Inspiration for an exterior home remodel in Toronto

Situated on a sloping site with a shared driveway and prescribed parking on the lower level, the home was designed to maximize daylight into the walk-out basement. In placing the parking in the center and wrapping the basement spaces around it, all rooms are afforded exterior views. By locating much of the home’s program below street level, the 3244 s.f. house is able to maintain a scale in keeping with the surrounding residences. The grade along the front of the site was pulled back from the home with stepped retaining walls revealing a sunken garden and above-ground basement walls. An entry bridge allows access to the front door above the sunken garden. UV-responsive, color-changing metal siding and cedar rainscreen clad the flat roof volumes of the home while fiber cement boards encase the shed roof volume. The shed was created to provide passive solar daylighting and conditioning in the vaulted living and dining rooms as well as an ideal surface for future solar panels. The home possesses a myriad of outdoor living spaces including a front balcony and sunken courtyard, side balcony terrace, and rear screened porch and deck above a covered patio. The south side balcony is wrapped with a metal and cedar clad bamboo planter which acts as a privacy screen and shading device. Accessibility was a strong consideration in the design as the homeowners were forward-thinking about aging in place. ADA-sized doorways and thresholds are provided as well as a shelled elevator shaft from the basement level.

What’s not to love about this gorgeous Logan Square backyard patio? Rooftopia had the distinct pleasure of designing and building this terrific outdoor retreat for one of our repeat clients as a flexible family friendly extension of their newly rehabbed home. The overall design provides a cohesive environment with plenty of versatile space to enjoy as a family or entertain a large group of friends. Our clients can easily set up an outdoor work-from-home hub, relax after work, spend time playing with their little one, or host a large dinner party. This modern landscape features a luxury outdoor kitchen with high quality aluminum cabinets by Urban Bonfire, and Dekton countertops installed with the help of Stone Masters. The outdoor kitchen also incorporates a stainless steel grill, an outdoor refrigerator and a sink for optimal outdoor dining and entertaining. This sleek and modern pergola integrates metal and wood screening to create privacy, shade and a one of a kind backdrop to surround the outdoor kitchen and hide utilities. The one of a kind ornamental metal screens include chic wall planters for summer herbs and edible plants that can be picked fresh or utilized while cooking. Rooftopia designed and built a custom outdoor fireplace to add a heating element and another layer of luxury ambiance and warmth to the outdoor seating area. New porcelain patio pavers made by Unilock were installed by London Stoneworks. Turf was added to the backyard for a family friendly play area. Other elements that were incorporated in this backyard design include an outdoor LED lighting system for exceptional ambiance in the evening, and seasonal planter boxes to add greenery, soft textures and pops of color with annual flowers rotating throughout the seasons.

This transitional pool and spa is located in Fort Worth and designed by Mike Farley. Matching glass tile was used for the waterline, step risers, grill backsplash, raised beam and spa veneer. The kitchen was recessed to the side and helped screen the existing wood deck. Metal raised planters were used to contain the bamboo privacy screen on the property line and provide accent planters at the front wall. Silver Turkish travertine blended the grey contemporary colors and the house brick. Finished with a black pebble sheen to provide a high contrast and reflective surface this paradise is now complete.

These homeowners wanted to organize their small backyard into a family friendly space for all to enjoy. Key elements included a covered deck, space for a patio, space for a trampoline, and privacy from neighbors that did not feel like a typical fence. We selected Azek Vintage decking in Coastline to create a clean, light modern look for the deck and built-in bench. The Lexan trellis allows light in, but keeps the space underneath dry. Integrated low voltage lights illuminate the space under the trellis as well as the deck steps. Raised planters create pockets of green within the composition. The design also accommodates a hot tub and large trampoline. The end result is a space that the entire family can enjoy!

Our design for this project was multi-faceted and consisted of a large screened room with a new patio and outdoor kitchen area. You could say those were the main attractions. In addition, several amenities filled out the homeowners’ dream outdoor space, making it complete. These included a planter integrated into the concrete patio, a custom trellis on the patio, and a privacy wall at the end of the patio.

A modern dining area features an "opening-closing" louvered patio cover w/ outdoor kitchen, raised planters, and accent lighting.
Inspiration for a small modern backyard concrete patio kitchen remodel in Los Angeles with a gazebo

Set in the garden beside a traditional Dutch Colonial home in Wellesley, Flavin conceived this boldly modern retreat, built of steel, wood and concrete. The building is designed to engage the client’s passions for gardening, entertaining and restoring vintage Vespa scooters. The Vespa repair shop and garage are on the first floor. The second floor houses a home office and veranda. On top is a roof deck with space for lounging and outdoor dining, surrounded by a vegetable garden in raised planters. The structural steel frame of the building is left exposed; and the side facing the public side is draped with a mahogany screen that creates privacy in the building and diffuses the dappled light filtered through the trees. Photo by: Nat Rea Photography

These homeowners wanted to organize their small backyard into a family friendly space for all to enjoy. Key elements included a covered deck, space for a patio, space for a trampoline, and privacy from neighbors that did not feel like a typical fence. We selected Azek Vintage decking in Coastline to create a clean, light modern look for the deck and built-in bench. The Lexan trellis allows light in, but keeps the space underneath dry. Integrated low voltage lights illuminate the space under the trellis as well as the deck steps. Raised planters create pockets of green within the composition. The design also accommodates a hot tub and large trampoline. The end result is a space that the entire family can enjoy!

This modern inner city residence sat on the Elbow River. Rear garden landscape improvements included a built-in cooking station and dining terrace with view of the river. The dining terrace includes a decorative aluminum louvered screen to provide privacy from the busy Elbow River. Incorporated in the screen is a planter bowl water feature and attractive hanging outdoor modern lights. Pennsylvania bluestone was added to the dining and conversation terraces and laid in a running bond pattern. The front garden touch ups included a new driveway with stone bands and borders. Bluestone was also added to the front walks and entries along with ornamental grasses of varying heights and colors to welcome the visitors. Tall pots were added at the street to more clearly mark the location of the front entry.

Photo of a mediterranean landscaping in New York.

www.lowellcustomhomes.com - This beautiful home was in need of a few updates on a tight schedule. Under the watchful eye of Superintendent Dennis www.LowellCustomHomes.com Retractable screens, invisible glass panels, indoor outdoor living area porch. Levine we made the deadline with stunning results. We think you'll be impressed with this remodel that included a makeover of the main living areas including the entry, great room, kitchen, bedrooms, baths, porch, lower level and more!

Joshua Roper Photography
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Example of an exterior home design in Toronto

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http://seanshot.photoshelter.com/
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Photo of a small contemporary drought-tolerant and full sun backyard concrete paver landscaping in San Francisco.