Commerce Patio, Firepit and Outdoor Kitchen Backyard - Odd Jobs Landscape & Pavers | Brick Pavers, Retaining Walls and Outdoor Kitchens - Landscape Design
Paver Patio West Bloomfield Michigan with Retaining Wall and Firepit

Commerce Patio, Firepit and Outdoor Kitchen Backyard

Hello and thank you for coming back to listen to another block. In this article, we will talk about an amazing project we built in Commerce Township/Walled Lake. This is hands-down one of our favorite projects. We have so many it’s really hard to decide which is our favorite!


This project all began with a recommendation from a local shoe shop. Authentic Kickz is a shoe store located in West Bloomfield Michigan and they recommended us to their friends for this project. This project started with a design in September of 2022. We reconnected around February of 2023 to bring the design to life!


Landscape Design

We designed for the homeowner a two-tier space one lower space that contain an outdoor kitchen and another upper space that would contain a space for sitting and gathering with family and friends. That design that we worked with ended up being what the homeowner liked the most – – however we decided to make edits to the design as we went to make it more fitting to the backyard. As you know all of our projects begin with 2-D and 3-D designs that help our homeowners become confident in the work that we’re going to do at their home.


A Modern Backyard!

We started the project by working on the lower area. The first change was a decision to upgrade from what was shown in the design to our extra-large Unilock Beacon Hill pavers. We decided to use this for many reasons, namely because at our last project we used it and it helped to cover lots of space while also giving a very different aesthetic than a normal three-piece paver patio. Here’s a picture of the lower area all paved out. The only concern that we had was that unfortunately, the deck posts that were were not all even and it did make the cuts somewhat difficult.

Open photo

U-Cara Retaining Wall

We decided to use a U-Cara retaining wall for the upper patio, pillars, and stairs. This is one of our most popular retaining walls because of how stylish it is. Halfway through the installation of the retaining wall, we decided to add an accent course to break up all of the grey colors. The homeowners love the idea and it does add an entirely new taste to their backyard because we continued the same with the U-Cara pillars and the U-Cara outdoor kitchen too.

U-Cara Retaining Wall Michigan
Granite Pitched Face


Outdoor Kitchen

For the outdoor kitchen area, we built out of U-cara as well. We utilized a very large amount of U-care to do this entire project. This is an outdoor kitchen that has an upper area for eating and bar seating in a lower area specifically for grilling. The grill is a Napoleon prestige pro and we added an access panel/drawer combination and a double trashcan. Our local suppliers had these readily available and these have been the materials with utilize for the majority of our outdoor kitchen projects!

U-Cara Outdoor Kitchen in Michigan with Granite Pitched. Napolean Prestige Pro Grill

U-Cara Pillars 

These pillars are made out of the U-Cara block. We used the granite smooth to match the pavers. For the top of the U-Cara pillar, we decided to use a ledge stone. All of our suppliers in the local area provided us caps that were a hair too small so we upgraded and utilize the ledge stone which actually did match the pillars and the granite pretty well. 

Upper patio

Raised Patio in West Bloomfield Michigan

As for the upper patio we decided to use a very unique design. This design was inspired from the Unilock 2023 catalog. For the upper we decided to use a mix of Mattone, and Hollyn Premier. This is our second time doing a major inlay like this and this one turned out really well. We kept the same uniformity throughout the backyard from the fire pit to the entire pavers. And this helped us to have ideas for the steps that you’ll see in just a moment.


Steps

For our steps, we use a combination of Rosetta stone in the gray colorway mix with the black charcoal Holland Premier that we use for the border. I love the herringbone pattern that we designed inside of the stairs. This made the staircase very unique and different than just a bunch of gray Rosetta Stone stairs cascading up to the driveway. I think this is one of the most unique parts of the backyard and really makes a first impression on anyone who decides to make their way down into this outdoor living space


Hot tub area

For the hot tub area, we decided to get creative as well. We utilized a mix of the Mattone and Holland premier pavers. This created a carpet-style aesthetic under the hot tub and a definite area for the hot tub to sit that separates it from the remainder of the patio. This was absolutely our first time utilizing two inlays, actually three including the stairs, on one project. 


Low Maintenance Landscaping

The landscaping will utilize a mix of different plants. Nearest to the staircase we utilize grasses and I believe I gave it a comfortable feel walking into the outdoor living space. We also utilize coral bells these are very low-maintenance plants that require minimal attention and that is what our homeowner desires.

For the area behind the outdoor kitchen and patio, we used a mix of spruce trees, arborvitaes, grasses, boxwoods, and black mulch to finish the look. We also have some small boxwoods that are inside the planter beds at the end of the race patio. I like that a lot because it breaks up all of the hardscapes. We also have the Tricolor beech tree in the corner near the AC unit and the coral bells under it help to amplify the red/pink colorways that are going on in that area,


If you’re interested in seeing more about this project here’s the link below to a video that we made a bit earlier in the project. If you are a homeowner who lives in Michigan or Walled Lake and are interested in an outdoor living space similar to this – – big or small. Give us a call today at 248–3 02–9175.

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