GuildQuality is holding their ‘Best of 2017’ photo contest and Leslie Hatfield has the perfect project complete with stunning photos to compete. Take a look at this stunning outdoor space and cast your vote for the best photo of 2017.
This beautiful ranch is the ideal home for this family. They’re able to enjoy their horses, plentiful wildflowers and relaxing Kansas views. The home was exactly what they wanted with the exception of their outdoor space. Leslie worked with the homeowners to create their dream outdoor retreat.
The home previously had a kidney-shaped pool and concrete patio which didn’t fit within the design aesthetic of the home. The homeowner’s wanted to use their existing stone and wood trellis outdoor kitchen to set the tone for the outdoor remodel design. Their hope was to have a space to entertain friends and family complete with cooking stations, a pool that would tie into their country setting as well as bring in more shade.
Two-Story Porch
The first major consideration in the design was deciding how to bring in shade without blocking the rolling hill views from the many windows on the back of the home. Leslie determined a two-story focal porch with a single story covered area to be the perfect solution. Not only does this provide plenty of shade across the back of the home but also is the main focal point of the outdoor space.
Leslie and the homeowner’s selected a truss gable porch design with large tapered stone columns. The height of the two-story structure called for large-scale columns to help balance the proportions. They selected the stone for the columns to match the existing stone in the exterior kitchen. Timber stained columns sit above the stone, raising the porch roof above the existing great room windows.
A two-story porch ceiling has a lot of unused space and Leslie wanted to make sure the space didn’t feel empty. She decided to add chandeliers to help fill the space and bring in lighting. Proportions again became a factor when trying to find the right size chandeliers. A standard chandelier wouldn’t fill the space adequately and finding chandeliers that were large enough was proving to be difficult. Leslie accepted the lighting challenge and was able to track down 8-foot-tall chandeliers! They create just the right amount of drama and visually draw the eye up.
Cooking and Seating Areas
The homeowners are avid BBQ competitors and were excited to incorporate cooking areas to their patio. The fireplace has two sides and acts as a divider between the seating and cooking area. The uncovered cooking side has a firebox with a commercial grade grill insert. In addition to the firebox, the cooking area has a full hog pit. The hog pit doubles as a prep table and standing area for guests.
On the other side of the fireplace sits a seating area. This beautiful, cozy space is the perfect place to enjoy a blazing fire with guests on a cool night. The seating area is a one-story covered area and is adjacent to the two-story porch. The Tivol lighting attached to the exposed timber stained beams provides just the right amount of soft light.
Pool
The kidney-shaped pool was lackluster within the beautiful ranch setting. The homeowners wanted to install a larger pool but were worried about sight lines and originally didn’t want the pool to have a backdrop. Leslie again provided the perfect solution to their concerns, a lineal low stone waterfall. The stone tied in the column stone and the waterfall was kept below the views to the pond and horse fields.
The homeowners were also concerned about the color of the pool. A brilliant tropical looking pool would stick out among their country setting and be a sharp contrast to the pond. They selected a green-hued tile which perfectly compliments the pond and natural backdrop.
The new outdoor living space far exceeded the homeowner’s expectations. The two-story porch provides the shade they wished for and ads to their home’s beautiful ranch setting. They now have the perfect place to host summer pool parties or cool night dinner parties.
Take a look at some of the other contenders of GuildQuality’s ‘Best of 2017’ photo contest as well as this project at guildquality.com.
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