Large backyard deck photo in New York with no cover

Mid-sized elegant screened-in back porch photo in Dallas with decking and a roof extension

PA true blue thermalled flagstone walkway
Inspiration for a large traditional full sun side yard stone landscaping in Philadelphia for fall.

This 8x12 custom double glass greenhouse with vestibule is so inviting and offers a beautiful anchor to this Pacific Northwest garden.
Inspiration for a contemporary landscaping in Seattle.

Example of a mid-sized minimalist backyard brick patio kitchen design in Jacksonville

Complete renovation of this 4000 sq foot backyard. Complete demo of the yard. Installation of Belgard pavers, trex decking, landscape lighting, pergola, spa, plants and retaining walls with stucco finish.

The water feature is 24” deep 500 s.f. and filled with 6” of Black Mexican beach pebbles. Multiple Techobloc Raffinato planters each equipped with drip irrigation. Plantings were installed by our client. Six sheer descent waterfalls and multi-colored underwater lights are controlled from the clients mobile phone or iPad. All the paving is a Turkish Travertine with a connecting floating bridge that leads to a more private sunken patio/pavilion area, where one can sit and enjoy the tranquil sound of sheer descent waterfalls. The addition of the contemporary sculpture and a bubbling granite boulder completes this backyard transformation!

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional partial sun courtyard stone landscaping in Boston for summer.

This dark-plastered pool looks great at night with the fire features and infinity edge spa. Photographer: Siggi Ragnar
Hot tub - large mediterranean backyard concrete paver and custom-shaped hot tub idea in Austin

A new, colorful perennial bed balances the patio. A mix of 'Summer Beauty' allium, 'Purpurkerze' astilbe, 'The Rocket' ligularia, and 'Elegans' hosta add multi-season interest and color. Westhauser Photography

Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional full sun backyard retaining wall landscape in Austin for spring.

The distinct spaces can be seen from this overhead view. The dining area is separated from the social space by three large containers on one side and from the fire pit by a low profile planting bed on the other side. A small grill with counter is conveniently located near the three season room. Landscape design by John Algozzini. Photo courtesy of Mike Crews Photography.

Design ideas for a small farmhouse full sun landscaping in New York.

We were contacted by a family named Pesek who lived near Memorial Drive on the West side of Houston. They lived in a stately home built in the late 1950’s. Many years back, they had contracted a local pool company to install an old lagoon-style pool, which they had since grown tired of. When they initially called us, they wanted to know if we could build them an outdoor room at the far end of the swimming pool. We scheduled a free consultation at a time convenient to them, and we drove out to their residence to take a look at the property. After a quick survey of the back yard, rear of the home, and the swimming pool, we determined that building an outdoor room as an addition to their existing landscaping design would not bring them the results they expected. The pool was visibly dated with an early “70’s” look, which not only clashed with the late 50’s style of home architecture, but guaranteed an even greater clash with any modern-style outdoor room we constructed. Luckily for the Peseks, we offered an even better landscaping plan than the one they had hoped for. We proposed the construction of a new outdoor room and an entirely new swimming pool. Both of these new structures would be built around the classical geometry of proportional right angles. This would allow a very modern design to compliment an older home, because basic geometric patterns are universal in many architectural designs used throughout history. In this case, both the swimming pool and the outdoor rooms were designed as interrelated quadrilateral forms with proportional right angles that created the illusion of lengthened distance and a sense of Classical elegance. This proved a perfect complement to a house that had originally been built as a symbolic emblem of a simpler, more rugged and absolute era. Though reminiscent of classical design and complimentary to the conservative design of the home, the interior of the outdoor room was ultra-modern in its array of comfort and convenience. The Peseks felt this would be a great place to hold birthday parties for their child. With this new outdoor room, the Peseks could take the party outside at any time of day or night, and at any time of year. We also built the structure to be fully functional as an outdoor kitchen as well as an outdoor entertainment area. There was a smoker, a refrigerator, an ice maker, and a water heater—all intended to eliminate any need to return to the house once the party began. Seating and entertainment systems were also added to provide state of the art fun for adults and children alike. We installed a flat-screen plasma TV, and we wired it for cable. The swimming pool was built between the outdoor room and the rear entrance to the house. We got rid of the old lagoon-pool design which geometrically clashed with the right angles of the house and outdoor room. We then had a completely new pool built, in the shape of a rectangle, with a rather innovative coping design. We showcased the pool with a coping that rose perpendicular to the ground out of the stone patio surface. This reinforced our blend of contemporary look with classical right angles. We saved the client an enormous amount of money on travertine by setting the coping so that it does not overhang with the tile. Because the ground between the house and the outdoor room gradually dropped in grade, we used the natural slope of the ground to create another perpendicular right angle at the end of the pool. Here, we installed a waterfall which spilled over into a heated spa. Although the spa was fed from within itself, it was built to look as though water was coming from within the pool. The ultimate result of all of this is a new sense of visual “ebb and flow,” so to speak. When Mr. Pesek sits in his couch facing his house, the earth appears to rise up first into an illuminated pool which leads the way up the steps to his home. When he sits in his spa facing the other direction, the earth rises up like a doorway to his outdoor room, where he can comfortably relax in the water while he watches TV. For more the 20 years Exterior Worlds has specialized in servicing many of Houston's fine neighborhoods.

This compact pool maximizes the small backyard with all the features of a larger backyard. Photography: Wade Griffith
Inspiration for a small contemporary backyard concrete and rectangular hot tub remodel in Dallas

Nouveau Bungalow - Un - Designed + Built + Curated by Steven Allen Designs, LLC
Inspiration for a small eclectic deck remodel in Houston

Inspiration for a mid-sized craftsman front porch remodel in New York with decking and a roof extension

Example of a mid-sized trendy rooftop deck design in Seattle with a roof extension

This is an example of a small transitional tile back porch design in Atlanta with a roof extension.