A Modern Homestead Where Family Gathers: 5 Acres of Play, Food & Connection

For the Becks of Poulsbo, Washington, a 5‑acre rural property became the antidote to scattered schedules. Their goal: a place where kids want to be, where friends gather, where generations connect. Starting from a clear‑cut blank slate in 2004, they built gardens, courts, a barn, and countless memories—mostly DIY.

From Blank Slate to Family Hub

Low concrete walls front the porch; vertical elements balance the home’s height. A pivotal moment: garden designer Dan Hinkley gifted a Magnolia wilsonii when the Becks adopted their youngest son, Simon, from Kunming, China. “Simon calls it his China tree,” says mom Eileen. “Something beautiful, growing, represents his difficult early years.”

Front Yard: Play Meets Planting

A pickleball/basketball court (galvanized panels catch balls, support vines, hide an oil tank) sits beside a netted trampoline and swing set—kid zone. Diagonally across, a lush hillside garden by Plantswoman Design features a naturalistic waterfall of local rock.

Porch & Side Yard: Swing, Arbor, Path

Lyle built a porch swing with trellis (a Mother’s Day gift); a circle in the trellis “transformed the entire side.” A pebble‑inlaid concrete path (daughter Madeline placed each stone) leads to a four‑year‑old arbor with mature vines, lanterns, and—cleverly—doors on lace‑painted panels hiding an HVAC unit, mirrors reflecting the garden.

Backyard Oasis: Pizza, Fire, Hot Tub, Dining

Former lawn became a cohesive zone: pizza oven (learned from Allen Scott’s Bread Builders), fire pit, dining under a reclaimed chandelier, drop‑cloth curtains, hot tub with wood arbor. A trellis connects hot tub to prep island (hand‑drawn concrete “stones”). Lawn remains for the “farm area”—raised beds, barn, pasture for chickens, goats, llamas.

Garden Entry & Raised Beds

A smaller twin arbor creates cohesion. Teens laid eBay bricks; retaining walls are concrete overlaid with foil for texture, carved with rebar. Cedar beds failed in damp climate; concrete with foil proved sustainable. Arched arbors support grapes, shade low‑light plants, and—bonus—cats climb them at night as pest control. Beds overflow with vegetables, fruits, herbs; soil quality, rotation, bed‑specific irrigation, and llama manure drive productivity.

Outdoor Sink & Barn

Son Adam built a garden sink from a ReStore sink and scrap wood. The 18‑chicken barn (built 2005 with Lyle’s dad) has reclaimed windows, fold‑down egg panel, now draped in hydrangeas.

The Beck homestead draws the family together—sport courts, trampolines, edible and ornamental gardens—and they’re still building.

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