These aren’t just nice backyards. They’re built for the real stuff—freeze-thaw, muddy kids, fire pits in January, and furniture that stays where it’s supposed to.
At Duet Build, we don’t design outdoor spaces. We build them to work—through every season, and every reason a family needs to use them.
HERE’S WHAT WE’RE PAYING ATTENTION TO WHEN WE BUILD AN OUTDOOR SPACE THAT’S NOT JUST BEAUTIFUL, BUT BUILT TO LAST:
1. DRAINAGE COMES FIRST. ALWAYS.
If the water’s not moving away from the house, you’re already behind. That applies to patios, stone, concrete, planter beds—everything. We start with the grade, the slope, and where snowmelt and irrigation runoff want to go.
We’ve rebuilt more than a few patios that were installed without that conversation. We’d rather get it right the first time.
2. MATERIALS AREN’T JUST SELECTED. THEY’RE EARNED.
Not everything that looks good on a sample board belongs outside. We look for pavers that can handle Colorado’s freeze-thaw cycle, hardware that won’t rust in six months, and finishes that won’t flake when the temperature drops 40 degrees overnight.
The material itself matters. But so does how it’s installed.
3. WE THINK ABOUT SEASONS, NOT SNAPSHOTS.
Lots of outdoor spaces are built for a single use: summer grilling, maybe a cocktail party. We want them to work on a random Tuesday in March, too.
That means proper lighting, pathways that stay dry, and zones that make sense when it’s 85 degrees—or 25. We build in ways that keep patios functional long after the string lights come down.
4. THE PLAN ONLY WORKS IF THE TRADES DO.
Colorado outdoor builds require coordination between landscape crews, electricians, irrigation teams, and structural trades. We’re usually in the middle of it—lining up trenching, adjusting subschedules, solving problems before they stall the project.
It’s not always visible to the client, but it’s the reason everything gets done on time—and works when it’s supposed to.
5. WE DON’T BUILD TO INSTALL. WE BUILD TO HOLD UP.
Our job isn’t to finish something and hope it lasts. It’s to make sure the first winter, the fifth summer, and everything in between go as planned.
That’s what makes these some of our favorite spaces: they don’t just look good in a photo. They actually hold up.
Want to talk about building outdoor spaces that don’t need redoing in two years?
That’s where we come in.
