​Expansive Outdoor Great Room

​The owners of this lake home in Park Rapids, Minnesota, built their home and landscape from the ground up. They were very specific about the type of landscape they wanted: a large patio area for entertaining with views of the lake and multiple levels that could be accessed from both the upper and lower floors of the home. They also wanted to create a walkway and steps leading down to the water.

The homeowners were passionate about creating the perfect backyard, so much so that they completed the design and began building the new landscape before the construction of the new house. For entertaining friends and family, they wanted to create separate spaces for cooking, dining and seating where groups of people could comfortably socialize.

The homeowners turned to a landscape contractor and designer to help them realize their vision. They chose the Anchor™ Highland Stone® 6"/3" wall system, to complement the look of the house’s natural-stone veneer. The new landscape features
• Three separate terraces that step gradually down from the upper level of the house
• A built-in grill, multiple seating areas and a space for a dining table
• A raised patio with a hot tub
• A winding pathway that leads to the lake shore
• Small planting areas incorporated throughout the design to add greenery

Each terrace is built lower than the surrounding retaining wall, so each wall also doubles as extra seating space. The top terrace is accented with the Highland Stone freestanding wall system, which serves as extra seating and creates a polished appearance. The homeowners also incorporated custom lighting in the design, to provide ambiance after the sun goes down.

Due to the size of the project, the designer needed to consult an engineer before starting to build.

The homeowners could not be happier with the design of their dream lake home, especially the landscape. The new space is perfect for entertaining, and the Highland Stone wall system blends harmoniously with the natural stone on the house and the surrounding Northwoods environment.

ANCHOR Diamond® specializes in commercial pavers for plazas and roof tops.  Our selection of products include, ballast pavers, plaza pavers and slabs, pedestals, and modular benches and cubes.  We have a complete line of architectural tools for specifying the color and profile that best fits your needs.  Electronic drawings and specifications, as well as architectural color samples are available for making quick, accurate decisions for all of your outdoor spaces and needs.