A backyard outdoor living area has the potential to become an outdoor living room with all of the creature comforts you would expect indoors. Here, you will find ideas on how to improve your backyard with these expert masonry features in the Southampton and Brookville, NY, areas. Whether you choose just one feature or incorporate them all, get ready for a transformation that will make your backyard “the” place to hang out all summer… and beyond.
1. Fire
Nothing makes your backyard feel cozier than a roaring fire. A fire pit, fire table, or an outdoor fireplace are some of the best additions to any outdoor living space. Any fire feature can be built using the same materials that you would use on the exterior of an outdoor kitchen, fire feature, your home’s foundation, or a retaining wall. Using the same material is the most common approach when building a fire pit or fire table. However, a large fireplace gives you more options. You can use the same materials or turn the fireplace into a bold statement piece, using different materials to give it a distinct look.
Beyond the summer entertaining season, a fire feature makes your patio usable throughout the year - which makes it a great investment that keeps your patio from sitting unused when the weather turns chilly.
Partially surrounding the fire feature with a seat wall creates a more intimate setting that helps prevent having too much patio furniture cluttering a space.
2. Cooking
A masonry-sided outdoor kitchen or grill station integrates your cooking space into the rest of the patio. Incorporating a wood-fired pizza oven into your kitchen or grill station will transform your patio into the hub of outdoor entertaining.
3. Water
Water features are a delightful way to mask traffic sounds and give your backyard a relaxing zen feel. Adding a water feature such as a waterfall or fountain adds drama and interest to your backyard. As with an outdoor fireplace, you could use the same materials as on other vertical elements, or create a unique focal point.
4. Patio
This is where you’ll be spending a lot of time in the warmer months. Choosing the right materials is key. Look for either concrete patio pavers or natural paving stones that blend into the surrounding landscape in a pleasing way and help create an attractive transitional space between the home and the landscape.
A growing trend is to create multi-level living spaces, which is an opportunity to use a variety of materials to create distinct activity zones.
5. Shelter
Having a place to escape the hot sun makes the patio that much of a desirable destination. A pergola is a wooden shelter structure that can be set on masonry pillars for added elegance.
A pavilion is the same as a pergola in that it has open sides; but it features a solid roof, which -- when combined with an outdoor fireplace -- transforms the space into a cozy outdoor living room that can be used all year long.
5. Walls and Planter
Masonry planters along the patio are a great way to add color and interest, as well as providing a place to sit. Retaining walls can serve double duty: holding back soil to create larger outdoor living spaces, and offering additional seating (either along the cap stone or built-in). You can also incorporate low-voltage landscape lighting into masonry walls, for an unobtrusive solution to after-dark outdoor living and safety.
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