Naperville, IL

Nijjar

Most of the prospects that contact our office call us out of curiosity based on a social media post, a google search, or they find us on other platforms and decide to reach out. Many see something different in the layouts and want to learn more about our process. Some are already in contact with other hardscape or landscape companies but realize this style can’t be articulated and notice quickly that most companies are only focused on getting the job, not a design that matches their client’s lifestyles and home architecture.

This process is like having an airplane mechanic design the plane. As great as they are working on the plane, they have yet to focus on what it takes to make it fly or how it looks or feels while it’s flying.

This client contacted our company looking for an outdoor living space other than another basic paver patio project with all the same color pavers and walls. They were searching for a company that understands the simplicity of outdoor living design, and we were happy to assist.

Inside, the home was a bit older, and time for a few modern updates in the living room and kitchen. We teamed up with our interior designer to create a concept that allowed a seamless design flow from the inside out.

The house sits on a golf course with spectacular green views and has large windows from the family room. We wanted to let our clients capture the greens from the inside to the outside without impeding the great views from their back windows. With that in mind, we design everything flat and low, meaning no seating walls, screen walls, or pergolas. The deck had a railing, but it was built over to the far right, away from the line of sight of the large family room windows.

We design most outdoor living spaces into three zones, kitchen, dining, and lounge. This deck was designed with a dining and kitchen zone. Designing it this way allowed them to make this a kitchen, dining, or evening lounge space without changing too much of the layout. We also created the deck because it allows them to walk straight on to the kitchen zone without any steps down. This process feels very comfortable when they are carrying food trays for beverages.

The second level is zone three, and we call this the lounge, which normally has a fire or water feature. We created a long linear space with a retractable natural fire feature to span the distance of the huge back windows of the home and give their children space to move throughout the zone. It also creates a beautiful space to relax and watch the golf experts hack the greens.

We added additional planting beds to the rear portion of the deck inside the retention walls and another planting bed between the house and the pavers. The pavers and deck colors were picked to mimic the style of the home. This is what we call an architectural connection.

This project also has a phase two, which will be a built-in swim spa layout perpendicular to the house to extend the views of the greens. The spa will have a custom negative edge feature that will extend a relaxed-sounding waterfall into the fire feature lounge.

Objectives

  • Create space for family fun and summer-long enjoyment.
  • Maximize the view of the pristine golf course.
  • Match the existing architecture of the home.

Features

  • Hot Tub Area
  • Natural Gas Fire Feature
  • Danver Outdoor Kitchen System
  • Composite Deck

Challenges

  • Working within a very small easement and no-build line.
  • Creating making sure that we did not block the living room views of the golf course.
  • Maintaining an affordable budget.