Small outdoor space – inspiration via My Domaine
Happy Monday! I hope you had a lovely weekend. I didn’t watch the Super Bowl, but if you did and your team won—congratulations!
Our side yard project has finally started, and it’s exciting to see progress. The area for the patio has been excavated and the framing for the steps is underway. I’m eager to share our plans and updates as the work continues; more progress is expected today and I’ll keep you posted.
If you’re just catching up: we’re updating the driveway and creating a small side patio; previous posts documenting this work are available on the blog.
Above is the before photo of the area, taken before we bought the house looking from the back toward the front yard. The layout was awkward and felt disjointed.
Before
A new house is being built next door, so there’s a lot of construction happening between the two properties. That actually worked in our favor: the new fencing and retaining wall between the houses will integrate nicely with our courtyard plans and give the space a finished look.
While planning concrete work for the side yard and garage driveway, we decided to add an extra parking spot. There was a perfectly flat area near our other driveway with street access that made sense for another vehicle. In a busy city, an extra parking space is a major convenience. Our street is quiet and well supplied with parking, but another spot is useful for guests or an extra car.
Because our main driveway slopes toward a lower-level garage, having a flat pull-up area near the kitchen will make unloading groceries much easier. This spot used to be full of weeds; turning it into a driveway will reduce maintenance and improve curb appeal. To soften hard edges between the fence and the new driveway, we’ll add potted trees or other greenery, and a short fence will sit to the right of the space.
Jenny Wolf / Photo by Emily Gilbert
At the end of the new driveway we’ll install a gate and fence—this gate is our inspiration. It will be self-closing and lockable for safety, while remaining convenient for bringing groceries and other items into the house.
The side yard’s primary goal is safety and enclosure for people and pets. It will be fully fenced with gates to both the front and back yards, and a new concrete patio will be poured. I’ll share drawn plans with measurements soon, including one for the kitchen remodel, to help visualize the layout.
When we remodel the kitchen, we picture the small outside area as a natural extension of that room: a place to barbecue, watch sunsets, or sip coffee on warm mornings. I’m planning a small kitchen garden in pots since the patio will be so easily accessed from the kitchen.
We’re rebuilding safer concrete steps with a handrail and built-in lighting. Space is limited, but the new patio at the top of the steps will make much better use of the area. The new steps will be far easier to navigate and, once enclosed by the fence and gates, the patio will feel private and secure.
The new neighboring house is large but attractive. Their lower-level windows are high and small, so our privacy won’t be compromised. The fences will sit on a cement retaining wall between the properties, neatly enclosing our courtyard.
We decided to add inset lights along a low cement planter wall next to the steps and plan to string lights for evening ambiance.
Our side porch will receive new post columns and a railing on one side similar to the pictured design. We’ll add copper post caps and replace a nonfunctional security light with a more decorative fixture. Eventually we’ll paint the brick to lend a cottage-like feel and install the Dutch door we’ve been dreaming about.
BHG
This image inspired the double gate we plan between the side patio and the backyard. The gate will help keep our dogs contained in the patio during muddy weather and allow an enclosed dog potty area accessible from the side yard so they can go in and out without roaming through the entire yard. We won’t add the arbor—although charming—because we don’t want to block the view of the water and sky from the upper side patio.
The double gate will be both functional and attractive, and opening both gates will create a wide entry for entertaining and easy access between the driveway and backyard.
Ultimately, I hope the design updates around the side yard will complement the front exterior and interior, creating a cohesive, inviting home with character inside and out. That’s the dream—one step at a time.
I’ll share photos as soon as the concrete is poured. It will be rewarding to watch this small courtyard take shape and to see how it inspires the interior design when it’s right outside the kitchen.
More details to come!