$100,000–$150,000 · 7 weeks
Hill Country terrace, Boerne
A backyard that fell 14 feet from the house, turned into two limestone terraces with a flagstone patio, a cedar pergola and native planting.
San Antonio · Stone Oak · 2024
Stone Oak outdoor kitchen, San Antonio
A cracked concrete slab replaced with a covered outdoor kitchen, a gas fire pit and a new LED lighting system that replaced a failed halogen setup.
Cracked, heaved concrete slab before the outdoor kitchen, Stone Oak 
During construction: Cracked, heaved concrete slab before the outdoor kitchen, Stone OakOutdoor kitchen under a timber pavilion beside the pool deck, Stone Oak 
Finished: Outdoor kitchen under a timber pavilion beside the pool deck, Stone OakFire pit and Adirondack chairs on a concrete patio edged with black rock, Stone Oak 
Detail: Fire pit and Adirondack chairs on a concrete patio edged with black rock, Stone OakPatio and dining area under string lights at dusk, Stone Oak 
Detail: Patio and dining area under string lights at dusk, Stone Oak
The brief
What the clients needed
Marcus and Dana T. host most weekends: family on Sundays, friends on Saturdays, a crawfish boil every spring. Their backyard in Stone Oak faced west, had a cracked 2011 concrete slab, a gas grill on a cart and a halogen lighting system with 14 fixtures, four of them dead.
They wanted to cook and eat outside year-round, a fire pit for winter evenings, and lights that worked.
What we built
Caleb Wendt led the project. The slab came out and a 640-square-foot buff flagstone patio went in on new base, with gas, power and water sleeves under it. A 16-by-22-foot patio cover tied into the roofline with matched shingles, a tongue-and-groove cedar ceiling, two fans and recessed lights. Under it, Wade Kessler's masons built a 14-foot L-shaped kitchen in Texas limestone with a leathered granite counter, a 36-inch grill, a side burner, a fridge and a bar sink.
Out in the open, a 48-inch gas fire pit sits in a ring of limestone seat walls. The old halogen system was tested, its wire reused where sound, and every fixture replaced with 26 brass LED fixtures on a new 600-watt transformer with an astronomical timer. City of San Antonio permits covered the cover, gas and electrical.
Materials
Materials and specs
| Patio | 640 sq ft buff flagstone, mortared, with gas, electrical and water sleeves |
|---|---|
| Patio cover | 16 × 22 ft, shingle roof matched to house, cedar beams, T&G cedar ceiling, 2 fans |
| Kitchen | 14 ft L-shape, CMU frame, Texas limestone veneer, leathered granite, grill, side burner, fridge, sink |
| Fire pit | 48 in gas burner in a limestone surround with two seat walls |
| Lighting | 26 brass LED fixtures, 600 W transformer, astronomical timer; replaced 14 halogen fixtures |
Timeline
9-week build
- Design and render3 weeks
- Permits3 weeks
- Demolition, utilities, patioWeeks 1–3
- Patio coverWeeks 3–6
- Kitchen, fire pit, lightingWeeks 6–9
What the client said
“We had 40 people for the crawfish boil in March and nobody went inside. Caleb came back two weeks later to re-aim two lights we didn't love, without us asking.”
Portfolio
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A 30% slope down to a lake view, stabilized with three low limestone terraces, 38 lit steps and a composite deck with cable rail.
Free · 45 minutes · no obligation
Start with a free site walk
Forty-five minutes on your property with a designer. You'll leave with honest numbers and a clear next step. A fixed-price proposal with a 3D render follows within two weeks.