Superior Landscape Design in Englewood designed and installed this outdoor living space. It was honored by the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado with an Excellence in Landscape award.

From fridges and fire pits to pergolas and pools … the back yard is the place to be

By Erik Maulbetsch

If your home is your castle, then your backyard should be your kingdom. It stretches beyond the walls of your house, often encompassing more area than the building itself. Yet homeowners overlook the space between the doors and fence. They spend most of their time — and therefore money — on the inside.

Today’s living spaces, however, don’t need to be limited by walls and foundations. Features like stamped concrete patios, gas fire pits, and sculpted landscaping invite family and guests alike to step outside and enjoy Colorado’s spectacular environment. And there are few places in the country that are better suited for outdoor living than right here on the Front Range. Lots of sun and little rain are always the best ingredients for an outdoor adventure, even if you never leave your yard. Add a healthy dose of altitude and just enough breeze to keep the bugs away and you’ve got the perfect recipe for an open-air feast.

So what do you want to do in your yard? Grill a steak? Play a board game under the summer shade? Give the kids a place to play hide and seek? Entertain guests on the patio or spend the evening lounging by a fire or trickling waterfall? Your answers to these questions should be the first steps of any outdoor remodeling plan. Magazine photos and showroom brochures are great for helping you fine tune details of look and feel, but make sure to start with the basics: What do I want to do out here?

For most of us, that answer will include a desire to dine, sip or snack. If your patio’s kitchen currently consists of a charcoal Weber and cooler, it’s time to upgrade. When it comes to envisioning your ideal open-air eating area, it all comes down to square footage. “Space considerations are primary,” says Outdoor Kitchen Distributors’ Jennifer Miller. “Some homes will only have room for a gas grill, while others install complete kitchens.”

Once you’ve established the scope of your project, it’s time to select the hardware. While durability is always a concern with kitchen equipment, it is especially important when exposure to the elements is a factor. The underlying message? Don’t be tempted by a cheap grill or outdoor range. That shiny $200 propane model on display at the big box hardware store might look and run fine for the first summer, but a year’s worth of temperature swings, sun exposure and snow storms will wear down low-end grills quickly. Consider established brands like Viking, Ducane and PGS.

Longevity is also a key component of your patio or deck furniture. Miller notes that most product lines stick with metal: typically wrought iron or cast aluminum. Companies such as Woodard and O. W. Lee cover their products with a waterproof cushion made from UV-resistant fabric such as Crypton or Sunbrella. These chairs, loveseats and yes, even couches, will keep you resting comfortably for years.

With food and seating taken care of, it’s time to think about more abstract concepts, such as the overall look and feel of your yard. What sort of ambience do you want it to have? Landscaping should do more than provide a lawn and a couple small shade trees. Today’s experts can give texture and depth to the land, creating an oasis for adults and a playground for kids. Joe Van Dyke of Ward’s Landscaping explains: “We add a third dimension to the space with hardscape like boulders, earthen berms and curves as well as structural elements like patios and pergolas. More of people’s dollars are going into the backyard, where they spend more of their time.”

Reinforcing the theme of extending the living space beyond the walls of your home, Dave Graham of Phase One Landscapes stresses the importance of designing a yard that complements the house. “As a design/build firm, our job is to take the homeowner’s needs and offer them direction as to what they want. From there, the success of the project relates to our ability to match landscape materials with the house, which often depends on the budget. If you have a Tudor home, a matching stone patio will work better than poured concrete, but only if it can fit in the budget.”

The focus on the backyard is a shift from years past, when landscaping typically meant creating “curb appeal” in the front yard with an eye toward resale. Investing in the backyard generates immediate lifestyle returns in addition to growing your home’s long-term value.

Erik Maulbetsch is a Boulder-based freelance writer.

Lifescape Associates in Denver designed and built this space that was honored by the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado with an Excellence in Landscape award.

All fired up

What did we watch in the days before TV? The fire. Its flickering light enchants people like nothing else. It is a rare Coloradan who doesn’t have a few fond memories of childhood campfires shared with family and friends.

The fire itself is at the heart of these experiences, and more and more homeowners are discovering that they can recreate that campfire feel without ever leaving their back yard.

And no, that doesn’t mean digging a hole in the lawn and lighting the scrap wood from your garage shelving project.

Custom gas fire pits make an evening of chatting by the warm firelight as easy as turning a key or striking a match (marshmallows, anyone?).

“In the last two or three years, the outdoor living industry has really taken off, especially the fire pits” says David Resmo, of Colorado Hearth & Home. “It’s a way for people to extend their living room outdoors.” Pits vary greatly in size; Resmo’s company offers burner rings as small as six inches in diameter or as wide as three feet. The ring is set in a welded steel frame that is then covered with a stone or stucco veneer. The variety of rock, brick, cobblestone and stucco is nearly limitless, allowing homeowners to match their existing patio or landscape features.

If gas valves and match lighting seem like a hassle, install the optional electronic ignition; you’ll have flames dancing with the flick of a switch. Interior pit options include ceramic logs, lava rock, or even the elegant “fire glass,” a layer of clear or tinted crystals that reflect and enhance the flames.

— Erik Maulbetsch

Growing greener all the time

As consumers begin to prove that their willing to back up their “green” thoughts with their wallets, building material providers are ready to accommodate.

Heath Van Eaton combined an environmental conscience with an agricultural background to create a low-impact product that is part of an ever-growing market.

Van Eaton is founder and president of Heartland BioComposites, which produces composite building products. The company’s research of agri-fiber/polymer composites has helped it move into the competitive market of decking materials, fencing and other building industry materials. Working with a variety of universities around the U.S., Van Eaton began combining straw and plastics in the mid-1990s, rather than using forest products. The PrairieFence line was the company’s first line of products to hit the market.

With backing from investors, Van Eaton built a factory in Torrington, Wyo., in 2004 and thrust his venture into high gear.

He initially focused on pickets, posts and rail systems in several heights, styles and colors. Van Eaton said the materials are produced and used in a variety of ways. “Designers and builders can really use their imagination,” he said, adding that the products are the strongest in the industry and have less color fade.

Harvesting wheat every year is more environmentally friendly than harvesting trees and the plastic used in the products is recycled from local plants. Besides, said Van Eaton who grew up in Kansas, where his family farmed wheat, “Straw helps make a better look, with less water absorption.”

And how does it compare to wood cedar fencing? Van Eaton said upfront costs are slightly higher but the value comes in a longer lasting,
better looking fence or deck that still looks great years down the road. Specially formulated posts won’t rot, he said, adding that the Wyoming Department of Transportation tested the products. “Our post exceeded their standards by three times,” said Van Eaton.

Van Eaton said the product is Built Green certified and the company has targeted consumers who support the green building movement.

Although the Front Range was his primary market, Van Eaton said he is now distributing throughout the West and his products are moving east. He said the materials are marketed commercially, as well as to government agencies and homeowners.