Archadeck of Central SC reveals the winning components of this outdoor living space!

Image of Fallingwater courtesy of Pinterest.

Thanks to Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece, Fallingwater, the distinct barriers between the indoors and outdoors have been obscured for a more blended extension of our residences. Today, nearly a century after his design innovation, outdoor living designs continue to blur those lines in a way that’s appealing for today’s homeowners. As such, marvelous outdoor spaces are being designed and built with an outdoor room feel that carries the luxuries of the indoors to the natural beauty of backyards in a seamless transition. It is this type of atmosphere that Archadeck of Central South Carolina created in Northeast Columbia, where we custom designed and built an outdoor living combination space that includes a patio, retaining wall, deck, screened porch, and fire pit.

Summer beckons us to expand our living spaces outdoors for just about all of our activities, from relaxing to dining alfresco or even a cocktail party! Modern backyard retreats serve to extend the outdoor season, add living space to the home, and create a vibrant yet casual space. We would like to share with you how each structure in the design below benefits the homeowners — take a look:

1. Let’s begin at ground level with the Patio and Fire Pit – This NE Columbia outdoor living space includes a stamped concrete patio and a cultured stone fire pit. As a natural extension of the home’s ground floor, a patio significantly expands a family’s living and entertaining space with extreme versatility. It provides a perfect gathering spot for guests and family who will be drawn outdoors to this enticing space. Concrete and paver patios are attractive, weather-resistant, and low-maintenance. This patio lends itself to a multitude of uses: for example, wheel in a portable bar and you’ve got a great place for cocktails and mingling; add several seating arrangements and the conversation circles abound; place a large dining table and chairs in the center and you’re ready for a dinner party, or clear the whole space, turn up the tunes and you and your guests can dance the night away! And… for the full enjoyment of your patio almost year-round, the addition of a fire pit makes a strong focal point and generates an abundance of ambiance, light, and warmth as well.
2. Functionally decorate your patio while protecting your landscape with a Retaining Wall – A cultured stone retaining wall surrounds the fire pit in this versatile space. Typically, retaining walls provide functional support for keeping soil in place, reduce patio maintenance, and prevent erosion. As you can see in our photo of this project, the retaining wall serves a dual purpose as it keeps the soil from washing over and making a mess on the patio each time it rains and provides permanent and very durable additional seating around the fire pit. It partially frames the hardscape and landscaped areas of this property creating visual interest and depth for overall aesthetics.
3. Level up…add a Deck – For the deck portion, we created a transitional space between the screened porch and hardscape. It serves as a barbecue and dining area and includes built-in bench seating in the same Hazelwood-colored AZEK composite decking used as the porch flooring. For added appeal, the deck also includes AZEK decking in Kona as an accent. Decks are still a tried-and-true favorite of homeowners and are considered to be the hub of outdoor living and entertaining across America. Almost any type of yard can benefit from a deck addition.
4. Complete and extend the use of your outdoor living oasis with the protection of a Screened Porch –The “anchor” of this outdoor living space is the aluminum-framed screened porch. This low-maintenance outdoor room provides a protected and enticing escape for a breath of fresh air directly accessible from the home through the french doors and via the deck.  A screened porch permits more time outdoors and can be easily updated with living room type amenities such as comfy furnishings, lighting, ceiling fans, and high-end electronics.

Throughout the past decade, homeowners have truly embraced the concept of outdoor living, which seamlessly combines versatility and function with comfort and beauty. With this movement, it’s easy to see why so many homeowners are choosing to forego expensive vacations in favor of investing their money to create private sanctuaries, like this one, in their own backyards.

The Archadeck of Central SC team – Mike Reu, Marshall Reu and Tucker Reu

As homeowners increasingly seek to expand their living spaces and bring the comfort of the indoors to their backyards, Archadeck of Central South Carolina will continue to help them fulfill their outdoor living dreams. If you are ready to utilize some or all of these components to create your own outdoor living environment or would like to see more of these amazing structures we have used to enhance Central South Carolina’s backyard living spaces, visit our photo galleries located on our website or contact us by calling centralsc@archadeck.net.