Comments
|
TCP Custom Outdoor Living
|
Sponsored Content
Pro Spotlight: 3 Tips for Designing an Outdoor Living Room
Three outdoor living pros share advice on creating custom outdoor living spaces
Sponsored Content
Who: Katherine and Rob Douglass and Steven Schell of TCP Custom Outdoor Living
Where: Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth
In Schell’s own words: “We’re here to solve the outdoor living puzzle and make their dream space come to life.”
An outdoor living room turns an underused part of your yard into a place where you’ll want to spend most of your time. Katherine and Rob Douglass and Steven Schell of TCP Custom Outdoor Living in Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth love seeing those homeowner visions come to life. “Helping a homeowner turn their backyard into a space where they can ‘live it out’ is really inspiring,” Rob says.
Where: Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth
In Schell’s own words: “We’re here to solve the outdoor living puzzle and make their dream space come to life.”
An outdoor living room turns an underused part of your yard into a place where you’ll want to spend most of your time. Katherine and Rob Douglass and Steven Schell of TCP Custom Outdoor Living in Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth love seeing those homeowner visions come to life. “Helping a homeowner turn their backyard into a space where they can ‘live it out’ is really inspiring,” Rob says.
Gather your thoughts. Katherine advises homeowners to give some thought to what they want and what they like before reaching out to the professionals. “We have found that homeowners who have considered their space and made a list of what they absolutely want and a list of ‘could haves’ if the price is right makes the process go so much smoother,” she says. She adds that just knowing what a homeowner wants allows the designers to recommend what size and amenities should be planned for at the beginning of the process.
Embrace technology. Schell says one design benefit he and the Douglasses have discovered is the use of virtual meetings as a part of the process. “We’ve been able to have everyone meet rather than just one person, so we get everyone’s input from the start,” he says. This allows them to share designs and ideas during the conversations and tailor the options. “We can easily tighten things up,” he says.
Ready to take your backyard to the next level? Below, the TCP team offers some tips on how to get started.
Ready to take your backyard to the next level? Below, the TCP team offers some tips on how to get started.
1. Share Your Dream
Let your team know what your ideal patio would look like. The owners of this home in the River Oaks area of Houston knew they wanted a larger entertaining area and privacy for their pool, but they were stymied by the existing layout and how to tie it into the odd roof angles. “They didn’t know how to get there,” Rob says.
He added an L-shaped outdoor entertaining area that opens up off the original patio and extends across the end of the pool. There’s room for a grill station, a serving bar, a large dining table and a seating area with a fireplace at one end. The wall and roof provide the asked-for privacy and the design allows the new roof to fit in seamlessly with the home’s exterior.
See more of this project
Let your team know what your ideal patio would look like. The owners of this home in the River Oaks area of Houston knew they wanted a larger entertaining area and privacy for their pool, but they were stymied by the existing layout and how to tie it into the odd roof angles. “They didn’t know how to get there,” Rob says.
He added an L-shaped outdoor entertaining area that opens up off the original patio and extends across the end of the pool. There’s room for a grill station, a serving bar, a large dining table and a seating area with a fireplace at one end. The wall and roof provide the asked-for privacy and the design allows the new roof to fit in seamlessly with the home’s exterior.
See more of this project
2. Take an All-Season Approach
Combine sheltered and open spaces to increase versatility throughout the year. The enlarged patio that replaced the existing covered space of this Trophy Club home is comfortable no matter what the weather. “One of the priorities was making the area usable year-round,” Katherine says.
The team expanded the existing patio, adding a retaining wall for support and covering the center of the space with a gabled roof. The space is large enough for a seating area, dining area and outdoor kitchen. The fireplace on the end wall, two gas heaters on the opposite wall and sealed windows in the gables keep things toasty in colder months. Retractable screens in the openings allow fresh breezes in and keep bugs out during warmer months. Open-air travertine patios on either side provide additional entertaining areas and access to the yard below.
See more of this project
Combine sheltered and open spaces to increase versatility throughout the year. The enlarged patio that replaced the existing covered space of this Trophy Club home is comfortable no matter what the weather. “One of the priorities was making the area usable year-round,” Katherine says.
The team expanded the existing patio, adding a retaining wall for support and covering the center of the space with a gabled roof. The space is large enough for a seating area, dining area and outdoor kitchen. The fireplace on the end wall, two gas heaters on the opposite wall and sealed windows in the gables keep things toasty in colder months. Retractable screens in the openings allow fresh breezes in and keep bugs out during warmer months. Open-air travertine patios on either side provide additional entertaining areas and access to the yard below.
See more of this project
3. Match Your Lifestyle
Create a space that’s large enough for how you plan to use it. The owners of this home in Spring Valley, who were already adding a pool to their yard, wanted a replacement for the standalone covered patio that housed a small outdoor kitchen. “It just wasn’t large enough for entertaining,” Katherine says.
The team replaced the original structure with a generously sized space that’s attached to the house and stretches out from there. Underneath the roof, the wraparound outdoor kitchen and island allow plenty of room for cooking and casual entertaining. There’s also space for a dining table and a seating area in front of the fireplace. Granite countertops with waterfall edges and floor tiles that are a mix of stone, marble and porcelain give the homeowners the modern look they wanted.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Katherine and Rob Douglass and Steven Schell and examples of their work, visit TCP Custom Outdoor Living’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Create a space that’s large enough for how you plan to use it. The owners of this home in Spring Valley, who were already adding a pool to their yard, wanted a replacement for the standalone covered patio that housed a small outdoor kitchen. “It just wasn’t large enough for entertaining,” Katherine says.
The team replaced the original structure with a generously sized space that’s attached to the house and stretches out from there. Underneath the roof, the wraparound outdoor kitchen and island allow plenty of room for cooking and casual entertaining. There’s also space for a dining table and a seating area in front of the fireplace. Granite countertops with waterfall edges and floor tiles that are a mix of stone, marble and porcelain give the homeowners the modern look they wanted.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Katherine and Rob Douglass and Steven Schell and examples of their work, visit TCP Custom Outdoor Living’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Greater Houston Area 281-265-1994
Greater Dallas Ft. Worth Area 972-915-2727
tcpoutdoor.com
Let TCP Custom... Read More
Review by Jimmy Rench:
We contracted with TCP to design and build an outdoor living area as well as converting and expanding an existing covered patio into an outdoor dining area and kitchen. We liked the portfolio that TCP...More