Spacious South Austin Patio and Elevated Deck Create Multi-Faceted Outdoor Living Space
Today’s featured patio and deck project in South Austin illustrates the almost-unlimited scope of an Archadeck of Austin backyard makeover.
If you want to replace an older deck, porch or patio, your next outdoor living space can be completely fresh and new. Not just new materials, but a completely different design, too. Unless you specifically want to use the same footprint for your new structure(s), let’s think outside of that pre-existing box! At Archadeck we always have fresh design ideas to enhance your outdoor living lifestyle.
Replacing an Old Deck with a New Patio … and a New Deck, Too!
For these South Austin homeowners, we created a design that increased the size of their outdoor living space exponentially. We built a new patio more than twice the size of the old deck it replaced. Then we added a new deck on top of that. And we mean “on top of” quite literally – as in, overhead. The new elevated deck gives these homeowners a second-story spot for relaxing, at eye level with the treetops, something they didn’t have before.
Before 
After
Not only do the new patio and deck add more outdoor living space to the clients’ home, they contribute stunning aesthetics and additional function, too. All with low-maintenance materials for easy upkeep through the years ahead.
A Large South Austin Patio with Room for Everything, even an Outdoor Kitchen
We predict this gorgeous patio will be the scene of many outdoor gatherings of all kinds. From quiet dinners al fresco to great big parties, this multi-level patio can accommodate any occasion. The homeowners can use the different levels as different outdoor “rooms,” which is how you create an intimate space on such a large patio. This patio has two covered areas for comfortable sofas and chairs, a separate dining area, and an open area big enough for games! And there is more: an outdoor kitchen. We designed and built the stone structure for an outdoor kitchen, and we will add appliances and kitchen amenities at a later date.
Altogether the new patio space covers about 1300 sq. feet. We created the beautiful patio surface with a concrete epoxy quartz overlay to give it the look of Roman stone. We installed aluminum railings on the patio and wrapped the existing brick columns with Hardie wrap in a paneled design for an elegant touch. And while the new stone retaining wall serves an obvious function at the patio’s edge, it can also provide additional seating.
We installed a Synergy Wood ceiling in the covered area of the patio. The stain color our clients selected for their porch ceiling is called Colonial. The clients purchased the ceiling fans and sconces they wanted, and we installed those. We also installed recessed can lighting in the ceiling, and we added lights on the patio steps. These little patio lights will add ambiance while also increasing safety.
The patio also features a custom Texas star that we added toward the end of the project. Our clients saw a star like this on our website in images from another patio project we completed, and they just had to have it. It’s a splendid finishing touch for the new patio!
The Perfect Vantage Point: A Low-maintenance Elevated Deck
We designed and built a second-story AZEK deck to give these homeowners a separate outdoor living space accessible from the upper level of the home. The ornate, baroque railings set the space apart with flair. For access to the deck, we removed an upstairs window and installed a door and sidelight.
The new deck overhead supplies shade for a portion of the patio. We built the deck with an under-deck drainage system over a modified bitumen roof system to ensure the area underneath is dry space.
Did we leave anything out? What amenities would you add or subtract if this were your outdoor living space? We hope this patio and deck combination project provides inspiration for a backyard makeover at your home!
Let us create a custom solution to meet your outdoor living needs. Contact Archadeck of Austin to schedule your free design consultation.
Daniel Smith, Designer, Archadeck of Austin.
Archadeck of Austin Turns SW Austin Patio into Beautiful Retreat
More and more Austin TX homeowners are realizing that a simple patio is simply not enough of a backyard retreat. Sure, a patio is fine when outdoor conditions are perfect. When you’re facing fierce sunshine, wind-blown debris, flying insects or rain, however, a patio offers no real protection. What you need is a screened porch — and a covered pergola over a portion of your patio.
Just take a look at this beautiful, multifunctional protected space Archadeck of Austin created for these SW Austin clients!
Multifunctional Outdoor Living Space Becomes a Destination!
These homeowners wanted protection from direct sun with its brutal heat and burning UV rays. Now they have two places they can spend time outdoors in the shade: within their new screened porch and under their new covered pergola.
When they want to be outdoors, bug-free, they enjoy their screened porch. When they want to sit outside on the patio, they now have a covered pergola that protects them from rain as well as sun. When they want to bask in the sun on a cool day, they still have a portion of their flagstone patio that’s uncovered. The uncovered patio is also perfect for stargazing at night!
They now have the best of all worlds right here at their Southwest Austin TX home.
Screened Porch Builder Archadeck of Austin Has You Covered
The homeowners’ existing flagstone patio is attractive and in excellent condition, so it provided a perfect floor for their screened porch. We didn’t use the entire patio area for the porch, so there is still an open patio outside of the screened porch. You could say the screened porch has a patio!
Inside the spacious screened porch, the first thing you notice is the beautiful interior ceiling. To build it, we used handcrafted, prefinished tongue-and-groove ceiling boards from Synergy Wood in the burgundy color. We use Synergy Wood ceilings in many of our porches and they always look beautiful.
Archadeck of Austin is Austin’s Pergola Builder
This sturdy wood pergola anchors the opposite end of the flagstone patio. The original patio did not reach across the entire back of the home, but we were able to match the flagstone and we extended it. If you look closely, you can tell there is flat plastic cover atop the wood pergola. It’s not just any plastic sheeting, it’s Polygal, a special multi-wall polycarbonate sheet. Polygal filters out UV rays from the sun, so as a pergola cover it increases the amount of shade the pergola creates. It also provides protection from rain showers.
The pergola-covered patio area offers the homeowners a perfect place to dine outdoors. You can already see that their grill is nearby.
With a new screened porch, striking pergola, covered patio and open patio area, this Southwest Austin home truly has a backyard retreat that neighbors will envy. We designed the space to be more functional and beautiful, a place where the homeowners will enjoy spending plenty of time.
Is it time to expand your Austin patio and add a screened porch and pergola? Call Archadeck of Austin today at 512-259-8282 email us to schedule your free design consultation.
Jim Odom Archadeck of Austin
Learn how Archadeck of Austin changed the way these South Austin homeowners use their backyard
Our outdoor living space addition in South Austin is a good example of the way Archadeck of Austin is changing the way homeowners are able to utilize, and enjoy their backyards. We are able to deliver these kind of results in two ways; #1 we can transform the vision of your ideal backyard and bring it to life from the ground up, an #2 we can convert an existing outdoor living structure into the backyard of your dreams. The possibilities are truly endless!
In the case of these South Austin homeowners, they had an existing outdoor space consisting of an aging backyard pond and an exposed aggregate concrete patio. The pond had become a chore to maintain as it had become a nursery for mosquitoes making spending time in the backyard a challenge to avoid being bitten, especially after dusk.
Archadeck of Austin consulted with the homeowners and listened to their vision of what they wanted their backyard to be. They wanted a spot that was versatile in that they could find a respite from the hot Texas afternoons and relax in mosquito-free comfort. They still wanted to be able to take in the ambiance an open fire provided too, so the new design had to incorporate a fire pit. With these ideas in mind, we set out to bring their anticipated outdoor space to life.
There were some obstacles to overcome in order to give these South Austin homeowners the environment they wanted. One of which was having to finalize a design that would pass the impervious cover requirements needed for their localities. Once this was confirmed it was smooth sailing! The project also needed to be mindful of some drainage issues and maintain some space outside the covered porch to accommodate their outdoor grill.
The completed project is multi-faceted and included transforming the concrete patio by way of installing flagstone atop the existing patio and covering a portion to give the homeowners the needed shade they desired. In addition to the extensive upgrades just off the rear of their ranch style home, we also created a detached space that includes a custom stone fire pit encircled with a hardscape retaining wall, which can also double as seating. The fire pit is just a stone’s throw away (no pun intended) from the covered patio which allows the spaces to be enjoyed simultaneously. To the side of the porch and connecting all the way to the driveway we constructed a patio/walkway using an Oklahoma variety flagstone on a bed of decomposed granite and pea gravel. This allowed for a good solid surface but allowed any water to absorb into the soil.
The covered patio is finished a rustic ceiling, with exposed cedar rafters and T1-11 ceiling, which was stained to make it pop against the painted hardi wrapped posts/beams atop stone pillars. The covered patio also includes a ceiling fan to circulate the air on hot summer days and deters any insects from invading the space, plus some post sconces to light up the evening
The clients are elated with their new backyard — which is far more than just an outdoor living space, it is a completely new outdoor living environment! If you are ready to change the way you and your family live outdoors, contact Archadeck of Austin today to begin the process today — you can reach us by phone at at ( 512) 259 – 8282 or email us at jim.odom@archadeck.net.
Jim Odom Archadeck of Austin
Austin Decks, Pergolas, Covered Patios, Porches, more 