A sweeping backyard transformation pays homage to a one-of-a-kind 1950s home while delivering every modern outdoor living amenity a family could want.
Story by Ann Butenas | Photography by Matt Kocourek
When a home has a soul, the spaces around it should too. That was the quiet mandate behind this stunning Kansas City backyard project, where a mechanical pergola, outdoor kitchen, reengineered cocktail patio, and sparkling pool now share the stage with 3,000 square feet of reclaimed brick, Indiana limestone, and a custom-crafted slump block that mirrors the original exterior of a house built in the early 1950s. The result is a backyard that doesn’t just complement the home. It completes it.
For this Kansas City family, the backyard had always been a refuge. Morning coffee on the patio, kickball with the kids, and evenings around the firepit. It was already a good life out there. But they knew it could be more.
“As the project evolved, it became less about adding a pool and more about creating a space for connection, hospitality, and making memories together,” the homeowner said.
Preserving the character of the 1950s home was central to every decision. They chose a classic rectangular pool with simple finishes so it would feel original to the property. The shape was also practical, as it allowed for a pool cover, an important consideration with children, mature trees, and a busy neighborhood nearby. Water features and lighting were kept intentionally minimal.
“We wanted the space to feel calm, understated, and true to the original era of the home,” the homeowner said. “Every update we make is done with the hope that it feels like it was always meant to be there. We love the idea of honoring the home’s history while also creating spaces where our family and friends can make new memories together.”
Turning that vision into reality fell to Hoyt Banks of Banks Pool and Spa Design in the Kansas City area. His first walkthrough made the challenge immediately clear. The home’s exterior featured a one-of-a-kind slump block that, according to local lore, was hand-crafted on site by the original stone masons using clay excavated directly from the foundation. Because of that process, no two blocks were alike.
“Every single block is unique,” Banks said. “It’s essentially a material that cannot be replicated.”
Or so it seemed. Banks spent months making calls to specialists locally and across the Midwest, even experimenting with casting the block himself, before finally arriving at a custom solution. He is confident the result is a 99.9% match to the original texture.
“I never really had a doubt that we could do it, even when we did not yet have a method,” Banks said. “You have to take a no-compromise approach to deliver the product as requested.”
The slump block was not the only material pushing the limits of what could be found. The home also featured Ft. Scott Pavers, a brick that has not been manufactured in mass quantities since at least the 1950s and, by some accounts, as far back as the early 1900s. Banks needed 3,000 square feet of it.
The search eventually led to a specialized supplier network dealing in reclaimed brick, but even then, the team had to personally truck the material from rural areas of Kansas to gather enough volume to complete the project. The effort paid off. The reclaimed pavers now cover the new patio in a way that makes it virtually indistinguishable from the original.
The pool is an 18-by-30-foot rectangle with standard depth, which was designed with the same period-conscious care as every other element on the property. The interior was finished in white plaster to reflect the materials that would have been used when the home was first built. After looking at many tile options that felt too modern or busy, the homeowners landed on a long white tile that felt classic and simple, reminiscent of a 1950s resort-style pool.
Indiana limestone was selected for the pool coping as a natural complement to the brick, and Pentair filtration and saltwater sanitization handle the mechanical side. Pentair GloBrite lighting brings the whole space to life after dark, and the heated pool extends the season well into spring and fall, a welcome bonus in Kansas City’s unpredictable climate.
The bathroom and storage room extension quietly anchored the entire spatial layout, determining how the primary access corridor would flow from the front driveway to the backyard while respecting building setbacks and preserving sightlines to the kitchen windows. Existing shade sails were already on the property, and Banks designed the new elements around them rather than removing them.
The cocktail patio required a full rebuild on a pedestal system with proper drainage and an updated rail brought to current code. When the new mechanical pergola was installed, it left an awkward gap between the two structures. Rather than leave it unresolved, Banks extended the cocktail patio into that space, creating a natural overlook of the pergola area below.
The mechanical pergola quickly became one of the family’s favorite features.
“It’s made the space much more usable in all kinds of Kansas City weather,” the homeowner said. “We love being able to adjust the light, shade, and protection depending on the season or time of day.”
The turning point came when the pool house and outdoor kitchen began coming together alongside the slump block.
“That was the first moment we could really picture life happening in the space,” the homeowner said. As for the turf accents, the family loves the look.
From first meeting to completion, the project took approximately 18 months. Kansas City’s permitting and inspection process introduced an unexpected learning curve that added about a month to the timeline, but Banks said the finished product was worth every step.
“I’m proud that we were able to create a mid-century modern project that looks like it could have been built in 1955,” he said.
“This space isn’t really about the pool or the patio at all,” the homeowner said. “It’s about creating a place where people gather, memories are made, and life slows down a little.”
Resources
- Design / Concept / Contractor: Banks Pool and Spa Design
- Architect: Bill Poole
- Bathroom/Storage/Mechanical Pergola: Aarrow Building and Banks Pool and Spa Design
- Fireplace, Cocktail Patio: Aarrow Building
- Floating Fireplace Mantle and Hearth: Banks Pool and Spa Design
- Outdoor Kitchen / Appliances: Banks Pool and Spa Design / Sunstone Appliances
- ODK Granite: Summit Stone Solutions
- Slump Block Walls: Precision Plastering / Banks Pool and Spa Design
- Pool Plaster: Midwest Plaster
- Limestone: Indiana Limestone Co
- Pool Tile: Aquabella
- Umbrella: Tucci
- Outdoor Furniture: Restoration Hardware
- Drainage Systems: Banks Pool and Spa Design
- Irrigation: Paradise Landscape
