East of Pittsburgh, in North Huntingdon. This home sits near the top of a hill and overlooks corn fields in the rear with wide vistas to the south. Completed in 2018 with finishing touches added in spring of 2019, this multi-phase project took several years to complete.
The front of this home has massive curb appeal with colorful plantings throughout the large sloped yard. Our design team framed the home from the road with trees, shrubs, flowers and intermittent boulders. The homeowner requested that the concrete driveway be wide enough to allow multiple cars access to the three-car garage as well as for extra parking.
The backyard features a custom pool and plenty of seating. Chaise lounges flank the far side of the pool, with an intimate dinning/game table near the shallow end. The grill and bar area occupy the majority of the frontal space and a linear fire table is tucked under the covered patio behind the grill. Hidden on the far side of the home is another fire pit area for the younger crowd to gather and roasting marsh mallows.
Fire bowls line the fence on the far side of the pool from the home. Views from the patio are spectacular in the evening with the sun setting beyond the pool, framed by the fire bowls. Tropical planters break up the space along the inside of the fence and plenty of outdoor lighting bring this space to life.
This backyard features all of the essentials for entertaining and enjoying the space all year. Planters on the gate entrance columns make for a grand entrance to an epic outdoor entertaining space. Multiple seating areas offer opportunities for many people to gather and enjoy each other’s company. The views over the hills to the south make the space feel larger and more open.
The pool area extends in the back yard and we leveled the area in preparation for the pool to be installed. The back hillside was planted with ground cover and small trees were planted to hide the pool utilities.
The fire bowls on the far side of the pool create interest along the back fence. Summer evenings in this outdoor living space are spectacular with amazing sunsets and great company. Tropical planters were used to break up the hardscaping space along the fence line along the back fence as well.
In the evening, this space lights up! The sunset and the fire bowls create a relaxing atmosphere, unless you prefer to get the party going. Either way, this space is well suited to accommodate your friends and family.
Update 2021:
After several years of enjoying their backyard, this homeowner desired additional space to create shade around his outdoor kitchen. We designed and built a custom pavilion to extend the use of their outdoor space throughout the seasons. A large 24 x 24 pavilion was designed with a hip-roof to create a cathedral ceiling in the center. The high roofline worked well and allowed us to incorporate a paddle fan to move the air, recessed lighting, and outdoor heaters. Posts and beams were wrapped in low-maintenance PVC to ensure they remain low-maintenance for years to come. The ceiling had tongue and groove cedar to create an elegant look. The bottoms of the posts were wrapped in Uni-lock products to tie into existing hardscape elements we built in phase one. Granite caps were incorporated on the pillars to match the bar area which provided additional space for drinks when hanging out around the pool.
The homeowner selected Lampus Grandview pavers in the original plan around the pool; this allowed us to install the pavilion with minimal disturbance to the space. Our team removed the pavers to install footings for the pavilion and run conduit for lighting. If they would have selected concrete for the pool deck this phase would have been much more difficult and expensive to complete. With concrete our team would have had to jackhammer, remove, and repour it instead of just lifting and removing pavers. This is the real advantage in using pavers around any pool area.
