​Patios provide the best foundation for a relaxing and enjoyable outdoor living space while reducing your landscape’s water and maintenance needs.
​
Live better and more sustainably with a home patio designed for your lifestyle. 

How Patios Reduce Home Water Bills: 
More patio space means reduced lawn and less organic material to irrigate and care for. In the semi-arid Front Range, stewarding water resources is important even in years where our state receives more rain than usual. 

Outdoor Living & Long Term Water Savings
A custom patio not only provides you with the dream space to accommodate outdoor seating, lounging, cooking, and hot tub time, but it also decreases your landscape's water needs with long term payoff. Learn more about sustainability through xeriscape design. 

​Custom stone work for walkways and steps brings a level of Front Range majesty and elegance to any home while being a much more durable option than wooden or brick alternatives.  

Patio Styles We Specialize In: 

• Stamped concrete patios & walkways
• Paver patios
• Stone walkways
• Interlocking concrete pavers
• Rustic flagstone and siloam stone patios 

Our Favorite Materials for Patios: 
River rock and siloam stone are two of our favorite materials to work with when creating custom stone work. We have the supply connections, heavy duty equipment, and skilled craftsmanship to design and construct lasting and beautiful stone work at any scale. 

​Additional home oasis features like pergolas and gazebos create shade and enjoyment during hotter weather and can dramatically level up the style and aesthetics of an outdoor oasis. ​

Sustainable Material Repurposing
When appropriate, we can also explore material repurposing for existing paver or flagstone patios that need leveling or updating. This helps reduce your costs and the environmental footprint of a project. Curious about our sustainability and materials recycling practices?

Full Service Landscape Design and Construction
We also specialize in helping homeowners choose from ecologically appropriate plant selections to steward water through Xeriscape design and pollinator gardens that are beautiful, easy to maintain, and water wise. 

Get Expert Design & Construction Support
Thinking about renovating or updating your home landscape? We’re here to help as the highly rated licensed and insured experts for Colorado’s Denver Metropolitan. 

Email us today to schedule a complimentary consultation of your space. We book projects on a first come, first served basis, so now is the perfect time to start a conversation. 

​Trees are vital to our ecosystem’s soil and air quality. Denver’s semi-arid climate and extreme temperature shifts can make it challenging to maintain healthy trees and shrubs especially in the first year or two after planting.

​Properly trimming and pruning woody plants is both an art and a science, so hiring an experienced professional to do the job is safer and wiser since they have the tools and know-how to do the job correctly and quickly. 

Professionals like our trained landscape architect can also educate you about best care practices for maintaining freshly planted trees in Colorado's semi-arid Front Range climate.  ​

Why Tree Care Matters
Yearly pruning promotes more abundant flowering and foliage the following spring, allowing plants to efficiently put their energy into growth and maturation. Renewal pruning can be done three to five years apart depending on the plant type and age. Even shrubs will need at least some pruning every few years, so be sure not to skip this essential landscape maintenance service if you want a healthy and beautiful space. 

​Pruning trees in the summer isn’t healthy because it causes too much stress on the tree. Healthy tree limbs should be pruned in winter when a tree is dormant for best results. Dead, diseased or bug infested branches should be removed as they are identified fall through spring since these could damage your home or harm a neighbor if they break and fall due to heavy winds or snow. 

​​If you aren’t a seasoned gardener, it can be risky to do this work on your own and might cost you the replacement of several plants. Under-pruning a plant won’t give it the needed boost for growth, but over pruning often causes stress, reduces foliage production, and increases susceptibility to pests and disease if cuts aren’t made correctly. 

Call our licensed landscape architect today to schedule a free consultation of your space. We every month of the year serving homeowners in the Denver metro. 

Why We Enjoy Fire
Any patio in the Front Range is made complete by an outdoor fire feature to warm your morning or make sunset watching even more cozy and enjoyable. 
​
Outside Fire Features For Home
Outdoor fire features add comfort, style, and function to home. Whether you pride yourself in creating warm and welcoming spaces, or simply cherish personal time outside with something to drink and a good read, the perfect fire feature helps you enjoy outdoor living when temperatures dip low. 

Styles of Patio Fire Features
There are a variety of ways to safely incorporate fire elements into your outdoor oasis. Here are a few of our favorite outdoor fire features for Front Range homes:  

Considerations For The Best Fire Feature For You

• Space Size: Consider the size of your space, whether you’re more comfortable starting a wood or gas fire, and who will be sharing your space with you. Needless to say, hot objects and open flames always require alertness to prevent accident or injury.
• People and Pets: The habits and needs of young children, people who are unsteady on their feet, and household pets should be considered when choosing the fire feature style that’s best for your situation. 
  
  

​Professional Consultations
Still not sure which fire feature style would be best for your home? We provide consultation to help you weigh the pros and cons of various fire features for your circumstances and home’s design style.  ​​

Designing Deluxe Landscapes
Arterra not only specializes in designing spaces with fire features, but also low-voltage outdoor lighting, water features that wow, dog friendly spaces, and drought-tolerant xeriscapes and gardens. 

Ask for a free consultation for our licensed landscape architect today. ​

Great landscaping starts with intentional and creative design work. At Arterra, our licensed landscape architect takes great care in the process behind envisioning your outdoor oasis. John Majeski visits your space to assess things like the land’s grade, existing structural features or trees, weather elements, irrigation needs, and more. 

How do we imagine a space?
First we connect with you to learn more about how you want to use your space. Need a dog-friendly patio, low maintenance space, outdoor sanctuary to read books in the cool mornings and evenings, or want to entertain family and friends while you cook and dine outside? All of this factors into how we conceptualize your landscape design. 

We also consider the style of your home and any challenges or factors (such as privacy from bordering property lines, sloping grades, soil type, sun exposure and wind factors) for your unique location. 

After talking about your dream vision and ideal outdoor space, we assess your property, and chat about your budget before creating a custom, hand rendered landscaping design with built and natural elements. Many of our renovation and new construction projects include hardscapes such as stamped concrete walkways, patios, pergola shade structures, garden beds, water features, fences and, of course, automated irrigation systems (less work outdoors equals more relaxation in it, right?).

Considering A Project? 
Start planning your spring renovation or new landscape project now. Not sure how much to plan to allocate for your dream space? We’ve been doing this for nearly two decades and can help provide you with an honest estimate depending on what features and materials you want to work with.  
 
Contact us today to start a conversation about your dream landscape and design project! Consultations are free and we are now booking a limited number of clients for Spring and Summer on a first come, first served basis. 

Explore some examples of our hand-drawn landscape design renderings.

Trees For Style And Sustainability
Trees are often an important part of landscape design since they offer benefits for people and the planet: trees add cooling shade and privacy to outdoor spaces, and they also help improve air quality by producing oxygen and storing carbon. However, not all trees are created equal when it comes to thriving in the Front Range. 

​Our Favorite Evergreens
We love working with trees to add wind and privacy screens. See which ones are our favorites and read about their respective merits below:

​The Spartan Juniper For Full Sun
For spaces bearing the heat relentless direct sunshine, the Spartan Juniper is a narrow and upright evergreen to weather hot summers and add a cooling layer of shade to help you and your pets enjoy your space more comfortably.

​Trees We Typically Avoid Planting
There are a few shortcomings of trending favorite trees out there to be aware of. For example, oak trees are a trending favorite by appearance, but they take years to grow to maturity (a consideration especially when renovating landscape to increase home resale value). ​​

​Another signature look in Colorado is the Aspen tree, beloved for their subtle bark color and delicate leaves. While this native species thrives naturally in the mountains, we do not recommend planting these seedlings unless working with a sizable property that provides ample space for these invasive root systems to sprawl. Planting saplings near homes and in smaller spaces can lead to plumbing and foundation disruptions over time. The variety of Aspens that flourish at the Denver metro elevations are also limited.  

The Takeaway
Include the right trees for your space to reduce wind, dust, excess heat, and street visibility in your outdoor space. We can help you hand select the right varietals to thrive in your space and the best design placement to help you enjoy your space whether you want comfortable patio time during the summer months or an added layer of privacy between your home and property line. 

Looking for the best support for maintaining your trees in Colorado? Consult a certified arborist. The Rocky Mountain chapter of ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) has tips and an online directory to support your search.