This was a family affair that I was included in. I installed a patio for this lady's parents. (Photos can be seen in the water feature folder). She purchased this house after her husband passed away and we came in and designed this landscape to suit her needs. Her son, brother-in-law and his kids did all the grading and installed the pond in the backyard. We installed the walk to A.D.A. standards to facilitate some of her relatives access to the back of the house. Notice the steep grade at the end of the retaining wall we had to tame. Her favorite flowers and plants were included in the design. Now the whole family can enjoy gatherings at her new home.
SoftScapes
This is another family affair, my brother and sister-in-law. These photos should illustrate that a landscape designer must be able to envision a completed project when only a house shell exists. In fact we actually helped site the house on the property to project the image of the house we wanted guests to see upon their arrival. The design included the driveway, patio, deck, raised terrace, plantings and screening from neighbors. This is also an irrigated property to help maintain plant vigor in dry seasons.
This is the first property I completed using software that was designed to take a photo and enhance it by pasting plants on it to create a proposed image. The owner actually bought the software for me so he could visualize what I designed. The design included the driveway layout as well as the walks and steps. These are photos of the completed project. The before shots do not exist.
HardScapes
Patios
This is a complete redo of existing patios and walks that were constructed when the house was built. We changed all the wood products to brick and concrete for longevity and ease of maintenance in the future. The photos will clearly show the extent of the changes in before and after shots. Designed in from start was 12V lighting that allowed better after hours use, safety on the steps and increased security at night. The arbor provided much needed shade to the back of the house. Wish we had started with it. This was a hot summer job with a western exposure and little wind. New patio furniture this summer will complete the make over.
This was a deck screaming for an accompanying patio. We had to construct sandstone steps and some walls to accomplish the grading tasks. A freestanding fire pit was added for those chilly nights.
This installation had some unusual requests. The owners traveled a lot in a motor home that they parked at a certain location on the driveway. Their suitcases had wheels, and so they needed a ramp from the back door to the awaiting motor home at trip times. The rest of the stoop was used for a grill and the lower patio was for a table. We installed a faux putting green to one side of the patio so their dog could do his thing in the winter without having to travel far. Talk about putting hazards.
Typically, builders install 10x12 concrete patios, whick are far too small for any kind of outdoor entertainment. In this case we removed the offending concrete and started fresh with new pavers and a seat wall to accommodate the family when the chairs are all taken. We installed wire with the columns so the owner could install lights at a later date.
Here the deck was a good size, but the steps were a road to nowhere. So we designed a new patio and seat wall that gave them more room for entertaining. The arch around the existing tree was designed to match another set of steps off the deck. In this way we tried to tie the two projects together to appear as one.
This is phase two of three. We added thin bricks to the existing concrete patio a couple years earlier, and in this phase extended the patio to accommodate a new fire pit and seating. It is preffered to place pavers on the same substrate so they experience the same freeze/thaw cycles in the winter to stay even with eachother. In this instance, we picked up the last of the brick supply available in Fort Wayne and had just enough to complete the job. You will notice a slight difference in color in the photos. This is a gas fire pit so the owners do not have to worry about wind direction and smoke when sitting.
Well, you can't say the patio was too small in this case, because there was no patio. The grill sat on the sidewalk. I wanted to keep the appearance of the walkway in the new patio space, which narrowed the paver choices down to one that would accomplish this task without an abundance of cutting. Fortunately the owners loved the paver and we were in business. They later added a 'summer only' sun shade structure to the patio to give the area an additional overhead dimension.
This is one of the smallest patios we have ever done, and yet it fit the needs of the client perfectly. The owner simply wanted a place to set his grill and a place to sit while he grilled. The fence was added to screen this area from the street. Let's eat.
This is a simple sidewalk add on, and replacement of a concrete stoop. The house was designed with colonial details, so we chose a mainstreet styled brick with white accents to compliment the style.
This was a unique little patio that was added to give room for a new fire pit and to get them even closer to the water. A slope was calculated into the walk rather than steps for easier movement.
This is a good example of a phased project. The overall design was completed on paper and the first two phases have been completed. When finished, the project will exhibit a coheasiveness planned from the start. Phase I was the base patio, and Phase II extended the patio and added a fire pit and water feature. Phase III will incorporate a pergola, and finally Phase IV will add plantings.
Firepits and Fireplaces
Outdoor Cooking
This is an all inclusive project, and a phased one. The first phase included a grill island, and new plantings. The second phase included a fire pit, a new patio to match the existing, more plantings and screening from off site. They already had a fantastic view of the pond and we wanted to take advantage of that with the placement of the various elements. Wooden lattice panels were brought in and installed independently from eachother so it could not be mistaken for a fence. The overall design is instrumental in detailing how phases will come together to create one cohesive landscape.
Walls, Steps, and Planters
Decorative Concrete
WaterScapes
Fountains
Water Gardens
This is a project that I am most proud of. It happened early in my career with a customer that had confidence in my abilities and let me be creative. Both the inside and outside of this house went thru major renovations. The outside included removal of the arched wooden bridge and replacing it with a horizontal stone bridge, complete new plantings, recontouring the existing pond to bring it in closer to the pool area, and installing a japanese garden at the far side of the pond. This is also one of our maintenance customers and you will find photos of their annuals in that folder. The property has changed hands, but we still maintain the landscape. I love this place. -GM
Waterfalls
LightScapes
