Our client wanted a nice centerpiece for his lovely garden that his children love to frequent. We upgraded his 20+-year-old deck to a brand new cedar one with wrought iron handrails and an attached cedar-glazed bar for cups. We also included two levels, separated by two steps, so that the social and culinary setting can both have ample room. He now enjoys the multi-functionality of the deck, cooking and dining with friends on the upper level, and hanging out on the lower level couches when it's family time. Oh, and we also stained his fence as part of a client-friendly package deal.

Our take on the Modern Farmhouse!
Example of a large cottage white two-story concrete fiberboard house exterior design in Calgary

Second bedroom on upper level.

This contemporary backyard features a multi-level deck constructed with light wood-composite planks, accented by built-in riser lights. A dark covered hot tub sits on the upper tier. The surrounding space includes a green lawn, dark stone pavers, a wooden fence with climbing ivy, and a red brick exterior wall.

This stunning custom lakefront home blends modern architecture with the natural beauty of its waterfront setting. Featuring dramatic rooflines, expansive windows, and a beautiful combination of warm exterior finishes and dark accents, this home was designed to make the most of its incredible views. The thoughtfully designed outdoor living spaces are just as impressive as the home itself. Multiple levels of patios, spacious entertaining areas, custom landscaping, and a large two-story boathouse with an upper-level deck create the perfect setting for relaxing and enjoying life on the water. From the striking architectural details to the seamless connection between indoor and outdoor living, every element of this home brings together comfort, functionality, and exceptional craftsmanship.

This newly constructed backyard deck features pressure-treated wood with natural grain patterns in warm golden-tan tones. Sturdy railings with vertical balusters enclose the upper platform, while wide wooden steps lead down to the main deck level, creating a safe, functional outdoor living space connected to the house.

Transitional backyard deck photo with a fire pit, decking and no cover

The upper deck includes Ipe flooring, an outdoor kitchen with concrete countertops, and panoramic doors that provide instant indoor/outdoor living. Waterfall steps lead to the lower deck's artificial turf area. The ground level features custom concrete pavers, fire pit, open framed pergola with day bed and under decking system.

The original kitchen was an open galley with a wall of cabinets and a small island. We turned the orientation of the kitchen so the island is more connected to the dining nook. The kitchen was also open above, under a balcony and bridge that lead to the roof deck. We enclosed the opening in the ceiling above the kitchen to create a home gym on the upper level. We kept the small dining nook off the kitchen, but reconfigured it by removing the original rail, adding built-in seating, and a channel to hold large plants. This also allowed us to reconfigure the closet in the living room below the plants to make that closet more efficient. HDBros

Bruce Cole Photography
Example of a small cottage white two-story gable roof design with a shingle roof

Alongside Jeff King & Company, Marina Blvd., won CotY 2016 National Winner of Landscape Design/Outdoor Living The project was to transform an existing flat roof and master bedroom suite floor into a dramatic deck with kitchen, dining and living areas leading to a stair to an upper deck for America’s Cup race viewing. The existing home is a 3-story 4,000 square foot Spanish Mission-style home built in the 1920’s and sits directly across from the St. Francis Yacht Club on Marina Boulevard in San Francisco – a prime location. No changes were possible for the historic façade and the new construction was to be out of view from the street, as much as possible. Going up the traditionally detailed stairway with decorative railing, you land at the third floor which becomes contemporary in style for the redesigned master bedroom suite, guest bath, sitting room and the roof deck. Large roof decks require careful attention to waterproofing and a Bison pedestal system was used to create a level deck surface and easy maintenance. Heavy ceramic tile pavers were interspersed with walkable in-floor skylights on the main deck with ipe wood floors at the upper deck and stairs. From both the master bedroom and the outdoor deck you can access a sitting room with large pocket or sliding doors to enclose it. If watching the fireworks on July 4th and it gets cold, people can move to the sitting room which has a fireplace to watch in a heated environment. The sitting room gas fireplace is surrounded by steel with a figured steel panel re-purposed from old sea pier metal that has been cleaned and sealed. A guest bath is adjacent to the master bath for guest use. A square recessed pattern tile was used to tie the old Spanish Mission-style feeling into the new more contemporary walls. In a large home that was short on storage, a large built-in armoire was built into the master bathroom for extra capacity. The project took two and a half years to complete including design and construction, in part due to historic reviews by the State of California.

Designed using Trex Transcend decking in Lava Rock – a rich reddish-black shade with subtle shading and natural shade variations creating distinctive hardwood-like streaking and intense tropical hues and Trex Transcend decking in Tiki Torch – a warm, earthy shade features rich, reddish-brown hardwood streaking, and is designed to off the look of real tropical hardwoods with slight variations of color and streaking. Additional Trex products featured include Trex Elevations, Trex Reveal railing, Trex Pergola, Trex Outdoor Furniture and Trex Outdoor Lighting – stair riser lights, post cap lights and recessed lights.

The original kitchen was an open galley with a wall of cabinets and a small island. We turned the orientation of the kitchen so the island is more connected to the dining nook. The kitchen was also open above, under a balcony and bridge that lead to the roof deck. We enclosed the opening in the ceiling above the kitchen to create a home gym on the upper level. We kept the small dining nook off the kitchen, but reconfigured it by removing the original rail, adding built-in seating, and a channel to hold large plants. This also allowed us to reconfigure the closet in the living room below the plants to make that closet more efficient. HDBros

Expanding the narrow 30 square foot balcony on the upper level to a full floor allowed us to create a 300 square foot gym. We closed off the opening to the kitchen below. The floor framing is extra strong, specifically to carry the weight of the clients’ weights and exercise apparatus. We also used sound insulation to minimize sound transmission. We built walls at the top of the stairway to prevent sound transmission, but in order not to lose natural light transmission, we installed 3 glass openings that are fitted with LED lights. This allows light from the new sliding door to flow down to the lower floor. The entry door to the gym is a frosted glass pocket door. We replaced existing door/transom and two double-hung windows with an expansive, almost 16-foot, double sliding door, allowing for almost 8-foot opening to the outside. These larger doors allow in a lot of light and provide better access to the deck for entertaining. The cedar siding on the interior gym wall echoes the cedar deck fence. HDBros

Example of a huge classic backyard deck design with a pergola

John Bridgham- Sundeck Designs
Deck - deck idea in Denver

Deck - mid-sized modern backyard deck idea in Toronto

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

Expanding the narrow 30 square foot balcony on the upper level to a full floor allowed us to create a 300 square foot gym. We closed off the opening to the kitchen below. The floor framing is extra strong, specifically to carry the weight of the clients’ weights and exercise apparatus. We also used sound insulation to minimize sound transmission. We built walls at the top of the stairway to prevent sound transmission, but in order not to lose natural light transmission, we installed 3 glass openings that are fitted with LED lights. This allows light from the new sliding door to flow down to the lower floor. The entry door to the gym is a frosted glass pocket door. We replaced existing door/transom and two double-hung windows with an expansive, almost 16-foot, double sliding door, allowing for almost 8-foot opening to the outside. These larger doors allow in a lot of light and provide better access to the deck for entertaining. The cedar siding on the interior gym wall echoes the cedar deck fence. HDBros