We overhauled this home’s outdoor spaces, front and back in a full remodel. Up front we shaped the yard into slopes and tiers. Each level got clean beds with tejas gravel and low-water shrubs and grasses.
Out back, the hard surfaces do most of the work. We used concrete pavers set in tejas gravel, plus poured concrete for pool decking. The pool anchors the whole yard, with a large open layout. We’re refinishing the pool with glass beads, so it holds that clean look in sun and shade.
Landscaping ties the design together from front to back with a simple minimalist xeriscape design with tejas gravel covering the landscaping beds and drought-resistant grasses and evergreen shrubs bringing life, color, and movement to the sparse style.
The look is simple and high contrast, which fits the home and stands out in stark minimalist style. Light gray acid-wash pavers sit in dark tejas gravel, so every line is sharp and the overall look is clean. We used long rectangle pavers in the front. Around the house, we shifted to square pavers for consistent walkways.
The front beds were cleared, then rebuilt with new edges. We also updated the stairs and the hardscape at the entry, so the entire approach feels elevated.
In the back, expansive hardscaping sculpts the yard and holds it in place, while creating subtle boundaries between spaces with differences in the hardscape design. The resurfaced pool features glass beads and fresh concrete decking extends the area a comfortable distance from the lagoon-style inground pool.
This front yard needed structure, not more lawn. We built it in steps so the slope feels effortless to cross.
Concrete pavers and new stairs lead you in along broad entrance. Tejas gravel fills the joints between pavers, and in new beds that run along the front of the house.
Tiered retaining walls hold the yard’s soil in place. Stone planters add spots for simple, drought-resistant plantings.
We picked shrubs and grasses that handle heat well. The lighter foliage pops against the dark gravel, which keeps the modern look.
The multi-level retaining walls in the landscape are built of CMU cores clad in porcelain tile and capped with Lueders limestone with a clean, hard edge and smooth finish.
The retaining walls create landscape beds, hold soil in place, reduce erosion problems, and create continuity with the concrete pavers forming the steps in the entrance walkway.
By the front door, we added a pattern that breaks up the flat lines. Large sections of grey techo block was laid in between the concrete pavers, so the entry feels one-of-a-kind.
That brick-like layout also ties back to the tejas gravel. The shapes echo each other, so the whole front yard feels connected.
Techo block is dense and tough, and holds its own in full sun. It stands up to the wear and tear of busy walkways without issue.
And pavers set in gravel are easier to fix than poured slabs. In North Texas homes, this will be a problem sooner or later, so it’s better to plan for the future with permeable hardscaping designs.
