April 6, 2023

Moving to a new home can be overwhelming, and it’s not unusual for homeowners to realize a full year has passed without addressing any of the new home’s exterior features. In this case, these homeowners had yet to do anything to their backyard and wanted to create an outdoor living space that they could enjoy for many years.

Project Overview

These West Ann Arbor homeowners were ready to elevate their outdoor living space of their new home. The family found Twin Oaks Landscape via a web search and spoke with our experienced team for advice on the best way to transform their backyard into an upscale outdoor living space they could enjoy year-round. Our team at Twin Oaks Landscape helped these homeowners design an upscale exit from their sliding door, with composite deck steps leading to a large patio designed with pavers that incorporated a retaining wall both for function and to provide a place for guests to sit. The steps, patio, and step down uses the slope of the lawn, making it part of the solution.

The Twin Oaks Landscape Solution

The project was completed in November 2022. Due to the door coming out of the house and a slope to the backyard, we did a set of composite deck steps leading from the door to an elevated patio, and then a step down from the patio to the lawn. We began with a dig out of the area and preparation of the patio space. The patio space was tamped down and filled in before we began to lay the pavers in an intricate pattern with two radius areas on both sides that gave the yard an upscale look. The area for the deck steps was marked off to provide the right fit from the back door of the house leading to the patio. Rather than a simple step, we used a geometric style that will upgrade the outdoor living area.

Materials Used

Different materials were needed for the patio, the retaining wall, and the deck. The composite deck steps were installed using Treks. The material used for the patio was Fendt Elite Sterling smoke pavers. The retaining wall was built with Fendt stonegate stones. The 700 square foot patio was constructed with an interesting geometric shape with an intricate pattern of different colored pavers.  With this construction, the patio is not only functional as an outdoor living space, but will also provide its own aesthetic enhancement to the landscaping. Lighting was installed into the sitting and retaining wall to enhance the space, as well as into the composite deck steps for functionality and safety.

Results

This project progressed smoothly from beginning to end with no special needs or setbacks. These Ann Arbor homeowners were very happy with the team throughout the work on the project. They are thrilled with the final outcome and are looking forward to using their outdoor living space for years to come. After their first year in the house with no outdoor work, they are happy to finally have a space where they can entertain family and friends, as well as enjoy each other’s company throughout the year. We love helping homeowners in our community make the most of their outdoor living spaces, and we can help you too! To learn more about how we can help you upgrade your outdoor spaces, contact Twin Oaks Landscape today.