Landscape design isn’t just plants and stone; carpentry, in the form of decks, porches, and pergolas, can be a fantastic way to extend your living space. I designed my first deck over twenty years ago. In the years since, manufacturers have made huge advancements in composite lumber, railings, and more. I’ve also learned more about wood species, like black locust and sassafras, that hold up well and look amazing.

The deck that came with our clients’ new home was functional, but that was about all you could say in its favor. We had big plans for this Sperryville landscape design project and they included a bigger deck integrated with a retaining wall. The ramp was part of the original deck. We kept it because it makes bringing in firewood a lot easier for the homeowners.

Porches

Willowsford Rear Porch

For this Willowsford landscape design project our clients wanted to create an outdoor entertaining space they could use all year long. Out of decks, porches, and pergolas they got 2 out of 3 and I couldn’t be happier! The decking for the rear porch is black locust and the ceiling is sassafras, both provided by Robi Decking. A gas fireplace and ceiling-mounted infrared heaters (combined with Virginia’s mild weather) make this a nearly four season space.

Culpeper Screen Porch

This Culpeper screen porch was a challenging design but it’s one of my favorite projects. The brief started out straightforward: a good-sized screen porch in downtown Culpeper. Then the town said “we don’t care that the house is 16 inches from the property line, your setback is still ten feet.” Then that pushed us closer to the 125 year old maple that the clients and I absolutely wanted to keep. We consulted with Bartlett Tree, designed the porch to wrap around the tree, and you know what? I love it!

Pergolas

Fredericksburg Cedar Pergola

This Fredericksburg pool and landscape project left us with a neat little long and narrow space at the back of the house. It has pretty views and it’s convenient to the house but darn it, there’s a little too much sun. There has to be a better way! Enter the pergola – this 8 ft x 31 ft western red cedar pergola even includes a retractable shade cover from ShadeFX for those hot days.

We worked with a fantastic architect on this Great Falls landscape design project. She did the pool and outdoor kitchen before we got involved and the clients added the request for a pergola after those elements were already in place. Suddenly we needed a shade structure but I couldn’t clutter up this beautiful pool area with posts. Luckily I work with a talented and experienced steel fabricator. I designed this structure, checked with Taylor at Platinum Star Forge to ensure I wasn’t forgetting anything, and then he and I got started.

Once the steel was bolted and welded in place we clad everything in AZEK trim lumber and painted it black. We made the wrap a little bigger than the steel rafters to accommodate LED lights that are operated via a switch on the back of the kitchen wall.

Culpeper stone and wood pergola

When your pool backs up to 75 acres of vines, you need a pergola with presence. This wood and masonry structure really sets off this Culpeper pool and landscape project. We matched the stone veneer to the house. The beams are custom cut white oak beams that were sourced less than 30 minutes away.