An outdoor kitchen with a handmade wood fired pizza oven from Portugal. This outdoor kitchen is located in upstate New York, owned by a restaurant chef. You can see how it became a reality here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab9SCrhfpnw A wood fired pizza oven of this kind adds tremendous versatility to any outdoor kitchen. Use the grill for cooking and the oven for baking. See real pizza baking in this oven here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfIp1lLY1a8 (he makes it look easy, it actually takes a little time to find your way around a wood fired oven). More here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpX2ndxx6UI&list=UUvZH8gC23wVrO3rpyu_5ULw

Inspiration for a contemporary backyard patio in Orange County with natural stone pavers and a roof extension.

Jenn Baker
Large contemporary backyard patio in Dallas with concrete pavers and a roof extension.

Inspiration for a large traditional backyard patio in Dallas with natural stone pavers and a roof extension.

Ipe, exterior stairs, patio, covered patio, terrace, balcony, deck, landscaping
This is an example of a large contemporary backyard patio in Boston with natural stone pavers and a roof extension.

Inspiration for a large modern backyard patio in Kansas City with decking and a roof extension.

Palm trees tower above this tropical outdoor space that glows in the outdoor singing as the sun goes down. Included is an expansive pool, and experience- full outdoor area. Geometrical angles and elements create a complex but complete outdoor living space with a fire lounge, chaise lounge shelf, spa, outdoor living areas, outdoor kitchen, water wall, and stone tile surfaces all designed by RYAN HUGHES Design Build. Photography by Jimi Smith.

Inspiration for a large contemporary backyard patio in Cleveland with with fireplace, concrete slab and a roof extension.

Photo of a large contemporary backyard patio in Dallas with an outdoor kitchen, concrete pavers and a roof extension.

This is an example of a large modern backyard patio in Las Vegas with a roof extension, a fire feature and tile.

This is an example of a large traditional backyard patio in Orange County with a roof extension, an outdoor kitchen and tile.

Montebella Homes, Inc.
Traditional backyard patio in Austin with concrete slab and a roof extension.

Design ideas for a mid-sized mediterranean backyard patio in Orlando with a water feature, natural stone pavers and a roof extension.

This homage to prairie style architecture located at The Rim Golf Club in Payson, Arizona was designed for owner/builder/landscaper Tom Beck. This home appears literally fastened to the site by way of both careful design as well as a lichen-loving organic material palatte. Forged from a weathering steel roof (aka Cor-Ten), hand-formed cedar beams, laser cut steel fasteners, and a rugged stacked stone veneer base, this home is the ideal northern Arizona getaway. Expansive covered terraces offer views of the Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish designed golf course, the largest stand of Ponderosa Pines in the US, as well as the majestic Mogollon Rim and Stewart Mountains, making this an ideal place to beat the heat of the Valley of the Sun. Designing a personal dwelling for a builder is always an honor for us. Thanks, Tom, for the opportunity to share your vision. Project Details | Northern Exposure, The Rim – Payson, AZ Architect: C.P. Drewett, AIA, NCARB, Drewett Works, Scottsdale, AZ Builder: Thomas Beck, LTD, Scottsdale, AZ Photographer: Dino Tonn, Scottsdale, AZ

Photo of a mid-sized arts and crafts backyard patio in Chicago with natural stone pavers and a roof extension.

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary backyard patio in Denver with a fire feature, concrete slab and a roof extension.

photos by Steve Chenn
Design ideas for a traditional patio in Houston with a fire feature and a roof extension.

Johan Roetz
Inspiration for an expansive contemporary backyard patio in Tampa with an outdoor kitchen, natural stone pavers and a roof extension.

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.