The Goblish Family Takes Advantage of Outdoor Living

J. Brother's Remodeling teams up with the Goblish family to create an outdoor space.

Katie Baer, Jill Valerius, Megan Goblish, Carissa Schweiss, and Matthew and Michael Goblish share an early evening fire.

Photo by:

Tate Carlson

As soon as the “pool season” drew to a close last summer, Todd and Susan Goblish made plans to expand their outdoor living space, along with their ability to entertain friends.

The Goblish family really likes their Maple Grove neighborhood, so they made a conscious decision to “gradually make additions and improvements,” says Todd. The house has grown along with their three children and the help of J Brothers Home Improvement, since 2003. A total of five projects, including a kitchen and basement remodel, have marked a strong collaborative relationship.

The family has long enjoyed a deck just outside their kitchen. Thanks to renovations this year, it has become a handsome three season porch. The vaulted bead board ceiling with hanging fan and hidden rope lighting creates a relaxing, contemporary ambiance for reading or conversation in any season.

This type of addition is prevalent in the neighborhood. “The screen, three and four season porches are becoming very popular as people are tending to want to entertain in their own backyard spaces,” says Chuck Johnson, president of J Brothers.

You can experience privacy in this new room and feel very much like you are outside. Johnson explains that by using glass panels around the bottom and screens above, the upper level views to the pool area, and the wetland area that backs up to the property, are unobstructed. A spiral staircase links the porch to the lower-level outdoor space.

Underneath the porch, the family has created a haven for the hot tub, not to mention those who spend time there. Phantom remote controlled electric screens in this area mean that you can soak to your heart’s content during the cool evenings without having to constantly defend yourself against pesky mosquitos.

After an invigorating dip in the hot tub, you can grab a newly roasted hotdog from the fire pit with its unique built-in seating area. “The fire pit was a natural extension of the yard space, to allow people to congregate in an outdoor space after a day by the pool,” says Todd Goblish.

The facade of the new porch matches the cultured stone and brick used on the fire pit, giving the space a unified look. Decorative artisan, John Welsch, founder of PetroGlyphs, has lent his creative touch to the cement work in this project as well, covering the entire pool deck and fire pit seating area to look like stone.

The latest addition to this Maple Grove home will most surely be appreciated by pals of the Goblish teenagers, but the adults have plans too. “I'm looking forward to having family and friends over this summer to enjoy our new space,” says Susan Goblish.

If you're thinking about a remodel turn to the next page for a list of local resources.

Creating Outdoor Spaces

Maple Grove has a number of professionals that specialize in creating outdoor spaces. Here are just a few: