We have the luxury of seeing hundreds, maybe even thousands, of amazing projects every year. The design skills and craftsmanship of the builder community is truly amazing and inspiring.
There are certain times, though, that you come across a project on your social media feed and it stops you in your tracks. You have to simply sit and take it all in. Every single detail.
The deck, and entire outdoor living space, featured on the cover of our 2021 Product Catalog is one of those.
Designed and built by Mosaic Outdoor Living, this beautiful project sits nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains just outside of Fort Collins, CO.
When the homeowners contacted Mosaic, they had a nice deck that was very artistically designed, but it just wasn’t very usable – especially not with the drastic weather conditions experienced in Colorado. The shape of the deck and the features included left quite a bit of underutilized space.
“They wanted the ability to get outside as much as possible, and to have the features included to draw them into that space as much as possible,” said Andy Hashman, Outdoor Living Designer and VP of Northern Operations for Mosaic. “We wanted to get them a space that, while not a 365-day-a-year deck, they would be able to use 300 days a year.”
Additionally, Mosaic wanted to accomplish a few other things with the design of this dream deck: create a space that looked like it had always been there and make it as low maintenance as possible.
Both goals were accomplished with the materials chosen.
The interior of the home features an amazing set of iron stairs and exposed I-beams, which can be seen carried throughout the new outdoor space as the structural support and custom railing.
Mosaic used other materials already existing on the house, including natural wood under the covered porch and corrugated metal on the BBQ cabinet, and blended them into the project with new materials like the stone and composite decking.
This new design essentially tripled the size of the usable space to approximately 1200 sq. ft. and leveraged the position of the house as a natural weather block.
“By tying the deck into specific points on the house, we were able to create a seamless connection to the home while avoiding the weather as best as possible,” added Hashman. “We then used the cover and deck to extend that usable outdoor space.”
With infrared heaters installed under the covered porch to keep out the chill, this ultimately gave the home an additional 600 sq. ft. of space that can be used in nearly any weather.
More than just a fully functional space, though, the wow-factor comes in the features and finishes.
The stage is set with the combination of a long-lasting metal frame and our composite decking color Spiced Teak, from the Distinction Collection.
“The Distinction colors go great when you’re trying to get that natural hardwood look.” said Hashman. “It really does look like hardwood because the color in the boards never repeat. That’s what I love about it.”
The homeowners can watch the game on the TV that rises out of the custom bar, warm up by the one-of-a-kind curved stone firewall, or enjoy a delicious meal in the five-piece custom kitchen; just to name a few options.
It’s easy to see how you can be drawn to spend as much time as possible outside on this dream deck with family and friends.
So, how do you create a great ‘Mountain Modern’ outdoor space? “Using the materials you have on the actual house, and keeping the amount of materials you use to an absolute minimum,” suggests Hashman. “That way it’s seamless, it’s sleek and modern, but it’s also timeless.”
That choice in low maintenance materials is the key to accomplishing a timeless project that will also withstand the test of time. “Think about 10-15 years from now, this space will look pretty much like it does today, like it was just built yesterday,” he added.
Mosaic Outdoor Living has three locations across Colorado. Learn more about their full range of services, view their product portfolio, or schedule a consultation by visiting their website coloradodecks.com.
Ready to build your dream outdoor living space? Want to give the space you have now a facelift? Start here to browse our composite decking colors, order samples, request a quote, and more!
