Mark Singer Photography
Inspiration for a mediterranean backyard patio in Los Angeles with a roof extension.

Photo of a contemporary patio in London.

Photo of a country backyard patio in Minneapolis with a fire feature, no cover and brick pavers.

Interior of POD Sauna, changing room. Clear Red Western Cedar.
This is an example of a patio in Boston.

Photos by Gary J Daley, owner, America's DeckBuilder LLC
Design ideas for a contemporary patio in New York.

This contemporary alfresco kitchen is small in footprint but it is big on features including a woodfired oven, built in Electrolux barbecue, a hidden undermount rangehood, sink, Fisher & Paykel dishdrawer dishwasher and a 30 Litre pull-out bin. Featuring cabinetry 2-pack painted in Colorbond 'Wallaby' and natural granite tops in leather finished 'Zimbabwe Black', paired with the raw finished concrete this alfresco oozes relaxed style. The homeowners love entertaining their friends and family in this space. Photography By: Tim Turner

Wayne Suggs
Inspiration for a patio in Austin.

Photo of a small traditional backyard patio in Seattle with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

An outdoor shower complete with bluestone pavers and gravel.
Design ideas for a mid-sized backyard patio in New York with an outdoor shower, natural stone pavers and a pergola.

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.

This is an example of a large country backyard patio in Denver with an outdoor kitchen, decking and a gazebo/cabana.

Business Photo Pro / Klee Van Hamersveld
This is an example of a mid-sized transitional backyard patio in Orange County with an outdoor kitchen, natural stone pavers and a pergola.

This is an example of a contemporary patio in San Francisco.

Our best selling fire pit from Sojoe! People love the Star & Moon Design because after all, who doesn't love to be out under the stars and moon?! Order yours today to take you through the summer and into fall. It comes with a free cover, grill, poker & screen. $249. Free Ground Shipping Call Us Toll Free 1-888-446-7227 or order online www.patiocomforts.com

An outdoor shower kit is a great addition to any home. Our outdoor shower enclosures are hand crafted on Cape Cod and we deliver them all over the country! We love outdoor showers and are happy to help you with your dreams...whether kit or custom, these showers are the best in quality and material.

Design ideas for a traditional patio in New Orleans.

Photo of a large arts and crafts backyard patio in Other with a fire feature, concrete pavers and a roof extension.

Photo of a large traditional backyard patio in New York with an outdoor kitchen, natural stone pavers and a pergola.

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional backyard patio in Los Angeles with natural stone pavers and a pergola.