The Minneapolis homeowners’ primary outdoor entertaining space is their sideyard. The existing patio was broken into two levels and the brick paving and timber walls had failed in many places. They rarely used the space because it wasn’t readily accessible, requiring going out the front or back house doors and through the fence gates to get to it.

The design solution was to replace an existing set of windows off the dining room with French doors, providing direct connection inside to the outdoor room. A new stone stoop leads to a new simplified one-level stone patio. The paving undulates around existing vegetation to create distinct areas for dining and lounging. Matching stone retaining walls create interesting planting areas for shade perennials.   The outdoor room now works as a cozy space for the homeowners but also easily flexes to accommodate larger group gatherings.

Highlights of this project include:

  • New French doors leading to renovated outdoor living room
  • Stone stoop, walls, and paving
  • Grilling patio with wood privacy trellis
  • Low voltage lighting
  • Shade perennial gardens

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