Gasper’s design considered several essential views inside and outside the house
As homeowners, everyone has their point of view. Country chic or classic contemporary? It’s a matter of perspective. A stately mailbox at the curb or a fan’s sports-themed letterbox shrine to a favorite team? Depends on your point of view.
However, one view we can all agree on is the one out to our yards — we all want a view that impresses and makes a statement.
Take Don and Barb W. for example. Their 20-year-old, multi-level deck built with their home needed replacement. Their pool — built after the deck but not accentuated by it — interrupted the view of the pool from the house. Barb said later she always wanted a patio but couldn’t envision making it work. Their yard didn’t impress, and it wasn’t speaking to their tastes.
Resigned, they were very close to going down the path of simply replacing the deck. And then they received one of Gasper’s catalogs in the mail and opened it to a before and an after picture of a house with a similar styled multi-level patio. That photo sparked an idea and a phone call to Gasper.
Sales designer, Jim Folz, met with Don and Barb on site and came back with a design for a multi-level patio that hit all their asking points: it was very open and had good flow to connect the house to the pool, it took into consideration the views from both the house and proposed patio, the proposal fit the original budget and — most importantly — it incorporated Barb’s cherished Katsura tree which she was adamant needed to be preserved. Don was very impressed with how Gasper utilized the 3-D model. “I am an engineer and we often work with 3-D renderings in my business, but I never expected to be able to view the patio from inside the house. It was extremely helpful. We were better able to envision the design and the views out the windows were important to see.”
Being very handy and a little bit particular as many engineers can be, Don has done most of the work on the house himself, so Barb knew that they were in good hands when Don was comfortable with Gasper. And Don was not disappointed throughout the construction of the project. The foreman was easy to work and communicate with, arriving promptly each day and taking extra care to make sure the job site was cleaned up and roped for safety each night. Jim was also available and on site frequently during construction, calling with any issue or item that needed the couple’s attention. Don knows he is particular, but felt that everyone at Gasper, including the foreman, was just as particular about how the job was progressing. “They wanted it to be perfect as much as we did,” he shares.
The actual footprint of the new paver patio is not much bigger than the deck — square footage wise, but it feels like more space because they are not confined by the railings. Even how the patio shifts the space into the yard, works better for them. The view overlooking the pool is now unobstructed and there is a nice balance between house and pool with more usable space. Barb explains, “An unexpected surprise was that, because the location of the table shifted, and the patio moved to the middle of the yard, it gave a much better view of the pool.” Only ‘problem’, as they see it is that the only time they get to view the beautiful boulder retaining walls is when Don is cutting the lawn. But they joke that their neighbors have commented that now, they also have a beautiful view.
Post construction, Don and Barb’s family and friends feel they are at a resort when they visit. Having always enjoyed entertaining outside, they now have nice useable spaces, ample room and good mingling between spaces. Everyone can be at different levels. Their older parents hang out at the upper level, the kids (or Millennials) are at the pool and all the food and tables are in the middle.
Gasper had the artistic creativity AND the ability to make it happen. There is an element of art to it. It requires engineering AND art.
Barb appreciates the many options and flexibility of places to set things up. She even uses the piers to rest trays of her famous Margaritas. Another upside of the new patio is that it encourages them to extend the season later than they ever did. Don shared that last year they kept the pool and spa open until Thanksgiving, because they were really enjoying the space.
“It still blows my mind, when I look back from day one. Gasper had the artistic creativity AND the ability to make it happen. There is an element of art to it. It requires engineering AND art.” remarks Barb. Maybe Gasper can help you change your point of view too?