Horizon Photoworks
Design ideas for a mid-sized rustic partial sun side yard stone driveway in Calgary.

Custom stone steps, owen sound flagstone, Armour stone, India flagstone, slate grey india, kota black india stone, planting, boxwood, pool, pool coping repair.

A new home designed to fit its mid-century neighborhood Whit Preston Photographer
Example of a minimalist one-story stone exterior home design in Austin with a shed roof

The subtle changes begin as soon as you walk out the back door of the house. The existing decking had a lot of what we call "tweeners"; areas that are overly generous walkways, yet not large enough to house furniture. The awkwardly small bluestone patio was expanded to accommodate a generous seating area. This was done by pushing the step-down closer to the pool. Our talented stone mason carefully married the new bluestone into the existing portion of the patio, resulting in an imperceptible difference between the two. As you descend the new bluestone steps to the pool level, your bare feet will be thankful for the new smooth-finished, limestone-colored concrete, with a hand cut pattern carefully etched into it's surface. The old red brick decking was so hot that the owners could not walk around the pool with their bare feet. The brick coping was also replaced with an eased edge, Pennsylvania Premier Stone which matches the new step treads throughout the project. Between the house and the pool, a large raised planter was reconfigured, giving additional space to the pool deck for a shaded lounge chair area. Across the pool, a bank of rather tall painted brick retaining walls were cut down, shortened and moved. This lessened the visual impact of the walls (which were overwhelming in the space) and also opened up a new seating area, nestled under the arms of the massive Pecan tree at the back of the property. Rather than continuing solid decking around the entire pool, the area near these walls has been transformed to large stone stepper pads set in a sea of beautiful St. Augustine lawn. This creates a visually softened area that is still suited to setting tables and chairs when the guest list calls for additional seating. The spa area is possibly the most dramatic change on this project. Yet more raised planter walls divided this area into awkward spaces, unsuited for proper furniture placement. The planters were removed, new stone decks added, and once again expertly married into the existing decks, opening the area to house a large dining table and a newly built-in BBQ area. The spa itself was re-imagined with the bluestone coping and painted brick veneer. The most impressive addition though is the new handmade glazed tiles that surround the existing cast stone water feature. This water feature was almost unnoticeable against the painted brick wall, but now the dramatic arch and pop of color draw the eye to this quaint little corner of the property. Originally designed by one of the most notable landscape architects in town, this once impressive project had faltered in recent years. The pool and spa still functioned well, and the client wanted to keep it intact. In addition, they wanted to keep as much of the existing landscape as possible. But, the surrounding decks, walls and steps were fair game. At first glance, one might think that our changes were simple material changes. However, upon closer inspection, one can see the subtle-yet-transformative changes that came together to update this classic pool in a tasteful, timeless manner, as well as to improve the flow and usability of the deck areas, while softening the feel of this massive hardscape.

Inspiration for a rustic entryway remodel in Raleigh with a dark wood front door

Inspiration for a large contemporary side yard stone landscaping in Seattle.

This custom estate was built on a beautiful 12 acre lot just outside the city of Frederick, MD. This was a custom home with an extra large 2 car detached garage. The home is 2000 square feet all on one level with a walk out basement. It has a large composite deck with an attached covered screened in porch. The screened in porch will be the first place to go from a busy day at work to take in the beauty of the mountains and let the stress melt away. The charcoal gray exterior turned out beautiful with the stone selection. It all fits very well on top of the mountain.

Large transitional backyard outdoor kitchen deck photo in Seattle with a pergola

Jane Luce
Photo of a mid-sized asian partial sun backyard gravel landscaping in DC Metro for summer.

Large farmhouse porch idea in Nashville with decking and a roof extension

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern backyard stone water fountain landscape in Detroit.

Drew Cunningham and Tom Jacques
Large trendy backyard deck photo in Ottawa

Craig Westerman
Example of a large classic backyard deck design in Baltimore with a fire pit and a roof extension

Secure storage
Inspiration for a large contemporary backyard deck remodel in Chicago with a roof extension

Ground view of deck. Outwardly visible structural elements are wrapped in pVC. Photo Credit: Johnna Harrison
Inspiration for a large timeless backyard outdoor kitchen deck remodel in DC Metro with a pergola

Mid-sized southwest backyard custom-shaped and stone natural hot tub photo in Dallas

Mid-sized southwest backyard custom-shaped and stone natural hot tub photo in Dallas

Large elegant backyard custom-shaped pool fountain photo in Atlanta

Example of a large classic backyard custom-shaped pool fountain design in Atlanta