pool deck and surrounding arrangement

“The pool house was something I always wanted to build,” Robert says. The bar is the main attraction. And next to it, a lime tree is within reach to make fresh gin and tonics.

Ample patio space provides the perfect background for entertaining—both for the homeowners and their children. Large overhangs with built-in lighting shade wood-clad patios with comfortable lounge chairs.

Porter worked with landscape design firm Wagner Hodgson to meld the pool house interior with the exterior.

Any chance they get, the active family takes a dip in the backyard pool, often with a running start from sliding doors in the living room.

The lounge deck at the rear yard of Sunset Hills Residence features a swimming pool surrounded by lush gardens. Architect Hsu McCullough's design beautifully merges minimalism with an abundance of nature.

Iceland prefab pioneers Tryggvi Thorsteinsson and Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir of Minarc built this Culver City family home with mnmMOD – a customizable, locally manufactured building system of prefabricated panels the duo designed, which minimizes energy consumption and reduces a home’s carbon footprint. Made with a blend of 30 percent recycled steel and cradle-to-cradle certified extruded polystyrene, mnmMOD components can be assembled with just a screw gun.

Working with contractor Mike Stayer of Core Construction, the designers created an indoor/outdoor environment for the family. The kids hang out while Jaclyn helms the grill from Barbeques Galore. The Eos Collection dining set is from Design Within Reach. An Element coffee table from CB2 occupies the covered patio.

Seen from the guesthouse, the new home touches every corner of the property without overwhelming its natural beauty.