Walk-out basements are so cool. I know they are not within reach of everyone, but to those who are looking to buy a new house or add a rather expensive upgrade to the current home, a walk-out might fit right into your plans. This will be of interest especially to those on a sloping yard.
We live in a ranch style home with a slightly sloping yard. When we built the house we wanted to have patio doors downstairs. Well, I don’t know what our builder was thinking, but he put in the patio doors alright, but didn’t dig out the dirt! Luckily my son is a landscaper with equipment to do the job. He dug out enough space have a walk-out and a beautiful patio. I love it. It creates almost a completely separate yard and lends itself to a whole new range of “yardecorating”. New plants, different patio furniture, rock gardens, water features, etc. How fun!
This does not necessarily need to be a giant project though, I have seen some very neat things done by just opening up a dull cement entryway with a rock wall or tiered planter boxes. A smaller project like that can let in a lot more light and is much easier on the pocketbook as well.
Making the best of a sloping yard space takes some imagination and some planning, but don’t let it scare you. There are tons of ideas and resources. If you have trouble visioning a finished design, don’t hesitate to get on-line or get some good books and peruse! Most people with wonderfully designed homes and great looking yards are not designers or landscape architects. They are great copiers!! And that’s okay….!
