowners intend to use the space mostly for dinners and cocktails in the evenings, lighting plays a key role in the design. “We created a variety of lighting scenes,” Scirrotto says. An Icee Blue podocarpus (Podocarpus elongatus ‘Monmal’, USDA zones 9 to 11; find your zone) hedge forms a lush green wall, both creating an attractive view for the homeowners and screening the neighboring properties from sight.
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As the homeowners intend to use the space mostly for dinners and cocktails in the evenings, lighting plays a key role in the design. “We created a variety of lighting scenes,” Scirrotto says. An Icee Blue podocarpus (Podocarpus elongatus ‘Monmal’, USDA zones 9 to 11; find your zone) hedge forms a lush green wall, both creating an attractive view for the homeowners and screening the neighboring properties from sight.
Read more about this renovation
More on Houzz
Read more stories about patios
Find a pro for your home project
Shop for outdoor products
Backyard at a Glance
Who lives here: Heather Sanders-Jacob and Evan Jacob
Location: Oakland, California
Size: 500 square feet (46 square meters)
Designer: Shelterwerk
Before: Architects Heather Sanders-Jacob and Evan Jacob painstakingly renovated their own bungalow’s interiors over 15 years before moving on to the exteriors and outdoor space. For the compact backyard, the plan involved replacing the ground material, adding new fencing and upgrading the outdoor furniture.
A red painted concrete patio dominated this San Francisco Bay Area home’s sloping backyard before the renovation. There was no fence or gate separating the driveway from the patio, and the property’s original carriage house sat in the middle of the yard (seen on the left side of this photo).