Zoned Outdoor Rooms Maximize a 430-Square-Foot Backyard
A designer outfits a compact Denver yard with a pergola-covered lounge, a dining area and a grilling station with a bar
These parents of three young children were envisioning a dining area, a grilling station and a pergola-covered lounge for their 430-square-foot Denver backyard when they hired Sundial Designs to bring these dreams to life. Because the compact yard is tucked between the house and a detached garage, landscape designer Laura Robinson also had to navigate the flow between three entry doors opening into the space. Her careful composition maximizes the small footprint, resulting in a multifunctional patio that makes entertaining a breeze.
Before Photo
After: This photo was taken from the same angle as the previous one. “When you first see a wish list like [the homeowners’], you think there’s no possible way to fit everything in,” Robinson says. “I start by thinking about how these things will interact with each other.”
A good example of how she started to put the pieces together is the location of the grill. Placing it on the side of the yard kept the flow through the rest of the space open. Its proximity to the house makes it easy to bring food out from the kitchen and set it down on the counter.
“It’s also important to have things do double duty,” Robinson says. For example, the curved bar to the right of the grilling station provides a spot for a pizza oven, serves as a buffet and functions as a side table for someone sitting on the sofa. The location also allows people to keep the cook company and interact with guests seated in the lounge.
A good example of how she started to put the pieces together is the location of the grill. Placing it on the side of the yard kept the flow through the rest of the space open. Its proximity to the house makes it easy to bring food out from the kitchen and set it down on the counter.
“It’s also important to have things do double duty,” Robinson says. For example, the curved bar to the right of the grilling station provides a spot for a pizza oven, serves as a buffet and functions as a side table for someone sitting on the sofa. The location also allows people to keep the cook company and interact with guests seated in the lounge.
Because most of the homeowners’ wish list items required a hard patio surface, keeping the yard from feeling like a sea of concrete was a challenge. Robinson broke up the paving by using poured-in-place concrete pads separated by artificial turf.
“Our clients wanted the yard to be super low-maintenance,” she says, “so artificial turf was the right choice for them.” Another low-maintenance element is ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, USDA zones 4 to 9; find your zone), planted in key spots to break up the concrete and delineate the outdoor rooms. Using it was also a budget-friendly move, as the grass was transplanted from elsewhere in the yard.
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“Our clients wanted the yard to be super low-maintenance,” she says, “so artificial turf was the right choice for them.” Another low-maintenance element is ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, USDA zones 4 to 9; find your zone), planted in key spots to break up the concrete and delineate the outdoor rooms. Using it was also a budget-friendly move, as the grass was transplanted from elsewhere in the yard.
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Before Photo
Before: The lawn sloped in front of the double office doors on the right. While a wide step mitigated the grade change, it felt disjointed and didn’t create a pleasing connection to the rest of the yard.
Robinson planned to place a dining area directly off the doors, which required a flat surface. She knew that having the ground meet the threshold of the office doors without a step would be the smoothest transition and the most visually pleasing solution.
Robinson planned to place a dining area directly off the doors, which required a flat surface. She knew that having the ground meet the threshold of the office doors without a step would be the smoothest transition and the most visually pleasing solution.
After: To align the patio with the office threshold, Robinson dropped the dining area a few inches, using a black powder-coated steel riser to edge one side of the concrete and turf. “This creates a transition between the two [patio] levels,” she says. The black metal strip also serves as a visual cue to prevent tripping.
A straight path from the garage to the back steps of the house provides breathing room between the dining and lounge areas.
Key Measurements for Designing Your Perfect Patio
A straight path from the garage to the back steps of the house provides breathing room between the dining and lounge areas.
Key Measurements for Designing Your Perfect Patio
In addition to composing the different backyard zones in a pleasing way, the designer wanted the concrete pads to work within those spaces. “We planned these lines of turf so carefully,” Robinson says. For example, she determined where the dining chairs would be placed, then ran a line of turf between them. This ensured that all the chair legs would sit atop concrete.
For homeowners deciding where to save and splurge, Robinson recommends prioritizing vertical surfaces over paving. “Using the concrete separated by turf kept the patio interesting and on budget,” she says. “It saved a lot of money over choosing something like a porcelain patio surface.”
Custom powder-coated steel planters, including a curved piece that echoes the bar’s countertop, were among the splurges. “A squared-off planter would have felt too hard-edged, and it would have impeded traffic,” Robinson says.
This versatile feature — which can be used to grow herbs, veggies or ornamentals — anchors the design. The turf lines and concrete pads ripple out from the planter, integrating it into the landscape.
For homeowners deciding where to save and splurge, Robinson recommends prioritizing vertical surfaces over paving. “Using the concrete separated by turf kept the patio interesting and on budget,” she says. “It saved a lot of money over choosing something like a porcelain patio surface.”
Custom powder-coated steel planters, including a curved piece that echoes the bar’s countertop, were among the splurges. “A squared-off planter would have felt too hard-edged, and it would have impeded traffic,” Robinson says.
This versatile feature — which can be used to grow herbs, veggies or ornamentals — anchors the design. The turf lines and concrete pads ripple out from the planter, integrating it into the landscape.
Before Photo
Before: The existing stairs from the house came off a door that was perpendicular to the yard and didn’t create a pleasing indoor-outdoor flow.
After: Robinson replaced the stairs with ones that lead straight from the door, have a landing and turn a corner. They provide a stronger sense of entry into the yard.
The composite decking used for the stairs adds warmth, color and texture. “Another place where splurging really matters is on decking material. It’s really important that it look organic, like natural wood,” Robinson says. “You don’t want it to look like plastic.” The material she used also will stand up to Denver’s harsh winters.
Decking: Legacy collection in Tigerwood, TimberTech
The composite decking used for the stairs adds warmth, color and texture. “Another place where splurging really matters is on decking material. It’s really important that it look organic, like natural wood,” Robinson says. “You don’t want it to look like plastic.” The material she used also will stand up to Denver’s harsh winters.
Decking: Legacy collection in Tigerwood, TimberTech
Saving on the patio allowed the team to invest in a concrete surround for the built-in grill. “This is another high-quality splurge on a vertical surface that looks so much better than a freestanding grill,” Robinson says. “It’s especially important in a small yard like this one, where you see everything.” The granite countertop is durable and complements the grays of the concrete grill surround.
Carefully working with the grill specifications the homeowners provided, the team built a frame for thick concrete walls. A cavity in the center accommodates the grill and the storage space beneath it. On the left are deep drawers for grilling tools and other supplies. The door on the right provides access to the gas line shutoff.
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Carefully working with the grill specifications the homeowners provided, the team built a frame for thick concrete walls. A cavity in the center accommodates the grill and the storage space beneath it. On the left are deep drawers for grilling tools and other supplies. The door on the right provides access to the gas line shutoff.
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To balance the budget, the homeowners chose a ready-made aluminum pergola rather than having one custom-fabricated.
Robinson sized the large poured-in-place concrete patio beneath the pergola accordingly. Using an uninterrupted surface was the best option for supporting furniture, and an outdoor rug covers the yard’s largest expanse of paving. For proper drainage, she sloped the patios slightly toward swales and away from thresholds.
What to Know About Adding a Pergola
Robinson sized the large poured-in-place concrete patio beneath the pergola accordingly. Using an uninterrupted surface was the best option for supporting furniture, and an outdoor rug covers the yard’s largest expanse of paving. For proper drainage, she sloped the patios slightly toward swales and away from thresholds.
What to Know About Adding a Pergola
The pergola provides much-needed shade on sunny summer days, and the homeowners can use a hand crank to close the louvers for full coverage. The pergola’s placement against the garage keeps the backyard feeling open, while the proximity of the lounge to the bar and grilling station fosters socializing and entertaining.
Robinson composed the outdoor rooms in a way that makes it easy to carry food to the grill, chat with guests while cooking and enjoy alfresco meals. Each space flows into the next without feeling overcrowded. The family members are so thrilled with their new space that the neighbors on either side have hired Sundial Designs to help with their yards too.
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Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five
Location: Denver
Size: 430 square feet (40 square meters)
Designer: Sundial Designs
Before: The building seen here on the left is the detached garage, which is located off an alley and includes a home office addition off the back. The house is just out of frame on the right. “This was a tiny and tight yard with a rinky-dink patio,” Robinson says. “It felt cold and stark. My clients wanted it to feel like a retreat.”
In addition to accommodating the outdoor rooms her clients wanted, the designer had to consider the flow between them. She had to maintain circulation between the house, the garage and double French doors that open to the office addition off the garage.
The home is located in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood, which sits on the former site of Stapleton Airport. The community was built using New Urbanism principles, which emphasize walkability, mixed-use spaces, alley-loaded garages and family-friendly amenities and parks. Because the housing is dense and close to public parks, most of the yards are compact.
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