The Short Answer
Go with a gas fire pit 9 times out of 10 here, and know that the gas line needs a permit and a licensed plumber. Putting greens are the best return for anyone who golfs. Game pads are an easy add during a paver install, as long as you plan them, and the lighting, before the base goes in.
Decide what the space is for before you pour a big empty slab and hope to furnish it later. That one decision sets the base, the lighting, and the utilities, and all three cost far less to build in now than to add later.
Fire Pits
Gas or Wood?
Gas is clean, instant, and smoke free. Wood gives you a real fire, along with the smoke, the woodpile, and the ash. Dry air fire rules and HOA limits push most valley yards to gas. Either way, don't let anyone run a gas line without a permit and a licensed plumber, us included.
Putting Greens
The Highest Return Feature for Golfers
Plan on 400 to 600 square feet of putting turf, two or three holes, a fringe collar, and a paver path so you don't walk across the green to get on it. The contour we build into the base is what makes it play like a real green instead of a flat mat.
Game Zones
Game Pads & Gathering Zones
Cornhole pads, bocce courts, and ping pong slabs are easy to add during a paver install, since the base prep matches a patio. The catch is that a patio slopes a little to drain, and a game area has to be dead flat. Tell us before the base goes in and it costs almost nothing extra.
An outdoor living build is hardscape plus gas, electric, and lighting, so it pays to have one contractor coordinate all of it. Run the conduit for lights during base work, when it's cheap. At 8pm in July it's still 95 degrees out, and a dark patio doesn't get used.
Planning a fire pit, putting green, or game zone? We'll design it around how you'll actually use the yard.