little can go a long way when it comes to sprucing up a backyard patio.
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Loren Cooper turned to his ABCs to refresh an L-shaped backyard — access, budget and comfort.
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Of course, it didn’t hurt that the clients weren’t asking for much. All they needed was an outdoor area to entertain friends and family, which includes grandchildren, and somewhere to spend a little private time together.
In return, they got their own private paradise. The existing white-slated arbor gave way to an updated redwood one, which gently shields guests. Accent lighting also turned the ordinary patio into a lively entertainment center.
But the best was yet to come. Rather than reduce the patio area, Loren Cooper, sales consultant at The Hot Tub Store in Santa Rosa, Calif., added another concrete pad adjacent to the patio to accommodate a hot tub.
Here’s how he pulled everything together without breaking the bank:
Tell us about your basic design concept for this project.
The customers said they wanted to update the backyard and make it functional. The patio is getting old and is in disrepair. The arbor above the patio is also old and sagging, and needs to be replaced.
Rather than putting in a new deck, we just resurfaced the concrete patio with an epoxy finish. The finish makes the patio look brand-new. Finishes come in a million patterns and colors; they’re also incredibly tough. You can choose from hundreds of designs. In addition, we put in a barbecue center, which allows the family to sit around and entertain at night.
We also wanted to use landscape lighting like a 12-volt system around the hot tub, along the arbor and near the barbecue. It features a combination of flood, spot and accent lights. When you walk outside, all you need to do is hit a switch and enjoy nice, decorative lighting.
Why did you place the spa near the bedroom?
A lot of people like to change clothes in the bedroom or a bathroom inside the house when they use a hot tub, so we located it near the master bedroom. This eliminates the problem of traipsing through the house, and makes it easy to get to the hot tub and back to bedroom. We also installed a 6-foot patio door to make it convenient to exit from the bedroom directly into the hot tub.
What was the specific challenge of the arbor?
Making it work with the existing architecture and giving it a more contemporary look. The original arbor was painted white, but I think a redwood arbor would work better with the architecture of the house, which is a stucco design.
What was it about the clients that most affected your design?
They expressed a need for privacy. They also like to invite a few friends over at a time, and frequently have their children and families over. Given the fact they like to entertain, adding a spa, barbecue and redone patio seemed like a good idea.
One thing we didn’t want to do is reduce the patio area by placing a spa in the middle of it. This is why we added an additional concrete pad adjacent to the patio, to accommodate the spa.
How did you customize the project to fit the family’s lifestyle?
We added a barbecue center because the family enjoys entertaining outdoors. The cabinets come with finishes that match the siding of your house, like wood, metal or stucco, with tile counter tops.
A barbecue with an angular design will look better aesthetically in the corner of the patio. It’ll also keep the smoke away from guests.
In addition, the angular barbecue allows you to utilize both sides of the counter top and create easier access. You won’t have as much access with just one long counter top.
What kind of spa did you choose, and why?
We chose a spa that would comfortably hold five to six people. It’s also designed to be energy-efficient, quiet because it’s near a bedroom, and low-maintenance. We included a cover-lifting device for easy removal and a chlorine-free sanitation system.
Chlorine and bromine are still the biggest items on the market, but some people find the odors offensive. The chemicals also tend to dry out your skin. But some of the newer programs are a little fussier than the chlorine or bromine — and more expensive. It’s one reason why we still have a lot of people who want to use the old chlorine and bromine systems.
How did this exercise differ from actual projects?
When you’re working with fictitious people, you don’t get a chance to ask the usual questions. All I had to work with was a few brief statements, which say they live in an ordinary tract home.
What would you ask them if you had the chance?
Would you rather replace the concrete patio with a wooden deck? Is this where you would like the spa to go? I also would ask them whether or not the barbecue center was what they had in mind. Would they rather use a portable barbecue or a built-in one? They could save money if they wanted to use a portable barbecue.
How does this budget compare with what you normally use to install a spa?
Our packages usually don’t budget out to $30,000. We provide the hot tub, but we personally don’t get into the nuts and bolts of landscaping. Our spa and gazebo packages range between $5,000 to $12,000, so our scope is a lot narrower than what we did for this project.
