built an exquisite French Manor home in which to live their family life; then they built an extension of their home to live more of it—outside. Their new patio offers outdoor rooms that blend with the architectural style of the home and function like indoor rooms while giving the family many opportunities to commune both with nature and friends.
The centerpiece What helps to transform the patio into a full-scale living area without walls is the covered pergola that connects with the home and extends over the kitchen and bar. Custom-crafted from red cedar beams supported by Corinthian-style fiberglass columns and roofed with clear polycarbonate sheeting, it conveys the luxurious character of the house. Just like inside the house, the spot for a gathering crowd is the kitchen. Guests can sit and enjoy cocktails at the granite top bar that partially surrounds the outdoor kitchen while keeping Jay company as he cooks. And cook he does, he likes to use the rotisserie feature of his grill to roast chicken or a round of beef to serve the crowd. The exquisitely designed kitchen with amenities like a prep sink, icemaker and ventilating hood over the grill, makes cooking outside pleasurable. Handcrafted from marine plywood that resist rotting, the outdoor kitchen cabinets were finished with Danish oil rub for weather protection. Details like lighting inside of the cabinets and doors that slide back into the sides of the liquor cabinet not only make it easy to work in the space at night, but add to the elegant ambiance. Beautiful and functional, the custom-made pergola provides cover from the weather and allows for entertaining and grilling year round. During the winter of 2010, the Hendersons hosted their children’s friends and their parents for a blizzard barbeque. After they all went sledding, Jay grilled hamburgers and served hot cider while the group warmed by the outdoor fire pit. Jay teased that if the covered pergola could withstand that thirty inch plus snow load, it confirmed that he hired the right company to build it. Jawn Funyak, of Funyak Lawn and Landscape designed the entire outdoor space—built and installed most of it with his own crews—from the stone work to the lighted custom liquor cabinet. Funyak modestly said that the Hendersons had a good idea of what they wanted; he just actively listened to provide it to them. continued >
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