Outdoor Photos

Graced with character and a history, this grand merchant’s terrace was restored and expanded to suit the demands of a family of five.
This is an example of a large contemporary backyard deck in Sydney.

Design ideas for a large contemporary backyard patio in Melbourne with an outdoor kitchen, natural stone pavers and a roof extension.

To see before and after pictures as well as the story behind this project follow the link below or click website to be reedited to our company website. http://bit.ly/2xU3JnM

Small contemporary backyard deck in San Francisco.

Inspiration for a large traditional backyard rectangular lap pool in San Francisco with a pool house and brick pavers.

We created a custom paver design and included a gas fire pit.
Mid-sized modern backyard patio in Orange County with a fire feature, concrete pavers and no cover.

Photo by Samantha Robison
Design ideas for a small transitional backyard patio in Other with natural stone pavers and a pergola.

A Trex deck was on the top of their list for the backyard with a decorative screen on the sides of the pergola for privacy. Asymmetrical steps up to the deck add a little playfulness to the deck which despite its generous size, doesn’t overwhelm the small yard. A constrained color palette of black, white and gray in the hardscape give the landscape a crisp and sophisticated appearance but the colorful drought-tolerant plant palette softens the look

Innis Casey Photography
Design ideas for a large modern backyard shaded xeriscape in Los Angeles with a fire feature and gravel.

This is an example of a mid-sized modern backyard patio in Los Angeles with a fire feature and concrete pavers.

The top of the hill shows how dramatic the surrounding landform is while looking through the plantings on the hillside down to the pool and bluestone pool paving. A key feature of the design is the stone coping that merges seamlessly into the stone paving without a definitive edge. This required the gunite shell to be accurately formed to support the jogs in the coping stones. Photo: Paul Maue

Elegant multi-level Ipe Deck features simple lines, built-in benches with an unobstructed view of terraced gardens and pool. (c) Decks by Kiefer ~ New jersey

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.

Black and white home exterior with a plunge pool in the backyard.
Photo of a country backyard rectangular pool in Austin with concrete pavers.

This beautiful, modern lakefront pool features a negative edge perfectly highlighting gorgeous sunset views over the lake water. An over-sized sun shelf with bubblers, negative edge spa, rain curtain in the gazebo, and two fire bowls create a stunning serene space.

Photo of a large transitional backyard deck in Calgary with an outdoor kitchen.

This new house is located in a quiet residential neighborhood developed in the 1920’s, that is in transition, with new larger homes replacing the original modest-sized homes. The house is designed to be harmonious with its traditional neighbors, with divided lite windows, and hip roofs. The roofline of the shingled house steps down with the sloping property, keeping the house in scale with the neighborhood. The interior of the great room is oriented around a massive double-sided chimney, and opens to the south to an outdoor stone terrace and gardens. Photo by: Nat Rea Photography

The small back yard became an oasis of desert plants.
Photo of a small and desert look backyard partial sun garden in Phoenix with concrete pavers.

Outdoor space
Design ideas for a contemporary backyard deck in Seattle with no cover.