Drainage First, Then the Fire Table.

This Dry Creek Ranch backyard was flat and underused. Rain left soggy low spots, compacted soil kept the turf from thriving, and there was nowhere defined to entertain. The owners wanted one contract to cover all of it, from drainage to plant selection, and a fire feature that felt permanent rather than a portable box set on a patio.

The patio is laid in large-format concrete pavers in a clean gray that suits the house, graded to carry surface water away from the foundation and toward the drain. At its center, a rectangular gas fire table is built from stacked retaining wall block under large concrete caps, at a low seating height so chairs pull right up to the flame. With the burner off, it works as a table for eating outside.

Drainage went in before any paving: a perforated-pipe French drain runs along the edge of the patio and across the low parts of the lawn, and daylights at the far edge of the property. We ran a dedicated gas line to a linear burner set in black lava rock, which gives the table its long flame. New sod went down once the drainage and hardscape were done.

Standing water no longer collects after rain, and the drain protects both the paver base and the new lawn. Ornamental grasses, flowering perennials and evergreen shrubs along the patio border and fence line add color, texture and some privacy, around a yard with room for evenings at the fire and kids on the grass.