Soundproof Backyard

When Susan Ellison bought her Huntington Beach, California, home, it was the perfect piece of property. Backing up to bean fields, each morning Ellison would wake up and feel like she was back home in rural Alabama. Five years later, that country dream turned into a development nightmare. Ellison was determined to regain her peaceful place, so she set out to build not only a beautiful backyard and patio area, but one that was almost soundproof. She was able to muffle the noise with trees and a cinderblock wall covered with morning-glory vines. A corrugated tin roof and wooden arbor shelters a myriad of vintage outdoor furniture and antique iron gates used for decoration.