With ample shade, this paver patio in White Bear Lake provides a perfect spot to settle in for a lazy afternoon. The project features Willow Creek concrete pavers, with random-pattern Cobblestone pavers making up the patio and Bullnose pavers used as stair treads on a landing outside the back door.

"The homeowner wanted a simple space for chairs and a table, so that's what I designed," said Villa Landscapes landscape designer Andy Lofboom. "But simple doesn't have to mean plain. The curving patio border and Bullnose treads add visual interest and give the space a finished look."

When many people think of landscaping, they think of back yards. But front entry makeovers are one of the most popular requests Villa designers get these days. You can give your home a fresh look with something as simple as a paver sidewalk or patio in front.

Covering a traditional concrete front stoop with pavers eliminates the labor-intensive task of removing it. Adding broad scalloped steps to this renovated front stoop gave the home an elegant new look.

Or you can go with a more elaborate design that includes retaining walls and columns. The owners of this new front entry patio say it never takes long when they're sitting out there before someone in the neighborhood stops by to chat.

Stop in and talk with a Villa landscape designer this fall. There's still time to get your project going, or you can work up a plan over the winter and be at the top of our installation list next spring.

This backyard in Grant had little going for it until Villa Landscapes took over.

A steep set of wooden stairs led from a three-season porch down to a nondescript exposed-aggregate patio underneath. River rock edged the patio and back of the house, and a flat strip of green lawn extended to the woods.

BEFORE

AFTER

Villa Landscapes Designer Andy Lofboom replaced the concrete patio with a Willow Creek Cobblestone paver patio that sweeps away from the house in graceful curves and transforms to twin interlocking Willow Creek Circlestone patios. A VERSA-LOK seat wall rings the perimeter of one Circlestone patio, which features a raised VERSA-LOK firepit in the center. Short columns cap each end of the seat wall and sport a carriage light on top. A double soldier course of pavers edges the patio in two colors. Large stepping stones provide access to the patio from either side.

A stylish spiral staircase replaced the wooden stairs and freed up more space on the patio for a hot tub. Support posts for the porch were wrapped in stone veneer that complements the pavers.