Does your home have a courtyard? Do you enjoy it? (Phoenix: cul-de-sac, townhomes)

[Montanama]

One of the things we love about certain homes in the Valley of the Sun is the courtyard feature. I love both the style that really is simply a walled, gated front yard area and the true courtyard where an open air space is enclosed on three or more sides by the walls of the house itself. The house we bought doesn't have one. The other house we most seriously considered had a small one, with enough space for maybe a small wall fountain and a little seating area. We thought it was so appealing!

Courtyards seem so charming, certainly an opportunity to add some character and pizzazz to a home. And they are pretty unique to the southwest (in the US), so we don't imagine we would have the chance to have a courtyard in another part of the country.

When we think about the possibility of building a home someday (or finding an existing home that suits our long-term needs) I hate to pass up the opportunity to have a large courtyard (like, 16x20 or larger) as we'd choose either a Spanish revival or territorial style. I have this idea that a courtyard would function as an "extension of the living space"--like an extra living room--with fireplace, fountain, pavers, and landscaping. Which is how they're designed to function, I know. The plans I like best are the ones that have, say, the Master bedroom, gameroom/library, great room all opening to the courtyard (as well as to other outdoor spaces in some cases).

We use our back yard as an extended living space as it is--a place to relax and entertain. So I know it's not really necessary to have a courtyard. I wonder if I'd use it as a different kind of room than the back yard, if I'd use it at different times during the day, or if it would just be extraneous. (I have this other idea in my head that the doors would all be open to the courtyard on a nice day--fantasy?)

I'm wondering if courtyards are entirely impractical. It costs more to build a house that has one (more walls & windows, and generally more square footage overall). But do they also function as little ovens that heat up the rest of the house? I've never been in one in the middle of summer. Some of those we've seen just look cluttered and forlorn, with lots of pots containing dead plants and a hodgepodge of iron wallhangings, as if the owners weren't sure what to tdo with the space and surely never venture out there anymore.

If you have one, do you even use it? Do you like it? Are there downsides?

Just curious.

ETA: I'm posting this in Phoenix instead of "House" because I think the style is pretty specific to the area--most people aren't familiar with living in a house with this feature.

[LBTRS]

I'm not a fan of sitting in front of my house...I'd much prefer sitting in the privacy of my backyard overlooking the pool. I don't think we would spend time in a courtyard in the front of our house if we had one.

[Montanama]

I agree. I should clarify--I'm talking about courtyards that are private--either within the walls of the house itself, essentially (often with one wall in the front that from the exterior appears to be part of the main facade), or a "front yard" style courtyard that has high enough walls for significant privacy.

I mean, you end up with a courtyard-like feel in most back yards with the block walls. It's one of the reasons I love them (the block walls).

I'm just wondering if they just bake in the summer and add to the heat inside the house? Or even if not, if like me you are really big on your back yard space, it would be a waste of effort and money to have that extra outdoor space anyway?

If you already have a beautiful and private space (with some shade to boot, which most courtyards lack) out back I wonder if it would be an afterthought or if I'd really swing all the doors open wide to the courtyard and include it in the house's living space during nice weather. This is the image in my mind, but I'm wondering if, for those who actually have a true courtyard space, it seems just a fantasy based on your experience?

[asufan]

We don't sit out in the courtyard but we like the way it looks. It has an entry gate, pavers and drip system with about a dozen potted plants/flowers and a trickling fountain. It makes the entry to the house really nice. Not really somewhere we sit though, if my kids are playing out front I'll open the garage door and bring a chair to the driveway.

[Ponderosa]

They became the rage in nicer builds in the early 2000s. Several friends have them. They look cool and make for a great entrance, but I have never known anyone to use one for anything other than that. If we visit we are indoors or out back.

[HX_Guy]

We have a small entry courtyard and like you said, it's charming and we like it, but I couldn't really see spending any time out there. Some neighbors have setup a couple small chairs and table but I never see them using them.

[MNSvenska]

I love mine. I have rose bushes and humming bird feeders. It's cooler there, as it faces north. Very peaceful Zen type of feeling.

[paradiseca]

Courtyards are pretty common in townhomes. Some are pretty sparse while others are fairly lush giving a tropical feel to the desert. The advantage of a courtyard is it puts windows on two sides of the house where you wouldn't have windows. My house has a roof over most of the courtyard with an approx. 3x6 foot opening near the front door. The only time the courtyard sees much direct sunlight is in the spring and summer when the sun gets high enough to shine through the skylight which has a parapet built around it. The courtyard doesn't see much use in the winter fall but in the spring-summer its a nice place to sit outside in the morning in the shade reading and having coffee. Its also can be an impressive entry to the house especially with a nice front door.

[wit-nit]

Walled in courtyards hold in a lot of excessive heat in the hot summer months. No one I know that has them ever uses them after the temps get over 80F degrees.

[HollyhockGarden]

I'm a Midwest native and love front porches. When we moved into our current home, we had the perfect opportunity to create a front-facing walled courtyard with the addition of just one curved wall. Two of the walls were already stuccoed and a third is a house wall with a side-facing front door and a bay window. We had the front wall built lower - 30 inches, so we can see out, like a front porch. In the spring, a Trumphet vine is trained along the low wall, providing additional green privacy There are drip lines installed inside the walls for plants, and buried electric lines going to a fountain. Lighting is an extra-long clear rope light draped below the front wall. There is a large bricked area, about 16 by 20, and a natural area under the pine tree, which extends the area an additional 1/3 The lower side of the courtyard faces north, toward our cul-de-sac. I have about 15 potted plants scattered in groups, as well as furniture such as rocking chairs, benches, and iron furniture. We don't use the courtyard as much in the hot summer, except early and late, due to the hot climate. Otherwise, we use it almost daily. No regrets!