Seattle Courtyard Transformation: From Muddy Slope to Outdoor Living Room

Before Tyler Engle renovated this Seattle backyard, the owners had two miserable routes home: 30+ steps from the street, or a muddy alley slope. Hired to design a path, Engle delivered outdoor living instead. The clients are natural entertainers; the courtyard effortlessly extends indoor life outside.

Houzz at a Glance
Who: Couple and daughter
Where: Mount Baker, Seattle
Architect: Tyler Engle Architects PS
Size: 1,115 sq ft (104 sq m)
Photography by Lara Swimmer

Tyler Engle Architects PS — The 1920s house didn't demand a modern counterpart, nor a Roaring Twenties revival. "They can talk to each other," says Engle. The simple rear facade gets a respectful, enhancing courtyard.

Design began with the entry wall. Concrete was non-negotiable — privacy, noise buffering, and retaining the sloped lot. Engle painted the facade dark charcoal (Benjamin Moore's Temptation) and added trellises to tie house to courtyard vocabulary.

Before Photo — A muddy pit. Grocery runs from car to kitchen were a schlep. Potential existed, but no way to enjoy it.

Tyler Engle Architects PS AFTER: Concrete path under a wood trellis leads from alley to house. Vine and Japanese maples soften edges. Engle designed circulation like theater wings — movement around the periphery without interrupting the central courtyard action.

Tyler Engle Architects PS — The trellis screens and ornaments the garage, referencing the 1950s Northwest School — soft wood stain, detailing responsive to Pacific Northwest climate. Double wood layers atop cast engaging shadows (a Japanese treatment).

Tyler Engle Architects PS — Client request: hot tub. Stainless steel, with a sliding wood cover that becomes an elevated stage for live music and dance (their daughter is a dancer). Teak steps down; reclaimed Western red cedar trellis. The wall-top trellis navigates code: 6-ft fence limit + 2-ft trellis allowance.

Tyler Engle Architects PS — Smooth stucco fireplace (not traditional red brick) anchors the space.

Before Photo

Tyler Engle Architects PS AFTER: Semi-private outdoor shower behind the garage. Engle created circulation hierarchy: concrete path and boardwalk for easy movement; granite boulders to the shower requiring effort — a subordinate path that heightens drama, as if invitation-only.

Before Photo

Tyler Engle Architects PS AFTER: Extra-wide railings with planters put fresh herbs steps from the kitchen.

Engle says the courtyard transformed their home use — they're outside nonstop May through October.