What Does an Outdoor Living Space Cost?
In 2026, most outdoor living spaces we design and build in Boise and the Treasure Valley invest $50,000–$85,000, design and build included. That's a terrace in pavers or concrete with a gas fire feature, seat walls, lighting and the planting around it, on a mostly level lot. Natural stone, shade and a bigger footprint move it up: a large outdoor room in stone, with shade overhead and a fireplace, runs $105,000–$230,000. The real figure is set in design, after we've walked your yard.
- Typical project
- $50k–$85k for a fire terrace
- Design fee
- Set after the site visit
- Where
- Boise, Eagle, Meridian, Garden City, Star and the valley around them
For an outdoor living space of about 1,500–4,000 sq ft, with refined finishes on a mostly level site, most projects like this invest between $50,000 and $85,000. Link to this range
How Much Does a Patio With a Fire Pit Cost in Boise?
Each row is a complete outdoor room, with paving, fire, seating, lighting and planting designed and built together. The first row answers the question above; the rows below it show how natural stone, shade and a bigger footprint move the range.
| Project | Typical Investment | What's Usually Included |
|---|---|---|
| A fire terrace | $50,000–$85,000 | A paver or concrete terrace for dining and lounging, a gas fire pit with seat walls, step and path lights, and the planting around it. |
| A fire terrace in natural stone | $60,000–$105,000 | Flagstone or other natural stone, stone seat walls and caps, and custom details such as a built-in bench. |
| A shaded outdoor room | $70,000–$150,000 | A pergola or covered patio over the table, with lights and fans, beside a fire terrace, and lighting across the paths, trees and house. |
| A large outdoor room in natural stone | $105,000–$230,000 | About 4,000–10,000 sq ft of design: dining under a pergola or covered patio, a fireplace or custom fire feature, natural stone throughout and the planting around it. |
What Moves an Outdoor Room's Range?
- The paving. Concrete and quality pavers sit lower in the range, natural stone higher. The pattern counts too: a curved or large-format layout means more cutting.
- The fire. A gas fire pit or fire table is part of most outdoor living spaces we build. A masonry fireplace or a custom fire feature adds more, and so does a long gas run from the meter.
- Shade. Boise's summer afternoons are hot and bright, and a terrace without shade tends to wait for sunset. A pergola or covered patio adds to the range, and to the hours you'll spend outside.
- Walls, steps and levels. Seat walls double as seating and edges, but they take more stone and hand work than flat paving. So do steps and changes in level.
- Light. Step and path lights are in every range. Lighting the trees, walls and house as well is full landscape lighting, and it's cheapest to wire before the paving goes down.
- Where it sits. A terrace off the back door is simpler to build than one out in the yard with a path to reach it, or one on a slope that needs a wall below. Sloped terraces have a cost guide of their own.
- Permits. In Boise, an attached patio cover needs a building permit, and so does a freestanding pergola over 200 square feet (City of Boise). We prepare the plans and pull the permits.
What Does an Outdoor Living Range Include?
- DesignA concept plan and 3D renderings, then lighting, planting and gas layouts for the build.
- The TerraceA compacted base, edging and paving, built to take freeze and thaw.
- FireA gas fire pit or fire table, with the gas line run, permitted and inspected.
- Seat WallsWalls at seat height around the fire, capped to suit the paving.
- LightingStep, path and terrace lights on a timer.
- PlantingBeds that frame the terrace, on drip irrigation.
- ApprovalsHOA drawings and city permits, prepared and submitted by us.
It doesn't include outdoor furniture, cushions, plug-in heaters or HOA review fees. A kitchen is planned the same way, as part of the room around it, and the outdoor kitchen guide shows those ranges.
How Can an Outdoor Living Budget Go Further?
- Size it to the furniture. Lay out the table, the chairs and the walkways around them first. Paving that nobody sits or walks on is money spent at the edges.
- Let one material carry it. One paver or stone used throughout costs less to buy, cut and lay than three, and the terrace reads calmer.
- Choose a fire table over a fireplace. A gas fire pit or fire table gathers people as well as a masonry fireplace does, for less, and it fits a smaller terrace.
- Wire for shade now, build it later. Conduit for lights, fans and a heater, laid under the paving now, lets a pergola follow in a later season without lifting stone.
How Does a Range Become a Price?
- Design Consultation. A call with a designer about your goals and a comfortable range.
- Site Visit. We walk and measure the property, then send a design proposal with a fixed fee.
- Design. The investment estimate is updated at every design meeting.
- Fixed-Price Proposal. Once the design is final, the price is too.
These ranges come from the same model as the investment guide and the planner above. How we build them.
Questions About Outdoor Rooms.
Something else on your mind? Ask a Designer
How much does an outdoor living space cost in Boise?
Most invest $50,000–$85,000, design and build included. That's a fire terrace with seat walls, lighting and planting, in pavers or concrete on a mostly level lot. In natural stone, the range is typically $60,000–$105,000; with a pergola or covered patio and full lighting, $70,000–$150,000.
What's the difference between a patio and an outdoor living space?
The design, mostly. A patio is paving. An outdoor living space is planned as a room: where the fire sits, where the shade falls at six in the evening, how you walk out to it, how it's lit and what grows around it. The range pays for that planning as well as the build.
Do you build a patio on its own?
Usually as part of a designed space rather than on its own. A patio without fire, lighting or planting is usually below where our projects begin, around $50,000. If a patio is the first step you want, we can design the whole space and build it in phases.
Do pavers or natural stone cost more?
Natural stone, usually. Flagstone and quartzite cost more to buy and take longer to cut and lay. In the planner, it's the step from refined to premium finishes. Either one lasts when the base under it is built right.
Is a pergola worth it in Boise?
On a terrace that faces south or west, usually yes. Shade over the table turns a terrace you use after dark into one you use at lunch, and lights and fans in the frame stretch the evening. Add shade in the planner to see the whole range move.