Deck - country backyard deck idea in San Francisco with no cover

Cleary O'Farrell
Example of a small minimalist blue two-story house exterior design in Seattle with a shed roof

Gibeon Photography

Large country screened-in porch idea in Burlington with decking and a roof extension

Keith Scott Morton
Deck - large coastal deck idea in Boston with no cover

Custom designed and built Trex deck in Houston. The inside pattern is the color Saddle while the border is Brown. The deck is built next to a decorative stamped concrete patio and has a mixed beach stone border.

Jim Westphalen
Example of a large minimalist brown two-story wood gable roof design in Burlington with a metal roof

The chance to build a lakeside weekend home in rural NC provided this Chapel Hill family with an opportunity to ditch convention and think outside the box. For instance, we traded the traditional boat dock with what's become known as the "party dock"… a floating lounge of sorts, complete with wet bar, TV, swimmer's platform, and plenty of spots for watching the water fun. Inside, we turned one bedroom into a gym with climbing wall - and dropped the idea of a dining room, in favor of a deep upholstered niche and shuffleboard table. Outdoor drapery helped blur the lines between indoor spaces and exterior porches filled with upholstery, swings, and places for lazy napping. And after the sun goes down....smores, anyone? John Bessler

This inviting space features a decorative concrete patio with a custom concrete fire pit and Ipe floating bench. The lush landscaping and cedar privacy fence provides a tranquil setting for city living.

Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary partial sun backyard landscaping in Dallas.

Mid-sized classic screened-in back porch idea in Chicago with decking and a roof extension

Klopf Architecture, Arterra Landscape Architects and Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Designed and built a new warm, modern, Eichler-inspired, open, indoor-outdoor home on a deeper-than-usual San Mateo Highlands property where an original Eichler house had burned to the ground. The owners wanted multi-generational living and larger spaces than the original home offered, but all parties agreed that the house should respect the neighborhood and blend in stylistically with the other Eichlers. At first the Klopf team considered re-using what little was left of the original home and expanding on it. But after discussions with the owner and builder, all parties agreed that the last few remaining elements of the house were not practical to re-use, so Klopf Architecture designed a new home that pushes the Eichler approach in new directions. One disadvantage of Eichler production homes is that the house designs were not optimized for each specific lot. A new custom home offered the team a chance to start over. In this case, a longer house that opens up sideways to the south fit the lot better than the original square-ish house that used to open to the rear (west). Accordingly, the Klopf team designed an L-shaped “bar” house with a large glass wall with large sliding glass doors that faces sideways instead of to the rear like a typical Eichler. This glass wall opens to a pool and landscaped yard designed by Arterra Landscape Architects. Driving by the house, one might assume at first glance it is an Eichler because of the horizontality, the overhanging flat roof eaves, the dark gray vertical siding, and orange solid panel front door, but the house is designed for the 21st Century and is not meant to be a “Likeler.” You won't see any posts and beams in this home. Instead, the ceiling decking is a western red cedar that covers over all the beams. Like Eichlers, this cedar runs continuously from inside to out, enhancing the indoor / outdoor feeling of the house, but unlike Eichlers it conceals a cavity for lighting, wiring, and insulation. Ceilings are higher, rooms are larger and more open, the master bathroom is light-filled and more generous, with a separate tub and shower and a separate toilet compartment, and there is plenty of storage. The garage even easily fits two of today's vehicles with room to spare. A massive 49-foot by 12-foot wall of glass and the continuity of materials from inside to outside enhance the inside-outside living concept, so the owners and their guests can flow freely from house to pool deck to BBQ to pool and back. During construction in the rough framing stage, Klopf thought the front of the house appeared too tall even though the house had looked right in the design renderings (probably because the house is uphill from the street). So Klopf Architecture paid the framer to change the roofline from how we had designed it to be lower along the front, allowing the home to blend in better with the neighborhood. One project goal was for people driving up the street to pass the home without immediately noticing there is an "imposter" on this lot, and making that change was essential to achieve that goal. This 2,606 square foot, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom Eichler-inspired new house is located in San Mateo in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Klara Kevane Landscape Architect: Arterra Landscape Architects Contractor: Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Photography ©2016 Mariko Reed Location: San Mateo, CA Year completed: 2016

Andrea Rugg
Double shower - large traditional master white tile and subway tile ceramic tile and multicolored floor double shower idea in Los Angeles with medium tone wood cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink, a hinged shower door, a two-piece toilet, marble countertops and flat-panel cabinets

Tre Dunham
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional backyard deck remodel in Austin with no cover

Jeffrey Erb
Inspiration for a small contemporary backyard rectangular hot tub remodel in New York with decking

Photo: Meghan Bob Photo
Inspiration for a large farmhouse backyard concrete paver patio remodel in Los Angeles with a roof extension

Hot Tub with Modern Pergola, Tropical Hardwood Decking and Fence Screening, Built-in Kitchen with Concrete countertop, Outdoor Seating, Lighting Designed by Adam Miller

Patio - mid-sized rustic backyard tile patio idea in Seattle with a fire pit and a roof extension

Marion Brenner
Inspiration for a contemporary backyard deck remodel in San Francisco with an awning