Vilano Beach Pool Deck with Pavilion & Summer Kitchen

May 19, 2015

This new construction Vilano Beach project is located on Porpoise Point, near the St Augustine inlet, intracoastal waterway, and beaches of Vilano- Just south of Ponte Vedra. Fill was added and the pool deck was built up to strategically take advantage of the water views looking to the West and South. A covered pavilion houses the outdoor kitchen and dining areas providing shade and shelter from the weather with the ability to take advantage of a small swim-up and seating area to the pavilion from the pool. The pavers used here are from Artistic Paver Manufacturing out of Miami FL. Shell Lock Atlantic Series- a paver with sea shells mixed into the aggregate honed smooth with beveled edges.

The finished pool deck from the covered outdoor kitchen area.

The completed paver pool deck from the children's splash area and sand box.

The fire pit at the end of the lap pool is built in to the same elevation of the pool deck to appear floating in the pool with water all around it. This project was designed and installed by Moderna Pavers of Jacksonville FL.

Marsh Landing Backyard Sanctuary

September 14, 2012

The neglected backyard before the hardscape project began.

The backyard at this Marsh Landing home had been neglected for many years, we weren't sure if anyone had been back there in quite some time. You could just barely see that there was a golf course and a wrap around lake surrounding this peninsula of land that shaped the backyard. The new homeowners immediately recognized that this backyard showed enormous potential. Moderna was delighted to be part of the process.

The finalized hardscape plan, showing the seat wall, columns and fire pit. — The finalized hardscape plan, showing the seat wall, columns and fire pit.

The design of the project was focused on integrating the patio and walks in the most advantageous placement between the trees, maintaining the natural, tree covered environment.

The design includes raising the fire pit portion of the patio and building a seating wall on one side, anchored by two columns on either end.

Gracefully curved walkways lead you to the patio and connect the dock, screened in pool, and driveway at the front of the home. Because of the large scale of this project we kept the walkways at 4' wide, this also allows two people to walk side by side ont he walks.

The upper patio was planned so that guests could use the seating wall to enjoy the fire or pull up a chair between the wall and fire pit.

The fire pit is plumbed with gas from the home's main tank with a stainless steel control module which houses a flame height selector and electric igniter.

The completed hardscape patio with fire pit, seat wall and columns in Marsh Landing.

The pavers used are Tremron's Mega Olde Towne, a three piece cobble paver with a slightly pillowed edge. The color of the pavers, wall, cap, columns, and fire pit are Sierra- a blend of Sandstone, Tan and Charcoal.

Before and after of the side area.

From the homeowner:

Being out on the patio is a truly special experience. We sit and watch the birds under the canopy of the trees as the summer breeze comes off the ocean, down the fairway and across our raised patio rustling through the leaves of the palms & tall pines. A serene place, profoundly connected with nature.

Creating an Outdoor Room in Jacksonville

August 1, 2012

The completed jacksonville outdoor living project.

The homeowners started their project by constructing a typical glassed in Florida Room- a room designed to bring you closer to the outdoors. The room is climate controlled, lets in lots of light and suited a excellent purpose. But the Florida room didn't quite bring them close enough to their wonderful Florida outdoors and Jacksonville backyard area.

The next phase of the project was creating a new space- the Outdoor Room. Outdoor living as a concept has grown extensively in Jacksonville and North Florida over the last decade. The new vision of the outdoor room is the transition from a simple concrete slab or wood patio with a few folding chairs and a picnic table to a more elaborate outdoor living space with a kitchen, pavers, walls, fire pit... limitless possibilities.

The homeowner approving the final layout before the paver construction begins.

Before we got started the backyard was pretty basic, with a small wood deck off to one side. The homeowners gave us a list of the features and amenities that they wanted to include and shared with us that they wanted to be able to gather in a larger group, but also have several quaint areas that would accomodate smaller, more intimate groups of people.

The first thing to get installed was the pergola. A rough cut cedar structure built with large posts and accents to suite its large scale size. The pergola was pre-stained to reduce future maintenance and prewired for ambient and grill lighting and an outdoor ceiling fan.

The kitchen components were set- including gas, electrical, plumbing etc. and we were ready for the brick pavers. We used a product called Mega Olde Towne which is a three piece cobble paver, meaning the sides and corners of the pavers are pillowed slightly to give a cobblestone like appearance, though the surface of the paver is still flat and smooth. The color chosen was Sierra, a blend of Sandstone, Tan, and Charcoal- accenting the home, pergola, and kitchen. These brick paving stones are manufactured locally in Jacksonville.

The three tiered seat wall is also constructed in the Sierra color, providing permanent seating for the fire pit on one side. The seating wall utilized a five piece landscape wall system called Country Manor, which is both textured on the surface and tumbled for an old world, antiquated look.

The completed outdoor room construction project.

After the brick pavers were installed and finished, the outdoor kitchen could be built on-site complete with a grilling station, refrigerator, lots of storage and counter space for food preparation, and a bar.

Here is the conceptual design from Creative Design Space and the finished product. — Here is the conceptual design from Creative Design Space and the finished product.