Patio of the Week: Fresh Curb Appeal and a New Front Yard Lounge
A San Francisco-area home’s outdoor redo improves the exterior, extends living space and invites neighborly interaction
The exterior of this San Anselmo, California, home did not reflect the beautiful modern whole-house remodel it had undergone about 10 years ago. The front entry had no walk besides a steep driveway, the front door was uninviting, and multiple posts and braces under the second level’s deck created clutter. So the family of three who live here called the design-build firm that had completed the interior work they loved so much, building Lab, to reimagine the facade, entry sequence, deck and area beneath the deck.
Firm owner Stephen Shoup and lead designer Hide Kawato were thoughtful about how the homeowners would experience the space as well as the materials they used. They ripped the existing wood deck off the house and started from scratch. They replaced it with an elegant modern steel structure, and transformed the area beneath it into an outdoor living room that resembles a welcoming front porch from the street. The new design also features a new stepped entry path, garage door and fiber cement siding.
Firm owner Stephen Shoup and lead designer Hide Kawato were thoughtful about how the homeowners would experience the space as well as the materials they used. They ripped the existing wood deck off the house and started from scratch. They replaced it with an elegant modern steel structure, and transformed the area beneath it into an outdoor living room that resembles a welcoming front porch from the street. The new design also features a new stepped entry path, garage door and fiber cement siding.
After: The new design includes a stepped front walk, with integrated lights, that leads from the street to the front door. The garage door is also new. Note the way the light coming through garage door glass ties in with the lights on the steps. “When we turned on the garage lights for our clients, they saw how it all ties together,” Shoup says.
Beneath the new deck is a covered patio that looks like a welcoming front porch from the street. The designers used charcoal gray fiber cement siding to define the new outdoor living space and entry. “All that wood siding was kind of overwhelming,” Shoup says. “The warmth of the color we chose adds softness and is quite welcoming. Also, the siding has a nice texture to it.” They painted the garage door and the fascia on the lower part of the deck to match.
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Beneath the new deck is a covered patio that looks like a welcoming front porch from the street. The designers used charcoal gray fiber cement siding to define the new outdoor living space and entry. “All that wood siding was kind of overwhelming,” Shoup says. “The warmth of the color we chose adds softness and is quite welcoming. Also, the siding has a nice texture to it.” They painted the garage door and the fascia on the lower part of the deck to match.
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Before: This photo illustrates the jumbled look under the deck and the uninviting front door surroundings. Ten years ago, the homeowners’ priority was to improve the livability inside their home. More recently, they were ready to make the outside match the inside.
After: “To achieve the space and the kind of openness they wanted, we used steel for the new deck structure,” Shoup says. The deck required only two posts, which were welded to the beams for an elegant and simple design. “This structure is a movement-resistant frame, because this is earthquake country,” Shoup says. The new deck measures 26½ by 14 feet, and the covered patio measures 20 by 16 feet.
Look closely at the left side of this photo, where the original siding meets the new fiber cement siding, to see a thoughtful detail. The new siding juts out from the rest of the facade. “This added a thickness and clearly defined the entry and the area underneath the deck,” Shoup says.
This is an “upside-down” house, meaning the bedrooms are on the ground floor, and the living room opens onto the deck. The deck also can be viewed from the kitchen, as the floor plan is open. It’s easy for the homeowners to pour themselves a cup of coffee in the morning and then enjoy it outside among the tree canopies.
Look closely at the left side of this photo, where the original siding meets the new fiber cement siding, to see a thoughtful detail. The new siding juts out from the rest of the facade. “This added a thickness and clearly defined the entry and the area underneath the deck,” Shoup says.
This is an “upside-down” house, meaning the bedrooms are on the ground floor, and the living room opens onto the deck. The deck also can be viewed from the kitchen, as the floor plan is open. It’s easy for the homeowners to pour themselves a cup of coffee in the morning and then enjoy it outside among the tree canopies.
The new stairs from the street work with the existing slope and create an engaging entry experience. Landscape designers from ORCA completed the planting design. The plantings around the staircase softly contrast with the concrete steps. The designers also added vines that will grow up around the posts.
Because of the placement of the two stair runs and the square landing pads halfway up the climb, railings were not required, but the homeowners can add them in the future if they wish.
The integrated lighting provides safety at night. “We nested LED strip lights into reveals. This created more pronounced shadow lines, which provided more depth,” Shoup says.
Landscape Lighting That Doesn’t Wake the Birds
The integrated lighting provides safety at night. “We nested LED strip lights into reveals. This created more pronounced shadow lines, which provided more depth,” Shoup says.
Landscape Lighting That Doesn’t Wake the Birds
This detail shows the transitional spot where the steps meet the new patio and the concrete surrounding it. The patio pavers are end-cut pieces of black locust set in gravel. This type of wood paver was used as cobblestones in streets many years ago. It is naturally rot-resistant and can stand up to the elements. The designers liked the warmth the pavers added to the concrete and steel.
A piece of charcoal-colored steel forms the last riser and ties into the new steel porch posts, fascia and railings. “It was about pulling together all the materials and displaying their sense of solidity, tactility and scale,” Shoup says.
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A piece of charcoal-colored steel forms the last riser and ties into the new steel porch posts, fascia and railings. “It was about pulling together all the materials and displaying their sense of solidity, tactility and scale,” Shoup says.
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Here’s a closer look at the black locust patio pavers. While she did not work on this project, Shoup’s wife is a landscape architect and “suggested we check these out,” Shoup says.
The pavers came on gridded 12-by-12-inch sheets with mesh on the back, similar to the way many interior tiles are set. Following the manufacturer’s guidelines to a T, the team installed the blocks atop compacted subgrade and a layer of sand, with pea gravel serving as the grout. The concrete edging around the patio keeps the gravel from spreading off the patio. “The installation technique is demanding,” Shoup says, but the end result was worth the trouble.
“We and our clients chose to have the pebbles loose, which means a bit of sweeping them back in place occasionally,” he says. He notes that it’s possible to add a stabilizing adhesive to the installation, which would hold the stones in place. “The chosen pebbles are a bit large for that, and we wanted to maximize permeability,” he says.
15 Outdoor Spaces That Rock Permeable Paving
The pavers came on gridded 12-by-12-inch sheets with mesh on the back, similar to the way many interior tiles are set. Following the manufacturer’s guidelines to a T, the team installed the blocks atop compacted subgrade and a layer of sand, with pea gravel serving as the grout. The concrete edging around the patio keeps the gravel from spreading off the patio. “The installation technique is demanding,” Shoup says, but the end result was worth the trouble.
“We and our clients chose to have the pebbles loose, which means a bit of sweeping them back in place occasionally,” he says. He notes that it’s possible to add a stabilizing adhesive to the installation, which would hold the stones in place. “The chosen pebbles are a bit large for that, and we wanted to maximize permeability,” he says.
15 Outdoor Spaces That Rock Permeable Paving
Of course, the designers informed their clients that this was the first time they’d used this paving product. The homeowners were fully on board to take the slight risk. “We love to expand the material possibilities. And we always consider the right moments to use them, the clients and the context,” Shoup says.
The furnishings on the new patio are playful, fun and thoughtful. One of the homeowners thought it would be enjoyable to hang out literally, so Kawato found hanging chairs with wood frames. They are a modern take on a traditional porch swing. The rest of the patio furnishings, including the mushroom stools and custom clover coffee table, are hefty wood pieces by ORCA.
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The furnishings on the new patio are playful, fun and thoughtful. One of the homeowners thought it would be enjoyable to hang out literally, so Kawato found hanging chairs with wood frames. They are a modern take on a traditional porch swing. The rest of the patio furnishings, including the mushroom stools and custom clover coffee table, are hefty wood pieces by ORCA.
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
“Our clients wanted to be able to wave and say hi to the hikers who walk up their road to reach the trailhead,” Shoup says. “This area is a really special spot. The old oak canopies make it feel protected.”
7 Ways to Create a Neighborly Front Yard
7 Ways to Create a Neighborly Front Yard
Accomplishing the elegant look of the deck was not as simple as it appears. “One of the challenges was figuring out how to hide all the structural elements of the deck, like the drainage and the lighting,” Kawato says. The solution was this thick fascia plate around the bottom of the deck, with integrated custom metal railings welded to it.
This carefully considered detail allows the railings to elegantly disappear into the deck rather than having an exposed frame running along the decking. It also echoes a motif used during the interior remodel 10 years ago; railings inside the home disappear into the flooring.
Another detail the team echoed from the interiors was adding a redwood handrail across the top of the exterior railings. It’s another example of thinking about materials and contrasting warm wood against steel.
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Another detail the team echoed from the interiors was adding a redwood handrail across the top of the exterior railings. It’s another example of thinking about materials and contrasting warm wood against steel.
See photos of this home’s interior
More on Houzz
Read more stories about patios
Browse thousands of patio photos
Hire a landscape contractor
Shop for your outdoor spaces
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of three
Location: San Anselmo, California
Patio size: 320 square feet (30 square meters)
Designer and builder: Stephen Shoup and Hide Kawato of building Lab
Landscape designer: ORCA
Before: The homeowners usually pull into their garage and enter the house from there. However, there wasn’t a good way for their guests to get from the street to the front door. “The trip to the front door had all the structure and the underside of the deck exposed. It was not welcoming to guests, and it was not a great feature,” Shoup says.
The house sits on a relatively quiet cul-de-sac close to a popular trailhead. The homeowners love how a front porch can encourage community connection, and thought this would be a great spot for people-watching and interacting with hikers. Shoup and Kawato had the area beneath the deck regraded to form a covered patio.
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