When your backyard is an empty canvas, you can create almost anything you can dream up.
But that open, expansive space does mean neighbors to the left and right can peer in on your daily outdoor activities.
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Kevin Manning
Kevin has deep roots in the Chicagoland area, growing up in Plainfield and now residing in Naperville. He holds a degree in Ornamental Horticulture from the University of Illinois and serves on the board for the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA). Since KD's inception in 1998, Kevin has loved creating outdoor environments to match the lifestyles of thousands of customers. In his spare time, you can find him spending time on the water with his wife, daughter, son, and labradoodle.
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Recent Posts
We see you dreaming.
You’re looking at your suburban Chicago backyard and envisioning the space of your dreams. Maybe it’s got an outdoor kitchen with a gourmet oven. Possibly you’re thinking about dinners on a bluestone patio under a flowering tree. Maybe you have a wide open space and you're looking for an outdoor room that gives you privacy, shade, and a more intimate setting.
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You love spending time in your backyard. You’ve invested in a space you can use to relax with family and friends. Once that warmer weather kicks in, you want to be out there, enjoying nature and good times.
Darkness definitely puts a bit of a damper on backyard fun -- from swimming to barbecuing to a patio party.
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When you live in a suburb, you value your privacy. It’s a luxury to have a space all to your own where nosy neighbors can’t peek in or ruin your solitude.
It’s not wrong to crave some peace from prying eyes. But privacy works in other ways too; it can screen things that aren’t very attractive to see, such as a neighbor’s shed.
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Spending time outside during Chicago summers is ideal. It’s even better when you can spend more time in nature, without rain or darkness stopping you.
Enter the landscape structure. Pergolas and pavilions are two such structures that can enhance your outdoor living time.
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You know what they say. Location is a big selling point and value-adding feature of a home.
Second to that is curb appeal. And nothing makes your curb appeal shine more than front entryway landscaping. In fact, the American Society of Landscape Architects says great landscaping can boost your home’s value as much as 5 to 15 percent.
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Your patio is so much more than an array of different-shaped materials like pavers or bluestone that are formed together to create a hard surface in your Greater Chicago area backyard.
A patio creates a beautiful and functional space for you and your family and friends to enjoy. This could be during a morning retreat with your French press coffee and breakfast or a lively meal and conversation with friends on a weekend evening.
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Your backyard is an extension of what’s going on inside your home -- whether that’s colorful and playful, casual and fun, elegant and sophisticated, clean and modern, or natural and lived-in. The possibilities, as they say, are quite endless.
In fact, there are so many options, your head might already be spinning. This is supposed to be fun, after all. Don’t worry; we’ve got your back.
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A new year means a new idea for your Greater Chicago area backyard. You’re ready for your landscape transformation.
One of the most essential steps in bringing your outdoor living vision to life is the design phase. This is when ideas begin brewing and expand from concepts to reality. When you see it on paper, you know it’s getting real. A great landscape design holds a lot of value, so you want to maximize the first phase in this process: the landscape design consultation meeting.
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There’s nothing like a fire pit in your backyard.
The warmth and dancing light that an outdoor fire pit brings are very welcome through the seasonal transitions. Not only do they make you more comfortable when temperatures dip, but they also extend your outdoor enjoyment hours and add another visual element to your space.
Choosing the best type of fire pit, however, takes some consideration. That brings in the question of a gas fire pit vs. wood fire pit.
Here are some tips on how to match the right type of fire pit to your specific needs.
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