Summer is just around the corner here in Bryan – College Station. Based on our current temperatures, some might say it’s already here. It’s HOT!
To us here at Stearns, we associate summer with enjoying the outdoors. Our goal is to ensure a seamless transition between nature and residential design. This is what the largest effect can be felt. Long evenings, grilling outside while spending time with family and friends. With Texas summers, you need some type of cover or shade plan if you plan to be outside.
This recent project was a patio expansion that really enhanced the functionality and appearance of the clients’ backyard. The backyard was not overly large in size and the home is located in an urban neighborhood, so creating a massive patio expansion was not necessary. Our client’s biggest desire was to have more patio space with a covering for them to enjoy with their children and guests.
In its existing state, the patio was a small, covered area off the back door, providing only about 100sqft of living space. The space was lit by only a tiny ceiling mount light and had no fan to help cool the space. The clients strongly desired more living space for seating, dining, and cooking so they could entertain large groups of people more comfortably.
We found it best to not try to expand the existing covered patio, as a project of that size was not necessary and would have proven to be prohibitively expensive, especially with prices these days! Instead, we focused the design to create a new patio area on grade with the yard that connected to the existing patio. However, we did want to do what we could to improve that space, so we opted to replace the ceiling mount light with a light and fan to maintain proper lighting while also allowing for a way to help cool the space.
The new patio area is made of stamped concrete and is in an area just off the existing patio that was filled just by grass. The stamp mimics flagstone for a more natural look and feels, while the color matches a color found in an existing rock garden in the backyard, which helps create a connection between the two spaces. The natural color of the concrete also helps the space to look and feel more earthy and organic.
This new patio created an additional 315 square feet of living space for the clients to use and enjoy. For shading, we constructed a new cedar pergola from a kit that includes a bar area for serving food. This pergola helps provide shading for 140 square feet of the patio and creates a specific space for dining or seating. To help cool this area, we installed 2 post-mounted oscillating fans in a rich matte black color to match the new lighting fixture in the existing patio which helps tie the two spaces together. Lastly, we installed a few extra outlets in the rafters of the pergola for any future lighting or features the clients may want to include.
To complete the look of the new pergola and patio, we added industrial-style string lights to help illuminate the space at night and create a further connection between the new patio and the old with lighting in a matte black finish. We know this is a space the clients are going to enjoy for years to come, and we were ecstatic to be able to guide and give them this new and improved outdoor expansion!
