Real wood burning square fire pit with steel insert and thermal Bluestone coping with Fond du Lac buff wallstone.

Paver patio, border around artificial turf, and stackable fire pit.

BPI Outdoor Living

When you open the back doors of the home of Nancy and Jeremy Campbell in Granville, you don’t just step out onto a patio. You enter an extension of a modern living space that just happens to be outdoors. Their patio’s unique design and setting provides the comfort and style of indoors while enjoying the natural beauty and fresh air of outdoors. It all started with a rather desolate back yard. “It was completely blank, there was nothing back there,” Nancy remembers of the patio space of this 1972 split-level house they bought five years ago. With a blank slate to work with, the Campbells knew the key elements of what they wanted for their new outdoor space when they sat down with Travis Ketron of Ketron Custom Builders to design it. “We knew we wanted something covered so we could use it in the rain, and in the winter, and we knew we wanted a stone fireplace,” Nancy recalls. Travis translated the Campbells’ vision into a design to satisfy outdoor entertaining and relaxing desires in all seasons. The new outdoor space is reminiscent of a vast, rustic great room complete with a stone fireplace, a vaulted ceiling, skylights, and ceiling fans, yet no walls. The space is completely open to the elements without any glass or doors on any of the sides, except from the house. Furnished like a great room, with a built-in music system as well, it’s truly an extension of indoor living and entertaining space, and one that is unaffected by rain. Jeremy comments, “We haven’t had to cover the furniture yet. It would have to be a pretty strong wind to get wet.” Just outside the covered patio is a quartet of outdoor chairs adorned with plush cushions and colorful pillows, positioned perfectly for users to bask in the sun. In the design process, the fireplace emerged as the anchor of the space and set the stage for the outdoor space both aesthetically and functionally. “We didn’t want it to block the view. Then designing the space with Travis, the fireplace became the center,” remembers Jeremy. Placed directly across from the two sets of French doors leading out from the house, a Rumford fireplace and extended hearth of stone in neutral earth tones is the focal point of this outdoor living room. Seating for entertaining and lounging falls easily into place around it providing optimal viewing of the private, wooded back yard. When temperatures cool off, the fireplace provides ample warmth and a cozy setting to experience the change of seasons. “It’s a great fireplace for the space,” Jeremy says of the unique design of a Rumford style fireplace. “The way you stack the wood in the fireplace is different so as to get more heat. It has a shallower box, burns hotter and puts off more heat. Wood is placed in it vertically, not stacked.” Just in case the fireplace doesn’t provide enough light for late-night soirees, there is additional outdoor lighting mounted from the ceiling to make sure the party always goes on. Travis brought the idea of the Rumford outdoor fireplace to the Campbells. “I learned about it a few years back from some masons, and I was intrigued by the idea then,” he says. “We like to do stuff that’s out of the norm, and this fireplace fits the space and function very well.” Travis adds, “People want unique things that are designed for them. That’s our style to do that for them.” The patio also extends out to an uncovered area set up with patio tables for grilling and dining. Gray pavers flow throughout from the covered space to the open-air area. Their continuous flow mimics the feel of flooring that extends from a living room into a dining room inside a home. Also, the earth tone colors throughout the space on the pavers, fireplace and furnishings help the entire space mesh nicely with its natural surroundings. A little ways off from both the covered and uncovered patio area is a stone fire pit ring. Removed by just the right distance, it provides a separate place for young adults to gather and enjoy the night. Adirondack chairs and matching tables surround the outdoor fire pit, offering seating for anyone who doesn’t wish to stand and a place to set down ingredients for yummy fireside treats like s’mores. Padded chairs outside the reach of the pavilion and the nearby umbrella the perfect place to kick back and relax in the sun. The colorful throw pillows and outdoor furniture cushions add some needed color and a touch of personality. Enjoying the comforts of indoors while being outdoors is exactly what the Campbells are doing now, particularly when lounging on the comfortable wicker furniture that dominate most of the area. “My favorite part of the whole thing is the fireplace,” Nancy says. Jeremy concludes, “There is no television, it would destroy the ambiance out there. We just enjoy listening to music and watching the fire.”

This custom built screen porch leads to a stack stone fire pit with bench seating and a lush green lawn, perfect for tossing the ball around.

Brighton backyard oasis. Our client had a beautiful home in the woods with an expansive deck and much-unused space underneath. They were looking to create an outdoor living room. With an extensive design, we tripled their outdoor-entertaining area. We added a large dining area, a lounge area under the deck, and a fire pit with a seating wall to keep things cozy on crisp fall nights. We tied the new space to the deck and walkout basement using large format pavers with a contrasting border. A pachysandra border kept the transition from hardscape to softscape neat and clean.

Photos by Roni Ziemba

Bird's Eye of North entry gate. Photos by: Tyler Robinson

Lighting is set into the brick walls of the sunken garden to throw light down onto the paving from behind the furniture, as well as small spike spots within the planting bed, to softly light through the flowers and plants to create an atmospheric glow. Steps are lit for ease of access, and the pleached trees are uplit to accentuate their form into the evening and create a sense of drama.

LandMark Photography

Model home available now in Starr Ridge built by John Herder Building. The Steam Pump is loaded with custom exterior features

Here is another barbeque island installation in San Tan Valley. This installation uses the same “slab look” island material, but in this instance, the owners opted for a paler version of the slab colors. The rock tones here are cream, gray and white. You can see how, considering, the different barbeque styles and the addition of a sink, this island has a different look and feel. The colors compliment both the light-colored gravel and brick wall.

As properties get smaller and houses get larger the spaces left for swimming pools are getting smaller and smaller. Our clients kids were now attending university & they wanted to down size from a large pool to something was easy to maintain. The brief for this pool was to create a feature that would be spectacular day & night. The pool design includes mosaic tiles both insides and out, a recycled hardwood sleeper pool fence & a fire pit area with recycled brick paving. We positioned the pool to take advantage of the existing gardens, maximsing usable space & improving the flow across the yard. We raised the pool 4-600mm maximising the visual presence when viewed from the entertaining deck. Photography Peter Brennan

Jim Bartsch Photography

Inspired by the majesty of the Northern Lights and this family's everlasting love for Disney, this home plays host to enlighteningly open vistas and playful activity. Like its namesake, the beloved Sleeping Beauty, this home embodies family, fantasy and adventure in their truest form. Visions are seldom what they seem, but this home did begin 'Once Upon a Dream'. Welcome, to The Aurora.