These clients were looking for a better use of space in their small backyard. They have a young child and wanted a place that was both fun appropriate for her, but also interesting and modern. A shaded deck for dining that connects via a boardwalk to a steel-enclosed decomposed limestone patio. The pergola, fitted with an outdoor fan, protects from sun and rain and is screened by clumping bamboo at the fence. The vegetation is drought-tolerant and requires minimal maintenance. The steeply-sloping yard was graded so that runoff is sent to a dry creek bed edged with bunch grasses to help with water permeation.