Your outdoor space can be much more than a backyard. With thoughtful planning, it can become a place to cook, dine, entertain, relax, play and spend more time with the people who matter most.
At Outdoor Innovations, we design and create custom outdoor living spaces for homeowners throughout the Quad Cities and surrounding communities. From a comfortable patio or fire feature to a complete backyard environment incorporating an outdoor kitchen, pavilion, landscaping, lighting and more, every project begins with your property and the way you want to use it.
With over 30 years of landscape design and construction experience, we can help bring individual outdoor features together into a cohesive design that complements your home, reflects your lifestyle and makes better use of the space you already have.
There is no single definition of the perfect outdoor living area because every homeowner—and every property—is different.
Your project might begin with one feature or combine several elements into a complete backyard design. Depending on your goals, an outdoor living space can incorporate:
Whether you’re imagining a quiet place to unwind at the end of the day or an outdoor environment built for entertaining family and friends, Outdoor Innovations can help you determine which features make sense for your property, priorities and budget.
The best outdoor spaces don’t happen by simply adding one feature after another.
Before deciding where a patio, outdoor kitchen or pavilion should go, it helps to consider the entire property and how you want the finished space to function.
Our design approach considers factors such as your home’s architecture, available space, existing landscaping, traffic flow, entertaining needs, privacy, shade, desired features, budget and long-term plans for the property.
This allows individual elements to work together instead of feeling like separate additions.
Maybe the patio should connect naturally to the kitchen. Perhaps a pavilion would provide shade over a dining area. Landscaping could create privacy around a seating area, while outdoor lighting makes walkways safer and extends the time you can enjoy the space after sunset.
Thoughtful planning helps turn those individual ideas into one outdoor environment.
When a project incorporates multiple features, it can be difficult to picture how everything will look and work together based on plans or material samples alone.
Outdoor Innovations uses 3-D design technology to help you visualize your proposed outdoor space before construction begins. Seeing the design can make it easier to understand scale, layout and how features relate to one another while giving you an opportunity to make informed decisions before the project moves forward.
It can also help you see how today’s project could accommodate features you may want to add in the future.
Want to know more about what happens before construction begins? Learn more about the Outdoor Innovations Design Process.
For many homeowners, a patio becomes the foundation of the outdoor living space.
A thoughtfully designed patio can create room for dining, conversation, entertaining or simply relaxing outside. Walkways, steps, retaining walls and seat walls can further define the space and connect different areas of the property.
Outdoor Innovations works with manufactured pavers, natural stone and other hardscape materials to create outdoor spaces that complement the architecture and character of the home.
Whether you need one new patio or hardscaping that connects several outdoor living areas, the design should balance appearance with the way the space will actually be used.
Outdoor cooking has come a long way from placing a grill on the edge of a concrete patio.
A custom outdoor kitchen can create a dedicated place to prepare meals while keeping the cook connected with family and guests. Depending on your needs, the space can incorporate cooking appliances, countertops, cabinetry, refrigeration, seating and dining areas.
More importantly, the kitchen can be designed as part of the overall outdoor environment rather than added as an afterthought.
A well-planned cooking and dining area can become a natural gathering place for everything from quiet family dinners to larger celebrations with friends.
There’s something about gathering around a fire that naturally brings people together.
A fire pit or outdoor fireplace can create a focal point for conversation while extending the enjoyment of your backyard into the cooler months.
Outdoor Innovations can integrate fire features with patios, built-in seating, landscaping and other outdoor elements so the fire becomes part of the overall design.
Depending on your preferences and property, different styles and fuel options can be considered to create a feature that fits both the space and the way you plan to use it.
Water can completely change the atmosphere of an outdoor space.
The movement and sound of a thoughtfully placed water feature can introduce a sense of relaxation while creating an eye-catching focal point within the landscape.
From smaller landscape features to more customized installations, water can be incorporated into the surrounding landscaping and hardscaping so it feels like a natural part of the property.
Shade can make an outdoor living space considerably more comfortable during warm Midwest summers.
Pergolas, pavilions and gazebos can provide shade, shelter and architectural interest while helping define areas for dining, relaxing and entertaining.
A pavilion might create a covered gathering space beside a patio or outdoor kitchen. A pergola can add partial shade and structure to a seating area. A gazebo can provide a distinct destination within the landscape.
Choosing the right structure depends on your property, how much coverage you want and how you plan to use the space.
A pool may be the centerpiece of the backyard, but the space surrounding it determines how well the entire area functions.
Thoughtful poolscaping can incorporate patios, landscaping, shade structures, outdoor kitchens, fire features, lighting and gathering areas to create a complete environment around the pool.
Rather than treating the pool as a separate feature, Outdoor Innovations can help connect it visually and functionally with the rest of your backyard.
Your outdoor living area doesn’t have to close when the sun goes down.
Strategically designed outdoor lighting can illuminate patios, kitchens and gathering areas while improving visibility around steps, walkways and pool areas.
Lighting can also highlight landscaping, stonework, architectural details and other features that might otherwise disappear after dark.
The result is an outdoor environment you can enjoy well into the evening.
Hardscaping and outdoor structures provide the framework, but landscaping can soften those elements and help the entire project feel established.
Trees can provide shade. Plantings can introduce color and texture. Shrubs and ornamental grasses can create privacy or help define separate outdoor areas.
Because Outdoor Innovations provides both landscape design and outdoor living services, these elements can be considered together from the beginning.
The goal isn’t to fill every available area with another feature. It’s to create the right balance between built spaces and the living landscape surrounding them.
For some families, the ideal backyard is as much about activity as relaxation.
Depending on your property and interests, an outdoor living design can incorporate areas for recreation, games or other activities alongside spaces for dining and entertaining.
Thinking about those needs during the planning stage can help create a backyard that works for the entire family rather than designing around only one use.
Creating your ideal backyard doesn’t necessarily mean doing everything at once.
Some homeowners begin with a patio or landscaping project and add an outdoor kitchen, pavilion, fire feature or lighting later. Others prefer to complete a larger transformation at one time.
If you already know there are features you’d like to add in the future, developing a comprehensive plan from the beginning can help each phase work toward the same long-term vision.
That means the patio you build today can be positioned with tomorrow’s outdoor kitchen in mind, and landscaping can be planned around future structures rather than having to be removed or redesigned later.
A thoughtful master plan can help you make smart decisions now while giving your outdoor space room to evolve.
Outdoor Innovations is based in Aledo, Illinois, and has been creating distinctive landscapes and outdoor living environments throughout the Quad Cities and surrounding areas for more than 30 years.
We work with homeowners throughout Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa; Moline and Rock Island, Illinois; and surrounding Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois communities.
Our familiarity with the area and experience designing a wide range of outdoor spaces allows us to create projects that complement both the property and the homeowner’s individual style.
Creating an outdoor living space is an investment in your home—and in how you spend your time there.
Outdoor Innovations brings together landscape design, hardscaping, outdoor living features and project management, allowing us to look beyond individual products and consider the property as a complete environment.
We believe that process begins by listening.
What do you want to do outside? Who will use the space? What features matter most to you? What does your property allow? What would you like to accomplish now, and what might you want to add later?
Those answers help guide a design that’s specific to you rather than simply recreating someone else’s backyard.
With more than 30 years of experience and owner involvement throughout the process, our goal is to provide the planning, creativity and craftsmanship needed to turn your ideas into an outdoor space you’ll enjoy for years to come.
An outdoor living space can include any combination of patios, landscaping, outdoor kitchens, fire features, water features, pergolas or pavilions, pool areas, lighting, seating and recreation spaces. The right combination depends on your property, lifestyle, priorities and bu
Start by thinking about how you’d like to use your backyard. Consider whether your priorities include dining, entertaining, cooking, relaxing, recreation, privacy, shade or a combination of several needs. Outdoor Innovations can help turn those ideas into a cohesive design for your property.
Yes. Outdoor Innovations provides landscape design, hardscaping and a wide range of outdoor living services, making it possible to plan several elements of a backyard as one coordinated environme
Yes. A comprehensive design can help establish the long-term vision while allowing individual portions of the project to be completed over time. Planning ahead helps future features work with improvements you’ve already made.
Existing features may be incorporated into a new outdoor living design depending on their condition, location and how well they fit your goals. Evaluating the property as a whole can help determine what should remain and what may benefit from being updated.
Outdoor Innovations uses 3-D design technology to help clients visualize proposed outdoor spaces before construction begins. This can make it easier to evaluate layout, scale and the relationship between different features during the design process.
Outdoor Innovations can design and incorporate patios and hardscaping, landscaping, outdoor kitchens, fire and water features, pergolas, pavilions and gazebos, poolscaping, outdoor lighting and other custom outdoor features.
Outdoor Innovations serves homeowners throughout the Quad Cities and surrounding Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois communities, including Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa, and Moline and Rock Island, Illinois.
You don’t need to know exactly what your finished backyard should look like before you call us.
You may simply know that you want a better place to gather with family, entertain friends, cook outdoors, relax after work or spend more time outside.
That’s where the design process begins.
Whether you’re considering one meaningful improvement or a complete backyard transformation, Outdoor Innovations can help you explore the possibilities and develop an outdoor living space designed around your home, your property and your lifestyle.
Let’s create an outdoor space you’ll look forward to coming home to.
Contact Outdoor Innovations today to start planning your custom outdoor living space in the Quad Cities and surrounding area.
