Living the Good Life

“We developed a 3D model of the entire back portion of the house and pool area to show how the outdoor kitchen could blend seamlessly into the style of the house and enhance the already amazing backyard,” says Brittany Carroll of Good Life New England. With the kitchen complete, it’s clear this backyard is now a true oasis.

A backyard retreat is made all the more sweet with the addition of a top-notch kitchen

From the moment she and her husband first walked into the West Barnstable house they would come to call home, Michelle says they were certain it was meant to be. “I just knew right away—I saw my future in front of me, filling the house with my kids and their friends and then grandkids,” she says.

As enamored as they were by the property, Michelle and Neil were equally as mystified by something they would discover at the back of the house. An 11-by-20-foot berm of soil was underneath the second-floor deck, in front of a set of windows part of the home’s indoor gym on the ground level. Not only was it unsightly, it also served no purpose—it was likely left there as a result of re-grading done around the house following the deck’s installation. Without all that dirt, though, the potential of the space was easily imaginable.

“We just thought, wow, that would be an awesome bar area and kitchen—it’s right next to the pool,” Michelle says. The existing pool, patio and surrounding lush landscaping had begun to set the scene for summer fun, and the addition of a kitchen here, well, that would make outdoor living truly irresistible.