Mike and Teresa Treanor - pictured with their miniature pinschers, Tucker and Sophie - designed their backyard retreat themselves and are enjoying it during its first summer.

Have you ever considered building your dream home? Every little detail would be yours to agonize over and relish – each knob, window placement, faucet style, color and fabric. The process could lead even the strongest of couples to therapy.

Lawrence architect Mike Treanor knows all about the hair-pulling moments and triumphs inherent in creating a perfect haven; he’s the owner of Treanor Architects. Although his professional focus has moved from residential to community structures, like courthouses, university housing and jails, he still can recall guiding couples through the exhilarating and mind-boggling process.

He encourages clients to clip magazine photos and make sketches.

Teresa Treanor walks across the flagstone patio in her backyard. Her husband, Lawrence architect Mike Treanor, says the fireplace seating area becomes a gathering place when he and his wife have company.

“When you both go, ‘Oh’, you know you have something,” says Treanor, who knows first-hand what his clients are going through. “We would play client/architect in our house during the creation stages.”

Mike and his wife, Teresa, started designing their dream home about a decade before they even laid the foundation. Its tone is influenced by the Southwest – Phoenix in particular – a place they both find inspiring.

Mike and Teresa Treanor's backyard retreat includes a flagstone patio, pool, spa and outdoor fireplace.

Teresa remembers the drawing stage vividly.

“When we were designing it, you’d see Mike in the back office with transparent paper. He must have gone through at least a roll,” she says. “He would draw something up, and if I said no, he would go back to drawing again. We had a file full of photos from magazines and drawings that had to be an inch thick when it was all said and done.”

Mike and Teresa Treanor - pictured with their miniature pinschers, Tucker and Sophie - designed their backyard retreat themselves and are enjoying it during its first summer.

Finally, their plan was in order. Crews moved dirt to level out the backyard so it wouldn’t slope right off onto the golf course, and the dream began to take shape. But the construction phase can be as gut-wrenching as it gets, Mike says with a smile.

“We had two huge D9 Caterpillars and there were giant stones everywhere, and I came home and said, ‘Should we just back out now?'” he recalls. “Teresa yells, ‘Get back out there!'”

They both seem elated that they decided to stick with it. They now have a remarkable, stucco-style home with a backyard that’s a true retreat. A flagstone patio frames a pool and spa, built in simple square shapes. The hot tub waters run over a straight sheer ledge, creating a waterfall into the cool pool below; the sound of the water reverberates off the densely wooded lot beyond.

What’s really interesting about both water features is that they are filled with salt water, so there are no chemicals – just the natural chlorinators of the salt. The result is an easy-to-maintain pool and spa, with water that doesn’t burn your eyes or harm your hair and clothing.

“The pool and spa were spray painted a thousand times in different designs.” Mike says.

Teresa chimes in, “Finally, I drew out two squares and said, ‘This.'”

The shallow end of the pool is reserved for the family’s two miniature pinschers, Sophie and Tucker. However, both Teresa and Mike are hoping that grandchildren one day will vie with the dogs for the space.

On a hot day, after toiling in her meticulously landscaped garden, Teresa will jump into the pool, clothes and all. Mike starts out every morning with a workout, a dip in the hot tub and a rinse in the couple’s outdoor shower. The beautifully constructed stone shower that boasts built-in cubbyholes for sweet smelling soaps and shampoos sits among gorgeous flora with a view out to the lush wooded area beyond. It’s an ideal way to start any day, much less every day.

The covered patio has arched ceilings and pillars made of stucco with a terra cotta tile underfoot. The large outdoor ceiling fans spin in a slow, melodic tempo, providing just enough breeze for eating at the dinner table on a sweltering day. Above the table dangles a huge iron chandelier, putting the finishing touch on this eating experience.

Across the patio lies an outdoor fireplace and grill. The two-story chimney towers like a stone temple, and a massive hearth anchors the structure. Ample seating surrounds the fireplace, creating an intimate gathering space where family and friends can spend hours, entranced by the dancing flames.

“It is just like a whole other living room,” Teresa says. “Even in the fall when it’s cold, we’ll be shivering by the fireplace while it’s warm inside. It is just that nice of a place to be.”

Around the corner, and still part of the same stone structure – is a large charcoal grill. Mike lifts the lid and says jokingly, “I need to take this to the car wash to clean it. This grill is great; it gets really hot and smoky. You have to be ready for the fire department to show up, though.”

Mike and Teresa love their dream back yard. With its colorful landscaping and incredible built-in luxuries, it’s truly like a vacation without waiting in long lines at the airport. Most evenings and weekends you’ll find the couple doing what they love most.

“We’ll drag the TV out here sometimes and watch movies outside,” Teresa says. “But really it is about friends and family. It is great fun to have friends over and play around like kids.”