House in the North With a Backyard in the South 10/12/2003

The plan was take a small backyard basketball court surrounded by run down planting beds and turn it into a Southwestern retreat for all seasons. The total area of the enclosure when finished would measure 22 x 16 feet of outdoor living. Once the old planting beds were removed, cement forms were fabricated and remesh was layed in. Conduit for the new spa and lighting was installed back to the interior electrical panel of the house. The spa requires 240 volt 50 amp service with a GFI, so a subpanel was located 8 feet from the hot tub. The cement truck arrived to deliver 1.5 yards of concrete to expand the court and to create an additional platform for the new fireplace. Most of the construction consists of cinder block and mortar. Beginning with two columns at either end of the wall each weighing in excess of 1000lbs. The walls are finished in 2 layers of colorized stucco. The design of the fireplace was a dimension which would be shallow yet tall and wide, allowing for maximum projection of heat into the semi enclosed area. I can confirm that the choice of design has been a complete success even when it's cold outside! The fireplace, was framed with cinder block, then lined with fire resistant brick, chimney tiles and finally topped with a spark arrestor. The key trick to building the fireplace opening is a 4 foot piece of angle iron to act as the ledger bar to support the upper section of the fireplace. The top of the fireplace is a two layer bed of rebar enforced concrete with a throat reserved for the chimney stack. Since this is an outdoor installation no damper was required. All electrical was embedded in the walls, using outdoor rated wire for the 120v fixtures, and conduit for the 240v supply. Two lights and two outlets were installed across from the spa and are also gfi protected. The roof is constructed of 2 x 6 stringers resting on 4 x 6 beams carried by the wall. The roofing panels are transparent polycarbonate sheets which allow the sunlight thru and block out the weather. Finally pottery containing lush green foliage was added to the top of the walls to enhance the decor and suggest a tropical environment. The backyard is comfortable and functional, extending the Northwest season by allowing users to enjoy the outdoors well after neighbors have gone inside for the winter.