Why add a Courtyard to your Custom Home Design?

Austin custom home builders include courtyards in the design of their clients’ custom homes for a variety of reasons. Some clients use their courtyard as a tranquil retreat within their home. Some use courtyards in the front of their home for added privacy.  Courtyards can be placed in public areas of the home for additional living areas, or in private areas of the home, connected to the master suite or guest casita. In this edition Sterling’s Best Practices video series, Vick explains the functions of the entry courtyard.

This courtyard can be used year round.

In the photo to the left, you can see the how this courtyard serves as an additional living space of the home and can be used to entertain guests. The large fireplace allows the space to be used comfortably in the winter. This courtyard only has one side that is not connected to the home. Since this side faces northeast, the clients are able to use this space comfortably in the summertime too, as the other three sides provide shade from the home’s tall walls and roof. This picture was taken in the early evening of a late summer day. There’s plenty of shade to cover nearly the whole space!

The last type of courtyard offers privacy and seclusion from the rest of the home. As you can see from this excerpt of a floor plan, this courtyard is connected to the home through the master bathroom. This courtyard has an outdoor shower, which is another feature commonly included in our recent custom home designs. This courtyard also includes a fountain, herb garden, and peaceful landscaping to make this area an oasis retreat to escape from the rest of the home.

This custom home floor plan features a private courtyard, connected to the master suite.

What type of courtyard would your Austin, TX custom home have?