Kirchner Customs

👀What do you do when your backyard feels too small to build the space you really want ⁉️

You design every inch with purpose.

This project started with a basic concrete patio tucked between the home and a series of retaining walls. The challenge wasn't just building a covered outdoor living space—it was maximizing every square foot without making the area feel closed in.

To make that happen, we custom-designed a screened porch and patio layout that worked within the existing space while still creating room for gathering, relaxing, entertaining, and giving the kids a place to play.

Project Highlights:

✔ Custom screened porch with standing seam metal roof
✔ Four Velux skylights with integrated shades to maintain natural light inside the home
✔ Large-format Ashlar Slate stamped concrete patio, special thanks to HEI Concrete Company
✔ Custom built-in bench seating with hidden storage - All composite trim is in Deckorators Costa
✔ Bromic Heating Smart Heat infrared heaters for year-round comfort
✔ Integrated LED accent lighting beneath the benches
✔ Cedar structural posts wrapped in low-maintenance composite trim
✔ Oversized 48" screen door for easier furniture access
✔ Cable railing system to maintain open sight lines throughout the space

One of the homeowner's biggest concerns was losing natural light inside the house. By incorporating four skylights and keeping the structure as open as possible, we were able to create a fully covered outdoor living area without making the interior feel dark or closed off.

Behind the scenes, we also installed a dedicated drainage system between the new structure and existing retaining walls, along with underground Schedule 40 PVC drainage beneath the patio to help protect the space for years to come.

The built-in seating was custom designed to maximize storage while providing plenty of room for family and guests. Each bench section lifts open to create hidden storage for toys, cushions, and outdoor accessories—keeping the space functional and clutter-free.

What makes this project special isn't just the finished product—it's the way every detail was designed around the limitations of the space.

The area between the home and retaining walls left very little room for error. Rather than sacrificing valuable square footage, we custom-engineered the structure to follow the existing layout and maximize every inch available. The result is a space that feels open, comfortable, and inviting despite being built within a very confined footprint.

Great outdoor living spaces aren't always about having a huge backyard. Sometimes it's about thoughtful design, creative problem-solving, and making the most of the space you already have.

We're proud of how this one turned out and grateful to this family for trusting us with their vision.

What would your ideal outdoor living space include?

Sometimes the smallest details end up meaning the most.

Last year, we completed this Deckorators composite deck overlooking a beautiful wooded backyard. During the project, we learned that the wife is an avid bird lover and spent a lot of time watching the different species that visit their property.

As a surprise finishing touch, our team built three custom birdhouses using matching Deckorators composite decking so they would blend seamlessly into the deck design.

But we didn't just build decorative birdhouses.

Before making them, we asked which birds they saw most often and researched the preferred birdhouse dimensions for those species. Different birds prefer different entry hole sizes, mounting heights, and interior dimensions, so each birdhouse was built with those details in mind.

We also designed the roofs with hinged tops so they can be opened, inspected, and cleaned out between seasons—an important step for encouraging future nesting.

Yesterday, the homeowner sent us these photos showing the first nest and eggs inside one of the birdhouses.

Seeing families enjoy the spaces we build is always rewarding. Seeing a family of birds move in too? That's a pretty cool bonus.

Thanks for sharing the update with us—we couldn't be more excited.

‼️ Alright, I'll stop bugging everyone soon, but we tied up for the last round - Go Vote for your favorite project please! VOTE ON FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM PLEASE!

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‼️We made it to round 2 ‼️Go Vote for your Favorite project, and let's see if we can get our way to the finals! VOTE ON INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK!

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‼️Go Vote Now ‼️
Kirchner Customs is in a head to head Top Post/Project Competition! Please go vote for your favorite project!

Click the link below to vote on Instagram

Watch this story by Deckorators® on Instagram before it disappears. 35K Followers, 2,042 Following, 1,166 Posts

Pergolas look amazing… but they usually don’t provide much shade or rain protection.

So when these homeowners wanted to rebuild their pergola, we designed something that would actually make the space usable year-round.

For this project in Acworth, we redesigned the space by removing the aging pergola and building a custom timber frame structure designed to provide real protection from the elements while still maintaining the open feel homeowners love.

One thing we always discuss with clients is that traditional pergolas provide very little actual shade or weather protection. Because of that, we typically recommend adding a roof system to make the space far more functional. For this build, we installed a Palram Sunscape polycarbonate roofing system on a subtle 1:12 pitch, giving the homeowners protection from rain while still allowing natural light to pass through.

Many homeowners don’t realize this until after they’ve already invested in one.

The structure itself features:
• 6x6 cedar posts
• Massive 6x12 cedar beams
• 4x10 cedar rafters with ornamental rafter tails
• Cedar purlins tying the structure together for strength and additional shade
• Palram Sunscape polycarbonate roof system that blocks ~70% of UV while remaining storm and hail resistant

Every piece of cedar was sanded to 80-grit and finished with Cutek Extreme penetrating oil to ensure the stain absorbs correctly and the wood is protected long-term. We even went back and re-prepped all materials when they didn’t arrive in the condition we expect — because details like that matter if you want a structure to look great for years to come.

We also rebuilt part of the existing outdoor kitchen after installing new structural footings for the pergola posts, carefully matching the existing 15-year-old veneer stone so the new work blended seamlessly with the original patio.

Additional upgrades included:
• New electrical with painted EMT conduit for a cleaner look
• Outdoor fan and lighting
• TV mount ready for game days
• Composite bottom plates in high-exposure areas to eliminate future rot

The end result is a space that now provides shade, rain protection, and year-round usability while still keeping the light, open feel of a pergola.

This is exactly what we mean when we say we approach outdoor spaces as a true extension of the home.

⁉️ Quick question — would you rather have a traditional open pergola, or a pergola with a roof system like this that provides shade and rain protection⁉️

Deckorators had their marketing team fly into Atlanta to grab photos of one of our Summit Line projects — and wow… they absolutely nailed it.

Some of these shots highlight little details, perspectives, and transitions that most people might walk right past. That’s the beauty of great photography.

They make it look good on camera.
We make it perform in real life.

Appreciate the partnership and the opportunity to showcase what’s possible when premium materials meet precision craftsmanship.

More coming soon 👀