When warm weather arrives to Northern Michigan, you just want to soak up some Vitamin D by getting outside. It should be as simple as opening your doors, taking a few steps and enjoying nature. A perfectly planned patio can help remind you to do just that as it acts as an extension of the home.
The Kirkby family can certainly attest to this. When they moved into their newly purchased home in Charlevoix, Michigan they immediately wanted to develop an outdoor space for the entire family to enjoy, pets included. With two adults working from home and two very active homeschooled children, it was a top priority for everyone to be able to spend as much time outdoors as possible.
When it came to establishing a design, homeowner Christian Kirkby, was already a step ahead of the rest with his expansive knowledge of outdoor patios. He has been part of the sales team at HIGH FORMAT® for ten years, a brand developed by the Manthei family featuring high quality landscape products, including walls and pavers produced right here in Charlevoix, Michigan.
But even with his experience he exclaims how the design process wasn’t instantaneous, “I find it’s easy to give advice to other people, but when it comes to your own home, you can second guess everything. While taking into consideration what we wanted, and with all the moving parts, we went through about twelve different design renditions before arriving at a final layout.”
The good news was that the residence came with mature Boxwood plants in excellent condition which could easily be transplanted. However, the existing patio, including a neglected pond, was in much need of a complete overhaul.
They also desired to expand the patio footprint because the main driving force for the project was a family-centered fire pit that needed to be placed a safe distance from the home. Room for eating lunch, reading a book and entertaining, all while maintaining the well established grassy areas for activities such as a family water balloon fight were also priorities.
The Kirkbys felt it was critical that the patio look like it was part of the original design of the home, building upon the straight lines and complimenting the existing white exterior facade with black accents. With this in mind, Christian opted for Fossil Travertine pavers in a French pattern to lay the groundwork. “It’s beautiful, durable and each piece is unique, so the end result is like none other,” he says. This HIGH FORMAT® natural stone product has warm tones with swirls of grays and whites and can be placed with tight joints. No sealing or joint sand is required, so there is virtually no maintenance, making their busy lives easier.
They decided to build seat walls surrounding the patio out of HIGH FORMAT® Kodah® Wall blocks. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but they are manufactured with consistent heights and shapes, making installation simple. “I think it takes about 50% less time to install than natural stone,” says Kirkby. The block sizes also worked well with creating a custom built-in grill, and HIGH FORMAT® manufactures a matching linear fire pit kit that would tie it all together.
The Kodah® Fire Pit Kit has three insert options to choose from, but the Kirkbys narrowed it down to either the gas insert or the stainless steel wood burning Breeo® smokeless insert. Ultimately, the Breeo® won out, “The kids love to pick up sticks in the yard, and we wanted them to be able to toss the sticks into the fire and be more engaged.”
The custom grill area was strategically located next to the French doors leading to the kitchen, making it convenient for food preparations. The counters are made from HIGH FORMAT® Camden Coping and Caps, both in the Summit color. Minimal cutting was required; the product already comes sealed, therefore resistant to staining. Plus the same coping was to be used to finish off the surrounding walls, creating a cohesive project.
As for what Christian’s favorite details are, he says the landscape lighting really changes the atmosphere at night, and he’s thankful they added it. The low voltage fixtures are placed under the caps and coping as downlights; they run on standard electricity and are set to a timer. The indirect nature of the fixtures point the lights down and not in the eyes.
He’s also extremely happy with the travertine. “It stays cool in direct sunlight, and we don’t need to have shoes on. The kids can be barefoot with their toys, and everyone can relax.”
As with any project, he does have a few tips when you are thinking about getting started on your own project. “Choice of materials is the most important. I challenge you to think about what you will be looking at for 20 plus years and make sure you love it. If something costs a little bit more than you would like, try to make it work.”
His second tip is to plan ahead even if it seems farfetched. “Conceive multiple scenarios of home expansions or patio additions. Planning for hypotheticals will allow for adding hot tubs or pergolas at a later date, for example.”
Overall, the Kirkbys now have an efficient and low maintenance patio with all the details that a family needs. Three cheers for a job well done in making the outdoors part of their home!
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