Patio of the Week: New Backyard Connects a House to the Lake

After: Koehler and his team at Outdoor Dreams thought carefully about how to create easy transitions between the different areas of the yard. He built one patio that connects to the area underneath the deck without a change in grade, and added another one, this one curved, one step lower to delineate it.

The patio areas beyond the deck supports total 915 square feet (85 square meters), and the area underneath the deck is 572 square feet (53 square meters).

Koehler also added staggered pavers between the fire pit area and a new staircase that leads down to the dock.

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“My clients weren’t interested in doing extensive plumbing for the bar,” Koehler says. The base has storage and a beverage refrigerator.

The homeowners have enjoyed spending time out here so much that they are in the process of adding shades that will help hold the heat in under the deck during the winter. The black tube at the top of the opening on the left in this photo holds one of these shades.

What to Know About Adding an Outdoor Bar or Counter

An outdoor kitchen with a gas grill and ceramic smoker also was on the homeowners’ wish list. Koehler anchored the corner of the new patio with the outdoor kitchen. A dining table sits between it and the area under the deck. He nestled in a curved fire pit at the edge closest to the lake

The patio is composed of Blu 60 pavers from Techo-Bloc. These are concrete pavers that are textured and colored to look like natural stone. Koehler recommended a mix of Champlain Grey and Chestnut Brown tones to break up the large patio. “These blocks give the patio an elevated look. And they are easy to lay down, which provides a great labor rate for the clients,” he says. “The variation in color gives it a more rustic look.” His crew mixed the colors on-site, laying the pavers out in a balanced composition.

“It was great having the deck above, because [the crew] could compose the pavers, then view them from above to make sure they had the right balance,” Koehler says. He outlined the entire patio with the same cobblestone-like pavers he used along the edge of the concrete slab under the deck.

Cobblestone-like concrete pavers: Villagio, Techo-Bloc

For the outdoor kitchen, Koehler repeated the materials used on the bar, creating cohesion between the two spaces. He also incorporated a side burner, a trash pullout and storage. And he built in a bar-height countertop for seating, creating another gathering spot.

Grill: Kamado Joe

With so many seating options on and under the deck, in the outdoor kitchen and around the fire pit, the homeowners opted for a small dining table that seats four.

Koehler presented several scenarios for the patio layout, along with the cost of each. The homeowners decided it was worth the splurge to place the fire pit a step down from the main patio. This change in level creates a topographical transition for anyone heading down to the lake, and gives the fire pit a cozier feel on the large patio. Koehler emphasized the curve above the step with bluestone coping, outlined in the cobblestone-like pavers.

The curves of the fire pit’s patio ease the transition between the hard lines of the home’s architecture and the organic lines and shapes seen on the way down to the lake. Past the fire pit area, large staggered pavers create another transition between the patio and the new stone stairway to the dock.