Custom Patio Design, Making the Most of a Small Outdoor Space

Phoenix Home & Garden is very interested in showcasing our finally finished patio in their magazine. They are impressed with the way we made the most of a small outdoor space and have, in fact, already taken some photos, and want to return for some evening sitting-around-the-fire-pit-and-watching-the-salmon-sear-on-the-grill photos. Just two years after the project commenced we can, at last, proclaim that it is virtually complete. What started as a "Honey, can you make some kinda little water feature thingy for the patio with this old, tiny desktop fountain pump?" was quickly injected with the "How can I make this project more than what it is, bigger and more time-consuming than it should be, and more expensive than we can afford?" steroids of my creative thought process. We are pleased.
Cool evenings find us mesmerized by the fire in the fire pit as it dances amongst the black bits of glass. The soothing sounds of the seven waterfalls are constant therapy. And when the desert heat settles mercilessly in the three-digit range, every evening finds us in the refreshing pool water never too far from a glass of wine. We are very pleased. And, I truly believe, our fish are the happiest in the world. We have nine in the 800 gallon pond - two Koi, four fan-tailed goldfish, and three shubunkin - and room for more. It's a lot for a 350 sf patio - pool, pond, fire pit, seating area, built-in BBQ, landscape, and all the equipment to run it. The reality is quite loyal to our original design, and all the work seems worth it. I still have the tiny desktop fountain pump. Hmmmm.
(Click on images to enlarge.)













Dana W. Ball

Architectural Designer / General Contractor
Art Guy Design, LLC
http://www.artguydesign.com