Is your back or front yard in Southeastern PA bland, boring, or outdated? Are you dreaming of outdoor living spaces that are fun, functional, and elegant? If so, adding stone features, such as a stone walkway, stone patio, or fire feature, can add beauty, durability, and enjoyment.
Backyard stone elements can transform your outdoor living space into a relaxing oasis that you can enjoy for years. The possibilities are endless, from stone pool decks and retaining walls to fireplaces and custom masonry. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the options, it’s time to schedule a design consultation with our team of experts. We’ll help you create the backyard of your dreams and make the process as easy and stress-free as possible.
1. Stone and Covered Patios
Stone patios offer homeowners a durable and visually pleasing option for outdoor spaces. Stone patios come in many designs, colors, and shapes, making it effortless to match the style of your home and even your budget. Adding unique touches like plant containers, light fixtures, or comfortable furniture can create an elegant ambiance indicative of your personal style and preferences.
You can also have a cover over your patio. Covered patios provide ample protection from the weather, making them the ideal place to hang out and relax, whether it’s raining or sunny. Covered patios come with the same durable and beautiful stone patio base but have a wood or vinyl covering that protects them from the elements. It’s also a great place to put an outdoor kitchen!
2. Outdoor Kitchens
Outdoor kitchens are an exciting trend in backyard living and entertainment spaces. They blend the functionality of indoor kitchens with the natural environment of an outdoor space. To add a stylish and unique flair, outdoor kitchen areas use various backyard stone elements, including bricks and natural stone. Some popular outdoor kitchen features include a built-in grill, refrigerator, sink, and cabinets.
Natural stone elements can be used in various combinations to create a personalized look perfect for your backyard. With an outdoor kitchen, you can cook and entertain under the sky with your favorite people. Just imagine baking pizza in your outdoor brick oven! Pizza night will never be the same!
3. Fireplaces
Adding an element of fire to your backyard living space can transform it into a cozy and welcoming environment. A stone fireplace is a captivating focal point, offering a beautiful, crackling view and warmth on cold nights. Incorporating fire features into retaining walls and patio designs offers further interest, adding a playful dimension to the visual ambiance.
Outdoor fireplaces create the perfect area to place furniture around to enjoy company on a cool summer night or a crisp fall evening. They can be standalone features on your stone patio or incorporated into an existing design. Some of the popular stone options for fireplaces include flat stacked stones, uniformly cut stones, and found field stones.
4. Fire Features
If you don’t want a complete fireplace or want something that complements one well, consider adding a fire feature! These backyard stone elements can be a fire pit, fire bowl, or fire table and come in various shapes and sizes. There’s just something about a warm fire that brings people together, making it a comfy and cozy place to relax.
Fire features also help you enjoy your stone patio as the weather gets colder. Typically, people spend time outdoors in the spring and summer, and it begins to dwindle in the fall and all but stops in the winter. But with a fire feature in your backyard, you can enjoy the outdoors year-round!
5. Outdoor Structures
Outdoor structures provide homeowners with a functional and stylish way to extend the living space of their homes. Structures such as pergolas and gazebos offer shade and captivating beauty to your backyard. Using natural stone and brick, these durable materials will create an outdoor shelter that matches your house’s style. Outdoor structures like these can also add value to your home and be a practical investment.
You can also consider adding a charming stone arbor to the mix if you have a large garden. Stone arbors provide structure and create an even more beautiful backyard oasis. Arbors can support climbing and creeping plants, fruits, and vegetables. They can also be used for decorative purposes like framing a driveway or walkway.
6. Stone Walkways and Stairs
Concrete pavers crumble and can become an eyesore with age. Grass can be unstable and cause trips and falls on your property. You and your guests deserve better! That’s why you should invest in natural stone walkways and stairs!
Stone walkways and stairs offer homeowners a durable and elegant way to connect different outdoor spaces and provide safe access between different levels. Consider weaving multiple designs of stones and patterns to add more visual appeal to your pathways and steps.
7. Flagstone and Travertine Pool Decks
A beautiful pool deck can transform the way you enjoy your outdoor space. Flagstone and travertine are perfect for pool surfaces, presenting a luxurious, natural surface complemented by the stone’s cooling effect. These materials also provide practical slip-resistant surfaces in environments with pool water that can become dangerous on other types of surfaces.
When you mix both flagstone and travertine tiles, you get a combination worthy of a magazine! They look stunning, won’t break down as rapidly over time, and provide a safe surface for you and your family to walk on—whether hot and dry from the sun or cool and damp from the pool water!
8. Retaining Walls
Retaining walls offer both practical and aesthetic benefits. They provide erosion control and have drainage systems that prevent water damage to your yard. Natural stones and bricks offer an eye-catching appeal to outdoor spaces while giving timeless and durable solutions.
Some stone wall ideas include:
- Dry stack with flat stacking stones – Interlocking natural stones without mortar
- Dry stack with irregular field stone – Irregularly-shaped stones are interlocked without mortar
- Full-stone veneer – built using reinforced concrete and cinderblock and finished with a natural stone façade
- Thin veneer – Stones are mortared together on the exterior of a structure
9. Entry Ways and Gate Piers
The grand entrance of your backyard space sets the perfect tone for different elements to follow. Custom gate piers provide a unique way to welcome guests into your outdoor space. They come in various sizes, shapes, and materials, including natural stones and bricks, which provide a durable and personalized touch to your space.
You can also add a natural stone entryway for your driveway. It’s an environmentally friendly option that adds beauty, class, and elegance. Just imagine how it would look leading to a stone walkway that welcomes guests to your home! You’d make all the neighbors jealous of your curb appeal.
10. Custom Masonry
Custom masonry provides endless possibilities to add character and personal style to your outdoor living space. The use of natural stones and bricks can offer a distinct appearance to an accent wall or patterned walkways and stonework accents in areas such as fire pits or outdoor kitchens.
The possibilities are endless with custom masonry! Want a unique pattern added to your stone patio? No problem! Our team is well-versed in these types of backyard stone elements. You can also refinish your crumbling chimney, add pillars for dimension and stability, or create unique water features for your backyard.
Ready to Start on Your Backyard Stone Elements? Schedule a Consultation!
Transforming your space with backyard stone elements offers homeowners both practical and aesthetic benefits. The variety of options available can sometimes be overwhelming, but our team is here to help you through it every step of the way! Schedule a design consultation with our expert stonemasons to guide you through the process, taking you from planning to installation and transforming your backyard into the oasis you’ve always dreamed of!