Backyard Remodeling

Backyard remodeling is one of the most important services offered by Exterior Worlds to Houston-area clients looking to improve the quality of life now and create a better return on their real estate investment. Backyard remodeling adds value to a home by improving the quality of outdoor life and creating a more balanced and amenable environment conducive to recreation, relaxation, and home entertainment. Scale and aesthetics are the two key determinants to creating a new living experience that is appears more warm and inviting to guests, and that projects a better sense of the homeowner’s personal lifestyle and space.

Backyard remodeling begins with a determination of scale before any new structures are planned or any physical labor is done. A survey is conducted of the entire property. Measurements are taken of the perimeter and of each individual form present. Existing elements are examined in relationship to home architecture, acreage, and the number and size of trees in the back yard. These forms are then mapped out so we can identify which structures must be altered to create balance. The intention here is to make each individual design element work both individually and collectively with the intention and the aesthetic of the back yard as a whole. Design software is essential to this initial phase in the remodeling process, because it allows us to manipulate forms from multiple vantage points until the right mathematical proportions are created that then function as a template for physical design and construction.

While every back yard is unique, and therefore carries with it its own unique set of needs, certain elements are almost always present that require our immediate attention before anything else is done. The swimming pool is perhaps the one thing in any given Houston back yard that almost always requires significant remodeling. Homeowners who contact us have either purchased a home with an existing pool, or they have previously commissioned the construction of a custom or luxury swimming pool as a focal point of home entertainment and recreation. Invariably, we discover that most of these pools, while very well designed as structures in their own right, simply do not look proportionate to the home itself or the surrounding forms of the landscape. In order to establish a new aesthetic for the back yard, we must redesign the pool so that it respects home architecture and more harmoniously blends with the surrounding landscape.

Other back yard elements vary widely in the degree of remodeling work required to generate a better, more proportionate outdoor living space. Existing outdoor buildings may require new roofing in order to bring their height into scale with that of the home and surrounding trees. It may also be necessary to modify the interior floor plans of these buildings to make them more appropriately suited to home entertainment. When it is not feasible to expand the square footage of an outdoor building, we may build a custom patio adjacent to its entrance that extends its interior space into open space. Certain decorative elements, such as fountains, may need to be moved or completely reconstructed to give the backyard a more updated, sophisticated sensibility.

Remodeling existing structures and hardscapes in this manner almost always creates new open space in a back yard that provides new opportunities for entertainment and décor. On larger properties, special elements such as putting greens and natural swimming pools can be added to give adults and children alike new areas of recreation and fun. Some families commission the construction of sports facilities dedicated exclusively to the kids. Ball courts and practice fields can be placed in segregated areas that are safe for children and easily seen by supervising parents. For homeowners looking to entertain large numbers of guests throughout the year, outdoor lounges, outdoor fireplaces, and summer kitchens can be constructed to accommodate specific, anticipated numbers of guests. Proportions, again, are always kept in scale to surrounding features in order to preserve the overall aesthetic of the property.

Trees, gardens, and other organic elements must likewise be proportionally scaled to compliment surrounding architecture and vegetation. This may involve trimming trees to create more balanced vertical and horizontal dimensions, or it may require installing tree lights that expand outdoor entertainment areas with increased visibility and lend an aura of mystique to the back yard. Garden designs have to be shaped around the newly remodeled structures and hardscapes. Tree preservation techniques must be practiced in most of these cases to prevent damage to root systems that may be running just beneath the surface of older walkways, patios, or flower beds. Professional landscape architects are the only people qualified to undertake such environmentally conscious remodeling efforts due to the complexities of these methods and the special equipment needed to protect trees from damage.