San Diego outdoor living, designed and built by one team.

It depends on the size and scope of the project. Because of the nearly infinite possibilities these projects have, a price without a plan is a guess. The size of the space, the improvements you want, the materials and their quality, and many other design decisions all set the cost. That is why Kaminskiy Design and Remodeling offers a complimentary in-home consultation: we want to understand your vision for the space while giving you accurate information on what your project will cost. The design and bid presentation puts every line of the scope, the contract and the schedule in writing before anything is built.

It comes down to the organization of the area. Decide on the focal points, the sitting areas, an outside kitchen, where the lawn goes and whether you want a water feature. That is difficult to do without help, and the best way to get the outdoor living space you have always wanted is a professional design-build team on your side. Your designer walks the yard with you, watches how the light and the wind move through it, and draws the plan around how you will use it: a kitchen near the door to the house, seating facing the view or the fire, a path that connects them.

If your home has a sloped yard or sits high off the ground, a deck or a platform deck is the natural choice. A deck is a platform of wood or composite that extends your living space with areas to dine, grill or simply enjoy the outdoors, and many decks step down to a patio on the flat. We make those steps safe with lights, sturdy rails and smooth, level treads, and a deck several feet off the ground can hide covered storage underneath for lawn equipment or the children's toys. We can separate the seating and socializing area from the grill and the entrance back into the house by extending the deck outward. The footings are sized to the local building code, which sets their depth and width from the deck's size and height, and a permit is pulled so the deck is legal.

Homeowners want more than grilling: the versatility to cook anything they can inside, just outside. An outdoor kitchen can have a built-in barbecue, a full-size refrigerator, a cooktop or even a brick pizza oven. The hot areas (the grill or stove), the cold areas (the refrigerator), the wet areas (the sink) and the dry areas (the counters) are kept separate yet cohesive so the kitchen works. A counter along the edge of the deck or patio gives prep and serving space; a U-shaped counter feels like a bar and lets guests socialize with the cook; an island becomes the prep or grilling center. The materials can match the house or combine into something your own, and they must be easy to clean and maintain, because they live outside. An open but covered structure over the kitchen protects guests and appliances and lets us add a fan, lighting for night cooking, speakers and a television.

Every pool is different, but the typical process runs like this. Design: a pool that makes the most of your space. Permitting: a project of this size needs city and often HOA permits and inspections, and we contact the utility companies to confirm there are no gas, power or water lines in the area; our team handles it. Excavation with a backhoe or an excavator, then grading to level the ground and create any slope the design needs. Framing the walls and floor, typically in rebar. Plumbing and electrical: the filtration system, the lines, the lighting and the power. The floor is poured and the walls built in concrete, smoothed and graded. Finishing: the walls, the floor and the pool deck in the materials you chose. Then fill it and enjoy. A pool cabana adds a restroom and a changing area for guests, and a water feature such as a stream, a pond or a waterfall brings the sound of running water; a large one needs permits, careful planning and excavation, which we handle.

A fireplace or a fire pit is the perfect finishing touch. Stone can be stacked into a rustic chimney, or a pit can be surrounded by brick; either one gives a warm setting for socializing or relaxing. The biggest decision is wood burning or gas. A gas fireplace or pit is more convenient, with ambiance at the flip of a switch, but it requires a gas line, which may mean a connection to the main line at the street. Wood-burning fireplaces are less expensive to build, but they are not allowed in every area and cannot be used on no-burn days. If you have young children, a gate or a barrier can be built so nobody is burned or starts a fire without an adult present.

Xeriscaping, sometimes called drought-tolerant landscaping, is landscaping that eliminates or greatly reduces the need for supplemental irrigation such as a sprinkler system. It does not remove the need for water entirely, but it reduces your usage significantly, it matches the surrounding California landscape, and it looks gorgeous. Careful selection and placement of plants keeps irrigation and runoff at their lowest: we watch how the water drains in your yard when it rains and where shade and wind create small ecosystems, and we plant there. The rest of the yard can still be grass, as long as it is irrigated properly, water use stays minimal and the grass is a variety native to the area. Rock landscaping with a stone path and desert plants such as cacti is the other way to go, and it blends the yard into the scenery with no concern for drought or shortage.