Outdoor Gazebo

What is an outdoor gazebo?
It is an outdoor structure that can be used as either a garden shelter, outdoor room, or viewing pavilion. Gazebos go back 5,000 years in history to Ancient Egypt. The modern outdoor gazebo, however, is based on the combined design motifs of Japanese teahouses, Chinese garden shelters, and small Dutch buildings.

What types are there to consider?
There are several different types that you can choose from. There is the conventional style that is basically an outdoor room with a floor, supporting pillars, and a ceiling. Some people, however, prefer to have a custom patio substituted as the floor, or to have the gazebo itself built on top of a courtyard patio.
You can also have a portable gazebo constructed that can be moved from point to point within your yard.
What shape are they built in?
They can be built in hexagonal, octagonal square or rectangular designs.

Why should I consider an outdoor gazebo?
It is a great way to enjoy a view of your home, garden, and the surrounding Houston landscape. The covering gives you shelter from the sun on hot days, and it gives you shelter from rain on cloudy days. A screen can even be built around the sides to keep out mosquitoes.

What are these structures made of?
They are almost always made of wood. Cedar and pressure treated pine are the two most common wood types used. Cedar is much more expensive. Pressure-treated pine can be stained and painted to make a strong, sturdy structure that will last and that looks good near any garden, pool, pathway, or natural pond.

Can any other materials be used to build an outdoor gazebo?
Yes. In contemporary gardens, such a structure can be built out of metal, reinforced concrete, or even stone. The roof can be made from copper, slate, or some other inorganic material to contribute to the Mentalist themes of contemporary landscaping and contemporary gardens.

What are a few features to consider?
Outdoor lighting is always a good thing to have in any outdoor structure. It will not only make it easier for you and your guests to see each other at night, but it will also make the gazebo itself a notable landscape element in its own right.

You can also have a small bar installed, complete with an electrical outlet so you can plug in a blender for mixing drinks. Most Houstonians also want a ceiling fan installed in the top of their gazebo.

What is the best architectural style for an outdoor gazebo?
To a certain extent, the style is flexible. The only absolute here is that it has to compliment the architecture of the home. Beyond that, anything from an Amish design (which you typically see in garden pictures) or a wrought iron Victorian style will work with a variety of outdoor landscaping themes.

Try not to restrict yourself to a preconception of style, however. What we prefer to do is to create a landscape master plan that reflects the entirety of your dream of an outdoor lifestyle. The many elements of your landscape will both individually and collectively create this experience. The actual style of your gazebo will ultimately be determined by its location. If it is built near the home or garage, it will compliment building materials in those structures.

If, on the other hand, it is built in or near a garden, or setback among the trees, it will reflect a more organic theme and geometry. The colors and stains used will also support these motifs, so that when you look at your outdoor gazebo, you see an extension of the landscape itself in the form of a structure that both pleases the eye and invites your attendance.

Outdoor Living Space Design

What is the purpose of outdoor living space design?
It connects the home, outdoor rooms, and outdoor buildings to the environment. This link between the inorganic and the organic results in a fusion we call outdoor living space.

What are some considerations in outdoor living space design?
You want to subdivide your lot into zones of activity and special interest. This will make your landscape an outdoor equivalent to a house with many rooms inside. Without this process of subdivision and allocation, your yard will remain only a yard that lacks the structural complexity needed in a true living environment.

What types of zones do you create?
Generally we create zones that enhance mood or zones the serve a specific function. We can also blend mood with function with many of the elements that we design. Outdoor kitchens, for example, create a feeling of fine dining outdoors. They also serve a very practical function by making it possible to cook and enjoy an entire meal without ever once having to go inside. Play areas for children are another example. Play creates a feeling of fun for kids. A professionally designed play area can be built that gives them a place to practice for a sports team they may belong to, and it gives them a safer place to do it than simply playing in an open yard or a park without supervision.

How important is vegetation in outdoor living space design?
It is the heart and soul of everything. You can think of architecture and hardscape as the body of the design, and the organics of gardens, lawns, and trees as the spirit within the body. It is very important to develop organic element with as much care and deliberation as possible. The more of a feeling of life you have in your yard, the more apropos it feels as a living environment in its own right.

What types of vegetation do you plant?

• Special grasses more vibrant and attractive than San Augustine
• Vines and creepers that cover iron and brick with living matter
• Hedges of all kinds, ranging from tiny boxwoods to man-sized topiaries
• Trees of all sizes, ranging from trees barely taller than a child to towering oaks
• Flowering plants to add color to planters and patio edges
• Traditional and highly sophisticated garden designs

How do gardens contribute to outdoor living space design?
Gardens focus the eye onto geometric patterns that are formed out of multiple shades of green and many different colors. These patterns are formed as direct compliments to your home architecture and surrounding residential landscape design. Gardens also attract wildlife. You will see more butterflies, birds, squirrels, and even wild rabbits if you plant something that provides food and shelter for these creatures.

How do tree contribute to outdoor living space design?
Trees play a major role in two respects. The first is curb appeal through vertical impact. Because the Houston landscape is so flat, anything that rises up perpendicular to the ground is going to make the entire yard look uplifted to some degree.

The other role that trees play in your yard is providing you with shade. Just think about how hot it gets in the summer here and how important shade is to us all. We want the sun, but not too much of it. However, too much shade blocks out the sun in the winter time so you freeze if you go outside.

One of the marks of a good landscaper is the ability to judge where the sun will be travelling through the sky during the summer versus where it will be during the winter and plant trees according to the sun’s path. That way, summer sun is blocked, while winter sun is allowed to break through and warm the ground.

Masonry Fireplace

What is a masonry fireplace?
It is an outdoor fireplace that is built out of brick, natural stones, or blocks of some sort. Many older homes do not have indoor fireplaces, and it is much easier to accommodate the owners of these residences with an outdoor masonry fireplace that offers all the amenities of indoor equivalents. You can even have one build that runs off natural gas or propane so you do not have to deal with smoke, sparks, ashes, or the cost of firewood.

Why would I want to build a masonry fireplace?
Several reasons could motivate you to have us build you one of these structures. You may want a warm spot on the patio on one of Houston’s colder nights. Even though are winter’s are technically mild, the humidity in the air can kill you at night here when it’s only a little chilly outside. A warm fire creates heat and dispels humidity.

You may also want to consider the sheer aesthetics that a masonry fireplace can contribute to your yard. The Houston landscape is very flat, and adding vertical impact to your particular portion of it can make your entire property stand out on your block and add significant curb appeal to your home.

It will also add a definitively classic touch to any garden or swimming pool, and it becomes the immediate focal point of any patio or outdoor courtyard.


What does a masonry fireplace look like?
That’s where the fun starts. It can look like almost anything you want it to look like. Because we do not have to deal with the presence of interior home walls, all we really need to build is the flu and the chimney. The geometry can be expanded from their in many directions, provided the integrity of the structure is sound and its form is appropriately complimentary to the home and surrounding landscape design.

What are some of the materials used?
All kinds of materials are used to build masonry fireplaces. Sometimes they are built out of decorative bricks. The multitude of brick colors and types makes this a very common material suitable to a variety of home architectural and landscaping design styles. Other fireplaces are built of stone or cement blocks made to look like a stone façade. Bluestone is another popular material. Stones are always hand-fitted and secured with substances that make the flue and chimney strong and sturdy. Stones can be uniform in appearance, or they can be deliberately asymmetrical to compliment avant garde or contemporary landscape designs.

How much does a masonry fireplace cost?
If it is a small fireplace in a courtyard or an entry garden, it will cost the price of materials plus the labor required to build it. Provided it is relatively small and simple in design, it should not represent an exorbitant expanse per se.

If, on the other hand, you ask us to build an outdoor fireplace and patio to serve as a major focal point in your yard, and the structure is by nature large and complex in design, it could end up being the most sizeable investment in your property.

The good thing about working with Exterior Worlds is that you have a choice in determining the scale and scope of your investment within the parameters of your landscape master plan.

Outdoor Fireplace Patio and Courtyard

An outdoor fireplace, such as the one we built for Rick and Susan Ashcroft, are a great way to create an outdoor living experience that makes is possible to enjoy a view of the Houston landscape regardless of the time of year. Outdoor fireplaces are ideal for temperate, humid climates like ours, where it never gets all that cold per se, but rather where the high moisture content of the air creates a chill factor that can penetrate all the way to the bones.

A patio fireplace dispels humidity and warms the air. It also works as an ideal architectural compliment to home architecture. Many are courtyards that look more like outdoor living rooms than patios as we typically conceive of them to be. To create such a centerpiece in the Ashcroft project, Houston landscaping, professionals placed symmetrically square, interlocking pavers in a pattern that imitated indoor tile. This accentuated the feeling of a living room outdoors, and it worked to blend the stonework and vegetation into the surrounding Houston landscaping theme.

The outdoor fireplace itself was constructed completely with natural stone. Each stone was fitted together like pieces in a puzzle. The chimney was 2 ½ times higher than the fireplace interior, giving the entire structure a majestic presence rising up out of the Houston landscape. An Old World sensibility was also added in the form of two flanking columns.

At one end of the patio, just opposite the fireplace, was a drop-off of about 4 feet. Here, Houston landscaping designers built a stone staircase that descended to a walkway. This walkway wound around the corner of the house to a natural swimming pool. Near to the steps of this walkway, masonry contractors we subcontracted built a stone wall connecting both ends to the patio. This created plenty of room to construct a planter which housed a number of indigenous plant species. We planted an oak tree in this enclosure so that the patio would have shade in the years to come and eventually provide support for a future outdoor chandelier the Ashcrofts intended to hang.

Houston landscape professionals added one more special touch to the patio outdoor fireplace. In order to make the structure functional year round, they contracted a local lighting design firm to install special lights inside the fireplace interior. This way, on warm spring and summer nights, these hidden lights could generate an artificial firelight that contributed charm and ambience to occasions without adding to the heat of the Houston summer.

If you are interested in any high-quality Houston landscaping services, Exterior Worlds has been providing the high-end residential landscape services and garden design services discussed above for the Houston and the surrounding areas including memorial villages (Piney Point Village, Bunker Hill Village, Hunter Creek Village), Tanglewood, River Oaks, West University and the greater Houston (Hou), area since 1987. Contact us at 713-827-2255

Patio Outdoor Room

When we design a patio outdoor room, there are certain common denominators we adhere to. These commonalities are intended to create structure and a sense of special purpose.

Why does an outdoor room need a patio?
A patio is an outdoor room’s equivalent of an indoor floor. People need some type of surface to stand and walk on because no matter how flat the Houston landscape is, the soil is too muddy and clumpy to provide the same stability as a patio does.

What types of patio outdoor rooms do you build?
We build everything from simple garden seating areas to elaborate outdoor kitchens, and everything in between. Many patio outdoor rooms have fireplaces, courtyard gardens, luxury furniture, and arbors. Architectural style, detail, and size of structure are based upon the intended use of the room and the number of people expected to use it.

What do you build outdoor patio rooms from?
Both organic and inorganic building materials can be used. The boundaries of the structure can be made from something as basic as a row of hedges or low-growth trees, or they can be physical walls made of sophisticated masonry much like that used to build a custom home. Again, it’s what the room will be used for and how it compliments both the home and the landscape that determines all of this. The most complex patio outdoor rooms are actual buildings that have three walls and ceilings, so you have one side open to the world, and the rest of the room sealed off in a controlled environment.


How do these rooms compare to rooms inside the home?
Other than having one side left open so you can view the landscape, they can be built almost identical to indoor rooms. Climate controls and lighting systems can be added to bring creature comfort to summer night outings. In fact, even open-aired rooms with no ceilings will always have some kind of lighting in order to create visibility and establish emotional tone. Summer kitchens with walls and ceilings will have modern appliances, living room areas, and dining areas. Kitchen areas are just like those found inside, and can include ovens, stoves, pizza ovens, and cocktail bars.

What about patio rooms built around gardens?
Such rooms are often called entry gardens and are ideal developments for unused property to the side of larger homes. They provide a warm, inviting setting for conversation under the trees, moon, and stars and can designed with a fusion of artwork and softscape. Planters, pottery, and garden elements keep the senses grounded in Nature, while fountains, bird baths, and statuary seamlessly blend with the best representations of human creativity at its finest.

As multitudinous as the possibilities are here, one thing is absolute. A patio outdoor room by Exterior Worlds is an outdoor lifestyle extravaganza that remains accessible throughout the year and at any time of night. It will give you luxury living that is never more than a few steps away from the vast world of Nature that surrounds you.

Outdoor Stone Fireplaces

Where outdoor stone fireplaces normally built?
They are either built in direct relationship with the home or in complete juxtaposition to the home. Outdoor stone fireplaces also play important functional roles in patio seating areas and outdoor kitchens. Sometimes they are built into the kitchen itself, while at others they are constructed on an adjacent patio.

On larger estates, outdoor stone fireplaces are built in the back as getaway destinations, offering shelter under the stars and panoramic 360s of the Houston landscape.

How is an outdoor fireplace designed?
The inside is basically a box in which wood is burned, just like an indoor fireplace. There the similarities end, however, because the design possibilities for an outdoor fireplace are limitless compared to indoor versions. This is because they do not have to be built into a wall for support. Chimneys can be designed in any style or size that is structurally sound and appropriately reflective of home architecture, outdoor buildings, and the distinguishing features of the surrounding Houston landscape.

Are these ever a part of an outdoor room?
Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren’t. They most commonly built as the foothold of an outdoor room. Outdoor rooms typically do not have walls the way we think of walls inside a home. Outdoor room walls are more like boundaries that mark space rather than barriers that block out the Houston landscape.

An outdoor stone fireplace can be the keynote to such an area, because it provides a central structure that acts as a focal point of design. Organic walls of hedges or ground cover plants can then extend from this focal point in either linear angles or radial designs.

What types of stones are used?
Any natural stone will work. Moss stone, sandstone, blue stone, and even brick can be used to construct these unique landmarks of landscape architectural design.

How do these structures support home architecture?
The most important thing they do is to extend the architecture into the yard. Geometric patterns evident in home period architecture and style constitute the conceptual elements of patio and chimney design.

This serves to expand the feeling of the home outdoors. It also make the garden feel more like
part of the home by adding and organic element to Houston outdoor living.

What softscape elements can be integrated into these structures?
You can add a small garden of sorts to an outdoor stone fireplace, although this is not what we normally would call a garden in professional landscaping design. It is more like a planter built into the patio and/or architectural walls surrounding the seating area. Grass, tropical plants, ferns, and flowers are popular vegetation for these plantings.

Stones can also be broken out of the patio and used as space to plant trees or bamboo. Decorative effects can be added by laying down gravel with ornamental stone work or combinations of gravel and drought resistant plants.

Outdoor Fireplace Design

The fireplace has long been a symbol of intimacy, warmth, and domestic harmony. Fireplaces are very ancient and have existed in homes of all types in most cultures for millennia. Now, with outdoor fireplace design, you can enjoy one of the most treasured amenities of classic home interiors as a key element to the pursuit of quality outdoor living.

Outdoor fireplace design offers more aesthetic diversity than its indoor equivalent. This is because the firebox and chimney are built independently of a large, primary wall. A fireplace that is built outside normally is not a part of a wall of any real size. The firebox and chimney rise up from the ground as unique architectural elements.

By this we do not mean that all outside fireplaces are stand-alone landscape elements. Much to the contrary, outdoor fireplace design is a major part of many custom hardscape themes. As outdoor rooms such as entertainment rooms and outdoor kitchens become increasing popular, a fireplace is a common center point for the back wall of any such structure.

Such a wall, however, is typically very different from the wall within a home. The wall inside a house must support the roof and adjacent walls. Outdoor rooms, however, are usually built as open-air structures that do not need the same structural supports that houses require. Because of this, the rear wall of a summer kitchen living room area can actually be designed around the aesthetic of the outdoor fireplace design, rather than the other way around.

The landscape architect consequently enjoys a tremendous creative freedom that allows him or her to match fireplace aesthetic to the exterior architecture of the home and compliment the geometry of softscape elements.

Other hardscape designs that often include outdoor fireplace design are courtyards and entry gardens. Both of these elements often use a lighted fountain as a central focal point of design. However, many Exterior World clients want fountains built in other places, and for this courtyard or entry garden would rather have the charm and warmth of a fireplace instead.

Such patio-fireplace hardscapes again offer tremendous latitude for design freedom provided a few basic principles are observed. Home architecture has to be respected in every form and size. We never want to build a chimney that is taller than the house or a firebox that completely eclipses the entirety of the house.

We have to make certain that regardless of whether or not we build with brick, stone, or decorative concrete that we remain consistent with other materials used to build other structures on the landscape. Certain elements complement one another very well, while other elements simply do not work all that well with some residential architectural designs or landscape design themes.

Outdoor Living Designs

What is outdoor living?
Outdoor living designs by Exterior Worlds bring the inside world of the home into the outdoor realms of social opportunity and natural wonder. Conversation and relaxation are always to be found somewhere in an Exterior Worlds landscape master plan. Mobility is essential so people can move from point to point freely and escape the feeling that often accompanies being confined within four walls of a room. Special activities such as dining can also be integrated into a landscape design so that creature comforts and luxury transform the outdoor world into a world of refined Houston outdoor living.

How does it differ from indoor living?
Outdoor living designs differ from interior design in a number of respects. To begin with, they are far more organic in terms of sense. Even in the more modern landscape designs where vegetation is minimized and contained within geometry and abstract forms, living presences are still more common in the world outside the house than they are inside the house. Other, more traditional landscape designs are even more abundant in life force. The green elements of French, Italian, English, and Mediterranean gardens punctuate areas of growth and vitality that form the organic softscape constructs of superior landscape design.

Outdoor living designs are also more open than indoor equivalents and therefore give you far more. There is always a view of the sky, the many different elements occurring throughout the yard, and the trees, hedges, flowers, and grasses of the lawn. Even when residing in the enclosure of a so-called outdoor room, you are far less confined than you are inside a typical house. Outdoor rooms normally have at least one wall open to the rest of the landscape, and some do not even have walls per se at all. What we call a wall in such as structure can be a row of boxwoods or special planter with year-round blooming flowers. With outdoor structures, geometric focus is the intent more so than surrounding and complete enclosure.

What landscape elements are necessary to create differentiation?
To make outdoor living designs interesting and engaging, we have to break up the monotony of too much of any one thing. We avoid devoting too much of any one section of the yard to any one form. Instead, we like to build patios near gardens, and outdoor buildings under trees. We prefer courtyards to be integrated into entry gardens, and ornaments like statues and fountains to occupy otherwise empty space to provide unique focal points along transit areas that link the various gathering places that are designed around homeowner lifestyle and preferred activities.

How do we maintain comfort?
Comfort is a relative term when it come to outdoor living designs. The biggest complaint that Houstonians voice is the searing heat and humidity we experience for most of the year. There are a variety of ways we can compensate for this, including ceiling fans, AC in outdoor buildings, and outdoor fireplaces that can provide heat during cold and damp winter months.

Fine furnishings can be place d in both indoor and outdoor rooms regardless, and transit areas can be built to mimic the rhythm of the human footstep. Forms can be built around activities and personal preferences. For example, small seating areas can be built in a circle around a disappearing fountain or lighted garden area to create a sense of privacy and isolation for a few select guests chosen to be removed from the jostle of the crowd.

Covered Outdoor Kitchen

One of our recent projects involved the construction of an outdoor kitchen. This was something of a challenging construction project because this portion of the yard lies below street level. We would not have discovered this problem were it not for our systematic methodology we follow in developing a landscape master plan, and for the 3D imaging software we use to model our design.

The survey of the property and subsequent model we adopted showed us exactly what grade elevations we were working with, and they provided us with the data necessary to develop a workaround for the problem. Rather than building the room in a less convenient location and risking ruining the aesthetic of the landscape, we simply installed a special pump to siphon out waste water into the drain system.

One of the most unique features of this outdoor kitchen was a custom smoker that we built inside it. Our clients like to smoke meats as much as they like to cook traditional fare, so this added convenience allowed them to do either or both all from the convenience of a central location.

We also added side burners that were specially designed for foods such as heated sautés, soups, chili, and other similar foods can all be prepared off to the side. This frees up a great deal of stove space for meats and vegetables without forcing the cook to change location to check on sauces or sups.

Because many outdoor events occur after sunset, it is very important that an outdoor kitchen have plenty of light. In addition to typical room lights we also installed a task light for cooking. The luminance of this fixture is so superb that the finest textures and colors are clearly visible even on dark, cloudy nights.

A number of specialized appliances were also installed in this outdoor kitchen so as to make it so fully operational that no one ever has to run inside. A sink and instant water heater were installed and linked to the hidden pump that removed the waste water from beneath the structure. We also added a refrigerator that was rated for outdoor use. It is equivalent in operability to indoor refrigerators, but specifically built to withstand the climatic and temperature variables that come with outdoor use.

We wanted to do more than simply make this structure a place for cooking food. The Pesek’s wanted us to create for them an outdoor living experience that represented the epitome of décor and amenity. They requested that we install custom mahogany cabinets and drawers. These helped to better establish a sense of décor, and they also provided excellent compliments to the architecture of the home.

A fireplace was built in the center of one wall, and fine furnishings were added to create the feel of an outdoor living room. The view of the landscape is superb from this seating area, because the outdoor kitchen is built at a terminal view point for the whole yard. The swimming pool lies in a direct line of site from its entrance and can be conveniently accessed at will.

Finally, to top of the sense of fine Houston outdoor living, we installed a fully operational sound system and entertainment system. Now, the Pesek’s can prepare a full course dinner for special guests and enjoy a movie, CDs, or, on cooler nights of the year, a warm conversation by the fireplace.

Outdoor Lounge Design Houston

By definition, an outdoor lounge is a seating area whose design creates the sense of an outdoor living room without the confines of enclosure. Instead of ceiling, you have open sky or overhanging tree branches. Rather than adjacent wall structures, you are either surrounded partly on one hand by the side of the home and the greenery of gardens and foliage on the other. The strength that outdoor lounge design contributes to the landscape is its unique ability to combine this sense of openness and freedom with a feeling of unspoken separation from more busy and activity-prone areas of the yard.

Outdoor lounge design originally got its name from the furnishings that tend to populate these special seating areas. Typically, couches, chairs, sofas, and papa sans used here are every bit as comfortable and opulent as equivalent furnishings used indoors. This does not mean to say that indoor furniture is an appropriate choice for an outdoor open setting.

Furnishings used here are specially designed to withstand the wear and tear of being outside, but they are made with an equivalent level of fashion sense and colorful appeal to the senses. Exterior Worlds includes furnishings such as this in its outdoor lounge design plans in order to save the client the expense and added trouble of having to go out and find these exceptional items on the open market.

In recent years, we have seen an increasing demand for outdoor lounge design throughout the Houston area. Interest in this unique aspect of landscaping appears to be linked to homeowner concerns about improving the market value of their properties. One of the many things that an outdoor room can do for any given portion of the yard is to increase its useable space up to 10 times. This is very important to homes that have intersecting sections that form something of an “L” shape between areas like the main living room, master bedroom, or a long hallway extending to a separate wing of the house. Leaving such an area just behind the home fallow leaves little more than an unused grassy area that is too small to plant a formal garden or build a custom patio. Such an area is wasted unless something measurably creative and useable can be developed that will turn this empty space into special space that contributes form, function, and added aesthetic to the yard.

The flooring for an outdoor lounge can either be wood or stone, depending on the design of surrounding terrain and the style and nature of home construction. Wooden decks with opulent furnishings are typically more popular when built immediately adjacent to a house, although this is not a hard-fast rule. More Old World style homes or the veritable mansions of River Oaks are more appropriately complimented by some type of custom stone work. Dimensions and geometry are planned in strict accordance with the laws of custom landscaping design: namely, nothing is ever done that does not first and foremost respect the architecture of the home and simultaneously work to unify that architecture with the surrounding elements of Nature.

Houston Outdoor Living

When developing the organic aspects of a Houston outdoor living environment, we focus on creating geometric forms that communicate the energies of Nature without violating the sense of order and system that has been ingrained in human consciousness for the past 10,000 years. This is why we put such a great deal of effort into garden services and tree maintenance. Plants need to be contained within the boundaries of a recognizable form whose style reflects the aesthetic of the landscape proper, and whose geometry and color scheme reflect the architectural style of the home. Tree maintenance protects number of parasites, diseases, so other elements of the landscape such as wooden arbor and shade gardens can be richly enjoyed both as gathering places and purely decorative elements when viewed from afar.

Once organic elements have been thematically developed, the focus of our work normally shifts toward landscape design for entertainment. Swimming pool remodeling often plays a major role in this because of the central position that the pool takes in so many events. More often than not, we find that the swimming pool the client either bought with the home or installed at a previous time does not quite fit the architecture of the home or surrounding landscape architecture. Redesigning a new custom swimming pool is the first step toward creating a more balanced and amenable back yard that creates an immediately noticeable upgrade in Houston outdoor living quality.

Other structures, of course, will be needed beyond the pool to create an environment that is more attractive to the visitor than the interior of the house. Hardscapes are also very important to comfortable Houston outdoor living because they provide areas for people to stand and sit on a solid surface. Think of a patio, walkway, or motor court as an outdoor floor, and you will immediately realize how important something as elementary as stone or concrete suddenly becomes to outdoor landscape design. Without attractive, well-constructed solid surfaces, people are left standing in the grass or the mud on spring and summer evenings—something you don’t want at your next party.

In fact, you do not want your guests to ever feel the need to go inside once they are outside. Outdoor rooms can be built that rival anything a living room or game room has to offer. Not every outdoor room has to have four walls and a ceiling, either. Some may have a fire pit, or be built in a courtyard design as part of a private entry garden. Others may be built alongside of a pool, near a fountain, or next to a natural pond to put activities an arm’s length away from nature.

Certain activities will require more than hardscape and residential landscape lighting. Things such as cooking, dining, playing video games, watching movies, and listening to music will require outdoor buildings such as summer kitchens, game rooms, and fully-functional outdoor living rooms can be built to make every aspect of Houston outdoor living a veritable rival to any conceivable experience you can have inside.

Outdoor Kitchens

Exterior Worlds was contacted by a client with a unique landscaping challenge. Between one wing of their home and their garage, there was pie-shaped area of the yard that had never been used. This area was too large to ignore, but it was also too small to build a structure of any considerable size. At first the challenge was a bit perplexing. What were we to do with such a unique and difficult space? Fortunately, thanks to our in-depth consultation process aimed at finding out as much as possible about the client’s interests, we learned that this couple loved to host dinner parties at their home. We asked them if they would be interested in having an outdoor kitchen built in this spot. To this they heartily agreed, excited at the possibility of combining outdoor entertainment with the very best in culinary experiences.

In order to make the outdoor kitchen both aesthetically sensible and fully functional, we had to make the most of the limited space we had available. Following the example of interior architects, we decided to build the outdoor kitchen along the side wall of the garage. It stretched from the side door all the way to the corner of the garage. A smaller segment was built at a right angle to this, creating both a sense of enclosure around the patio area, and offering additional surface area for use as a wet bar or food storage area. Cabinets and drawers were then installed in both segments, and a granite counter top was added to provide a durable, and also very ornamental, surface area upon which to work.

The intent was to make this outdoor kitchen a completely self-sustaining area that would never require the owners to run back inside to retrieve or prepare anything. A number of high-end appliances that are standard to custom indoor kitchens were installed to make cooking outside convenient and quick. There was a freezer and a refrigerator which could be used to store food for indefinite periods of time, just as indoor models can do. We also installed an ice maker to keep drinks cool on hot summer afternoons. For cooking, we built our clients a stove with a special side burner that they heating up sauces so the homeowners when cooking spaghetti and chili for their guests. To keep smoke from annoying our clients’ neighbors, we also installed an overhead exhaust vent. All of these appliances were designed for electrical operation on dedicated circuits. The only exception to this was a small, gas-powered grill we installed to allow the homeowners to cook hot dogs, hamburgers, and barbecue in the same area they prepared other foods outside.

We then added a travertine patio to the outdoor kitchen, and used the remainder of the space adjacent to it for a few organic touches. To liven up the appearance of the wall, we built a custom iron trellis with suspended plants growing in the middle. This added a nice contrast of green and black to the white backdrop of the white brick wall. The plants were individually lit as well, so at dusk and nightfall they appear to rise out of the wall and create a superb three-dimensional, organic presence. Near the smaller segment of the countertop, we planted a small herb garden and framed it with a lemon tree and an orange tree on either side. This garden not only added a more robust aesthetic to the area, but it also allowed our clients to grow the herbs they normally cooked with and pull them straight from the garden when preparing meals.

We then enclosed the entire garden area and trees with a special fence made from pressure treated pine framed by iron around the edges. This had the effect of enclosing the patio area with a sense of life and growth that gave the outdoor kitchen a much greater sense of life and vitality than many kitchens of similar design builds found indoors.

Custom Outdoor Fireplaces

I’ve been reading a lot about outdoor fireplaces. What can you tell me about them?
Outdoor fireplaces are a perfect outdoor luxury for the Houston climate. Wherever they are positioned—as a stand-alone, part of an outdoor kitchen or in a garden gazebo—are beautiful architectural elements. And they quickly become the central place where everyone gathers. Practically all of our clients want to have one, especially to take advantage of the mild winters we have in this part of the country.

If you are serious about installing an out-of-doors fireplace or fire pit, we suggest you consider the following design issues:

• Consider the views from the house. Are there privacy issues? Where are your focal points? Consider the view from the yard and take advantage of any outlook over a greenbelt, bayou or water way.
• Just as in a house, break up your landscape design into “rooms.” Often the outdoor fire element anchors an outdoor room.
• Large structures, like outdoor fireplaces, tend to alter the flow of traffic, so design accordingly.
• If you have a theme already established, work within that overall landscape intention. Perhaps you’ve selected a modern landscape design or Mediterranean landscape design, two very distinctive residential garden styles. If so, you want the fireplace to be of the same design and material.
• Incorporate the fireplace with other hardscapes. For instance, landscape lighting adds drama. Out-of-doors fireplaces and fire pits are all about ambiance. We recently built a dining area that is situated in front of an outdoor fireplace. Now we’re training a tree limb to grow over the dining table so that when the limb gets big enough, we can wire a chandelier to hang from it.
  

What do I need to know about zoning and permitting?
Most zoning regulations restrict how closely you can construct an out-of-doors fireplace in relation to all other buildings. Most regulate side and rear property line setbacks and have rules regarding slope setbacks and height restrictions. Check with your local authorities because regulations vary from city to city. A landscape architect or landscape designer can help you navigate through the zoning issues.

Tell me about some of the safety issues.
While fire pits and fireplaces enhance any landscape design, they must be used safely. Exterior Worlds advocates these safety measures:

• Always have fire extinguishers on hand.
• Use fire screens to keep logs from rolling out of the fire and limit air-borne soot and cinders from flying about.
• Keep all outdoor furniture safely away from the fire.For wood-burning fireplaces, it is a good safety practice to schedule regular professional chimney cleaning. A good rule of thumb is to base the spacing of the maintenance on the amount of wood you burn. As long as you have no problem with birds’ nest and other debris, you need to get your chimney cleaned after burning two cords of wood—however long it takes.
• If using a fire pit, follow the manufacturer’s directions and obey all city regulations.

Luxury Patios

Luxury patios tend to consist of the highest grade materials and feature design that are highly customized to events and personal lifestyle. Entertainment needs are also a major factor in determining the size, geometry, and aesthetic of most luxury patios. People who prefer to entertain at home want hardscapes that provide both comfort and atmosphere for their guests. They also want these hardscapes to blend well with the organic elements of trees, hedges, and gardens and to compliment the architecture of the home and other exterior structures.

A luxury patio can technically be constructed anywhere in a front or back yard. However, there is little point to investing in such an expense if no other specific point of attraction and amenity is located on or near the patio. In most instances, the more ornate hardscapes tend to be constructed around very specific and high-end entertainment and recreation areas that create a very high quality outdoor living experience.

The most obvious place that you would expect to find a luxury patio is around a carefully planned and constructed custom swimming pool. In most instances, this is the rule, not the exception. Custom swimming pools have to be designed by a landscaping architect who knows how to balance the aesthetic of the pool with that of surrounding landscape elements and the look and sense of style that the home itself projects. Consequently, patios that are built around these pools must be equally customized and work to support the same structures and designs that the pool itself works to compliment.

Another structure around which we tend to construct a luxury patio is an outdoor fireplace that is constructed as a central gathering place for guests at outdoor get-togethers. While it may seem strange to build an outdoor fireplace in a climate as warm as ours, these structures can provide a sense of comfort and refinement year round if they are fitted with special interior lights that mimic firelight during the warmer times of the year. In the winter, of course, these lights can be removed and the structure can work like any interior, wood burning fireplace.

People often want to do more than sit around a pool or fireplace, though. Most Houstonians have an exceptional passion for grilling outdoors (being Texans, this is innate to our local culture.) This passion for outdoor cooking can be expanded and magnified with the addition of a luxury outdoor kitchen and surrounding custom patio. The tradition of grilling can maintain its timeless status side by side with the more sophisticated and traditionally indoor culinary arts. Such a scenario takes the outdoor living experience to an entirely new level that makes the yard an extension of the living space within the home.

As important as activities and events are to the eclectic homeowner, not every point of interest in a luxury landscape is going to have a purely functional purpose in mind. Many areas play a purely aesthetic role in landscape design and draw attention to themselves on the basis of sheer beauty and symmetry. Patios can be built around such areas as water fountains, hedges, and trellises where guests can sit and comfortably enjoy the scenery and relax in special moments of quiet conversation.

If you are considering the addition of one or more luxury patios to your yard, please take the time to research the company you choose very thoroughly. Make sure they have credentials in landscape architecture as well as botany and landscape design. Experience and knowledge in hardscape construction is also a must. Custom patios must be pre-sized in the planning phase to accommodate an expected number of guests, and they must be built with the best materials so they will maintain their aesthetic under the stress of constant human activity and traffic.

Courtyard Landscaping Design

Courtyard design helps establish a relationship with Nature and the main structure of a home or building. They are essential elements of many forms of commercial landscaping, particularly restaurants. Commercial office parks use them as outdoor break areas, and residential properties tend to see the courtyard as a special place set apart for meaningful conversation. While virtually every courtyard is unique in terms of its size and the materials used to build it, most share certain common elements that contribute to the sense of being in what amounts to an outdoor room built for special purposes and special moments.

Scale is the most important thing to consider in courtyard design. We want the scale of the courtyard design to be proportional to that of surrounding trees. This allows us to build the courtyard itself in any number of ways. A courtyard may be constructed out with three or even four brick walls, nestled under the branches of the overhanging canopy. Or, we can build a patio area surrounded by two or three arbors where trellises and vines intermingle with the iron work with the leaves and wood of the trees. We often build a custom fountain to act as a focal point or a centerpiece for conversation. The intent in all of these forms is to create a feeling of warmth and invitation that draws people to the courtyard at all times day or night.

In both residential and commercial environments, planters are often used to line the perimeters of courtyards. The design, materials build, and positioning of these planters is determined by the nature of the structure itself. If it is an open-air structure constructed out of trellises or a grouping of arbors, then sufficient light will penetrate to the ground and allow us to build the planters are frames around the patio and fountain. This is also true if the courtyard has standing walls but is open on the top to allow sufficient sunlight to reach interior plantings. However, we may choose to use planters as exterior elements around smaller structures and garden patios. Particularly in restaurant design, a courtyard surrounding by lush vegetation appears lively and inviting to guests who have recently arrived.

One very popular method of courtyard design in private, exclusive neighborhoods such as River Oaks, Rice Village, and Tanglewood is to build a patio surrounded by hedges that act as walls. In these parts of Houston, this provides one of the most effective compliments to the Old World aspects of home architecture and the magnificent trees that line the streets. Hedges can be made from Japanese yew, larger species of boxwood, or even smaller poplar trees to form the perimeter of an outdoor courtyard seating area within a garden or near a private entrance to the home.

In all of our courtyard designs, perhaps the most important thing to consider next to the importance of scale is lighting. No matter how large or open a structure is, it will only receive natural light for a number of hours during the day. In early morning, evening, and nighttime, even open-air structures will be shrouded in shadows unless special lighting is installed. These specialty fixtures can range from tree lights that are ingeniously concealed in the overhanging canopy, feature lights that highlight outdoor furniture, or underwater fountain lights that disperse illumination through the prism-like effect of water droplets.

Courtyard landscape design can play a pivotal role in establishing the theme of the landscape by creating a truly unique outdoor structure whose utility is equivalent to its aesthetic. For businesses and homeowners seeking to create a tangible link between the comforts of indoor living and the expansive sense of freedom that the outdoors brings, a professionally planned and constructed courtyard can be the defining point of the home living experience.

Backyard Landscaping

The intent of backyard landscaping is to design an outdoor living experience that rivals indoor space. To do this, we must do more than work with organic elements alone. As important as trees, shrubbery, and gardens are, structural components are equally necessary. The building of swimming pools, patios, arbors, shade structures, and outdoor rooms adds completion, depth, and dimension to the aesthetic of any backyard.

This process must be treated as both a science and an art. We must first measure the backyard and identify its physical points of differentiation. This data helps us create a landscaping design that works with the existing topography and architecture of the property.

Backyard landscaping plans must also be done with a balanced blend of egress (going out) and ingress (coming in), and open lawn area. Every house has at least one point of entry into the backyard. Such areas cannot be treated as mere transit areas alone. Every egress/ingress point must establish a new experience that creates a new frame of mind for people walking outside. As people transition both in mind and body from indoor space to outdoor space, they need to feel a sense of openness and freedom.

Open areas in the lawn will help maintain this sense regardless of the size of the backyard itself. When outdoor rooms, patios, and gardens are positioned at appropriate vantage points, they work to proportionally balance as parts in relation to the whole. Irrespective of actual acreage, the lawn and surrounding elements will look magnified, if not expansive, if the geometry of landscaping has been calculated correctly from the beginning

Throughout all of this, backyard landscaping must also be done with some practical considerations in mind as well. Draining the land is very important for any type of garden because every structure is going to create a dam effect that will block water runoff. Some sort of drainage system must be installed in these areas to prevent the soil from getting supersaturated with water, and to prevent sensitive vegetation from being damaged by mud and standing water.

Most of our clients are people who use their backyards as outdoor gathering places for events that begin in the early evening and continue into the night. With professionally installed outdoor lighting, every element of the landscape will not only be visible, but it will also have its own unique ambience associated with its specific purpose and contribution to the surrounding design theme. It also helps magnify to the sense of egress into a new dimension by expanding the vista from the rear of the living space into the outdoor space of lawn, structure, and garden.

Outdoor Rooms

We are new to Houston and have just realized that, in this climate, we can enjoy the out-of-doors year ‘round. What does Exterior Worlds suggest to make that happen?
An outdoor room is a wonderful way to make Houston’s climate work for you. You can use it to bask in our mild winters. And you can construct it so that you can still enjoy the outdoors even in the heat of summer—by covering it, installing overhead fans, screening it in to keep out the bugs. An array of creative solutions can be used.

The most enjoyable and functional outdoor rooms use the basic design principles so that your interior space and exterior space harmonize beautifully. To achieve this affect, most people benefit from the services of landscape professional and landscape architects with a project like an outdoor room. We remind our clients to keep in mind that the more complex the project—the more sophisticated the design—the more important your designer and contractor become. Design professionals will put the principles of good design to work and help you integrate the room with your home’s architecture, address permitting issues, and make the best use of available space.
What are some of the elements we should consider for this outdoors room?
Here are some ideas for you to use:
• Outdoor kitchens are also hugely popular, whether you entertain extravagantly or host family gatherings. They create a natural gathering spot. Plus they let you slow down and enjoy family and friends by putting all the ingredients for outdoor cooking and dining close by.
• An uncovered patio can be transformed into a year-round sun room by adding an outdoor fireplace, a roof, and sliding walls that can enclose the room during inclement weather.
• Or you can define a space simply by covering it. Pergolas and garden arbors help create lovely settings and are especially attractive when covered with vines.
• An outdoors room doesn’t have to be attached only to the house. You can use other structures, too, such as a pool cabana or detached garage.
• If you have a small backyard, you can use a small garden design and turn the whole space into an outdoor living room.
• Outdoor water fountains add visual and auditory pleasure.
• Don’t overlook your front entryway. The front of your house can make a lovely out-of-doors room—using such landscaping features as a tall fence or dense hedge for privacy and a water element to camouflage street noise.

Give us some ideas about ways to coordinate our new outdoors room with the other elements of our landscape design.
Luxury swimming pools, which have become an expected feature of high-end homes, are often the next logical step beyond an outdoor room. You can tie your outdoor living space into your drainage system with attractive French drains, which aid, in a subtle way, in defining the space.

You can integrate pathways leading to and from the outdoors room with your material choices. Retaining walls can double as built-in seating.

Outdoor Design

Is outdoor design the same thing as landscaping?

It is a complimentary, but also a very separate discipline. While outdoor design does pay close attention to the standard landscaping elements of fountains, gardens, and ornamentation, it also adds a much more robust aesthetic that extends residential living space from the interior of the house into the surrounding greenery. This is much more complex than creating landscapes that compliment architecture. It is actually a synthesis of landscape and architecture, earth and brick, light and water.

Only a few companies exist in the world of landscaping offer this type of service to the homeowner, and Exterior Worlds is premier among them.

What are the primary elements of outdoor design?

Outdoor designs consist of manmade and natural elements. It requires the systematic creation of separate elements that flow together one single, harmonious aesthetic. Most of these elements can only be created by artisan contractors specializing in that particular science. A few examples include the following features commonly installed in and around custom home landscapes:

• Swimming Pools

• Water Fountains

• Outdoor Lights

• Patios

• Outdoor Kitchens

• Masonry and decorative stone work

• Ornamental iron fencing

Can I create my own outdoor design?

We do not recommend this. It will be very difficult for you to find all the various experts in the above specialties and forge a cohesive team that functions as a unit. Contractors in any discipline work in very specific ways and are very schematic-oriented. Without a landscape plan managed by an overseeing, landscape general contractor such as Exterior Worlds, it is difficult to communicate the ultimate intent of the outdoor design to one or subcontracted entities.

The various components of any outdoor design must by laid down correctly in layer in order to create a sense of blend and harmony with the architecture of the house and Nature itself. Attempting to coordinate this without experience in architecture, remodeling, landscaping, and specialty disciplines, is like making lasagna with all the proper ingredients, but not knowing how to create the correct size and arrangement of the many layers that constitute its form.

Instead, we recommend that homeowners contract Exterior Worlds to act as general contractors and project coordinators.

What advantages do you offer as a overseeing, general contractor?

We will first develop a landscape plan which you participate in creating and ultimately approve. We the handle the basic elements of outdoor designs that are specific to landscaping with our in-house crews, and next bring in whatever appropriate subcontractors are required to complete the specifics of the project.

This is exactly how large, general contractors work in construction and other commercial markets, only we do it on an individual level for private homeowners in a special niche market. We know who in our business network are the best home builders, architects, pool specialists, lighting designers, pond and fountain companies, and masons to call on for a particular project. By then systematizing the entire outdoor design process from start to finish much like an assembly line functions, we can ensure both the fine details and the overall outcome exceed homeowner expectations without delay or unforeseen and costly mistakes.

Call us now for a free estimate.

Outdoor Fireplaces

A couple by the name of Ashcroft called us about 3 years ago. They said they had always wanted a fireplace, but they felt the winters in Houston were too mild to justify building one indoors. They asked us if we would construct a patio with an outdoor fireplace for them. The idea was to extend the feeling of the living room and center it on a warm element that would make any chilly night both comfortable and pleasant for gathering outside.

Outdoor fireplaces like this are much more useful in parts of the country like ours. On colder nights, they generate plenty of heat, and on warm nights, they offer architectural aesthetic. To create this type of center point, however, would require building more than just the structure itself. It required laying down stonework in such a way as that would make a person feel like they were sitting around a fireplace in a living room. This was eventually done through the use of symmetrically square, interlocking pavers in a pattern that were laid down in a way that alluded to indoor tile.
The outdoor fireplace itself was built entirely of natural stone. The chimney portion was approximately 2 ½ times as high as the fireplace interior, and presented a stately motif against the backdrop of the landscape. Two flanking columns, both slightly higher than the fireplace interior, were constructed on either side. This added a formal, Old World touch to the structure that naturally drew the eye toward the logs that were burning in the interior on cooler nights. It was necessary to do one more thing, however, to make certain this elegant feature was enjoyable throughout the year. On nights too warm to light a fire, it was still possible to enjoy the illusion of fire by using special, concealed lighting to illuminate both the interior of the flue and the exterior stones and flanking columns. This created a very sublime interplay of fire and stone that rose into the night with a sense of the majestic.

Meanwhile, at one end of the patio, there was a drop-off that led down to a stone walkway leading around the corner of the house. We extended the edge of the patio here into a stone wall that circled out and back over this drop-off. This provided us with a natural planter for a number of indigenous plant species, including a small oak that would provide shade in future years as well as a place to hang an outdoor chandelier.

We would love an opportunity to consult with you in creating a outdoor room with fireplace for your Houston backyard. Exterior Worlds has been providing the high quality residential landscape services and garden design services discussed above for the Memorial villages (Piney Point Village, Bunker Hill Village, Hunters Creek Village), Tanglewood, River Oaks, West University and the greater Houston, area since 1987. Contact us at 713-827-2255.