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This before view reveals the overgrown plant material and the lack of presence to the home. The front walk and the overgrown landscape was not inviting, making it difficult for guests to see the front door.
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The courtyard off the formal dining room ties the inside of the house to the outside, expanding the view from inside the house, when entertaining guests. The resulting outdoor room also created visual interest and a sense of entry to the front entrance. The urn fountain provides soothing sounds and visual interest from both inside and outside the home. Note the large evergreens that were planted to block the view to the neighbors garage.
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This view reflects the severe elevation challenge coming off the end of the driveway down into the backyard. Creating a usable & flowing step transition system was critical to the success of the project.
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5 Upon completion of the steps, the walk now easily flows down into the rear yard entertaining space. Landings were utilized as pause points along the way to make the transition from front to back far less imposing. Stone retaining walls create planting spaces to help ease the steep transition.
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This view from the steps down into the backyard begins to reveal the many usable spaces for our clients. This image also shows the challenging grade transitions to the conversation fireplace area, access to main pool level, and access down to the private radial garden. Cut stone in a radial pattern provides the pivot point for these transitions.
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The entire backyard is revealed. This view shows the transition from the main house level deck and entertainment area on down to the terrace level, then transitioning down to the spa level, and finally down to the expanded sun terrace and outdoor fireplace living room. Tumbled pavers add a warmth to the lower level expansion and blend well with the natural stone fireplace.
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This before view reflects the dated elements of the deck as well as the awkward transition from the upper level down to the terrace level onto the spa level. Our client did not want to tear down the entire deck, but wanted to find a way to work with the structure.
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Upon completion, the deck materials and railings have been changed to allow a much more open view and update the style of the deck. Radial steps from the center of the terrace level opens up the lower house living space and creates a gracious flow down to the existing pool/spa patio. The slopes of the existing patio were challenging which could have caused safety issues. The urns help call attention to this.
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This before view reflects the overgrown evergreens that encroached on the pool deck resulting in little usable patio space or sunning area. Note the existing Chippendale railing of the deck that was ultimately changed.
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Upon completion, the backyard now has much more usable space as the pool area is transformed into a large multi-use space, while still maintaining privacy from the neighbors. The existing patio deck color was changed from a “peach” color to a neutral taupe color to match the existing house brick and to blend with the natural stone elements as well as the tumbled pavers.
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Another view of the sunning/lounging area for afternoon sun worshipers is revealed. An additional 680 s.f. of patio space was created by pushing out retaining walls to the limits of the easement to allow for this expansion. This required over 150 cu. yds. of compacted fill to be brought in just to backfill the walls.
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This image of the construction of the fireplace demonstrates the amount of elevation that was involved. Due to the required height of the fireplace, footings and construction had to start at the natural grade. An additional 100 cubic yards of fill material had to be brought in and compacted to bring grades up to the desired level.
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Upon completion, the severe elevation challenges have been addressed. The upper dining area relates well to the fireplace conversation space. This allows for entertaining large groups of guests which our client enjoys. The flow of the steps into the backyard is seen in the background. An existing brick retaining wall was maintained to hide the pool equipment. Large, mature hedging material was installed so the equipment is not seen from the step system.
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The view from the center cut stone circular landing on the steps shows the lower private garden. The radial design is punctuated with an urn fountain which creates interest and pulls the eye down into the garden as seen from the main level of the house. Pea gravel and ruble curbing define the spaces. Flowers, herbs, perennials, and vegetables are grown in the garden.
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This is a view from the garden bench back up to the main living area of the backyard. 18’ tall evergreens were planted to screen the backside of the fireplace to make this lower garden a unique retreat within this property. Dry set boulder walls retain the slope and allow us to retain the existing hardwoods and hemlock. These mature plants provided scale and shade for the new garden.
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The landscape plan evolved with a great deal of input from the client. It reveals the simple front landscape redevelopment that emphasized the front entry as well as setting the tone for the front architecture. Additionally, the plan reflects the transition from the driveway down into the back garden area and all its entertainment spaces. Finally, the plan shows the existing maples and oaks that were maintained along with the added large, mature evergreens which provided complete, immediate privacy to our client’s backyard oasis.