- Front Yard and Driveway Design (Later stage)
- Shade Garden area behind the new L-shaped wing. The family entrance in the new wing will have a glass door that frames a view of the two Japanese maples I love in my current driveway. The exit from this door will take you on a path between those trees. The current catch basin will be hidden with plantings around it, rather than be right in the walkway to the back yard.(Later stage)
- Area along Persimmon Tree Road requiring more privacy screening. (Considering now) This area includes landscaping for privacy along the side yard from where the Norway spruce at the play area starts, back up through the old cherry trees. This is important because this garden area will be the view out of from the main sink in my kitchen. The screening will also give the turret privacy. Below the play area, we would like additional screening to the far end of the lot.
- Back yard access from front driveway, and the area of the basement exit from behind the new screen porch. We just need to watch clearance from where these stairs will exit, and how close it gets to the access road. I was thinking about grass pavers so that this area does not end up looking too harsh. This is also currently a huge water drainage area, both from natural storm water and some sort of corrugated pipe from the home. This area will be important for maintenance, guests of the poolhouse, and catered events. (Later stage, but needs to work with patio/pool plan.)
- Terraced Patio area to replace current flagstone walkway and wall. We want it to feel like an integral and natural progression down towards the pool. I envision a combination of turf and stone patio materials, with some stone wall and meandering plantings. I want some option in the patio to bring plantings close to the house, such as in front of the new box bay window of the dining room. When I stand in the kitchen, I still want to have the effect of rolling grass hills down to the willows, so I don't want tall plantings or too much hard scape to compete with that view. (Considering now with Phase 1 renovation starting soon. See back view of home renovation below)
- Grill area possibly near or under current veranda so that it is accessible to kitchen, but not blocking views from the Turret, or any other view from the back of the house. (Considering now)
- Pool renovation, spa installation, and decking expansion, possible stone column wall/trellis along shallow end of pool to create privacy and hide the access driveway we have planned. Possible larger counter/bar or grill area at the corner where the new privacy wall and pool house meet. (Considering now, but would potentially delay the decking to be done with the cosmetic upgrades to the poolhouse, to include a new green slate roof, new doors and new columns of cedar.
- Fencing of pool or perimeter of back yard to include addressing the deer problem (Considering now)
- Water drainage system to possibly include a catch tank for irrigation system (Probably later stage?)
My thoughts on the terraces after meeting with Charles and studying his drawings and taking the views from the interior of the house into consideration. I started with the Soccer field as the farthest and lowest landscaped area, and then backed up all the way to the interior spaces.
Drawings Charles left behind with me. This one shows how he started the process of assigning terrace heights.
This was a potential elevation of the pool area. I might think about moving the stairs more around the back of the circle toward the pool house, so that the seating does not feel like it was split in two.
This is the Master Plan I have been working on that shows the Front Driveway design. The back area is still a work in progress.
View of the new front circle driveway with central island of grass hidden by stone wall (from above) with the L-shaped home in the background.
View from the new front door looking out toward the driveway entrance.
Some notes for the landscape:
We love our back yard with the rolling grass hills and the weeping willows. The play area has been great, and has driven the design of the whole renovation/expansion of our home. The pool house is also pretty, but needs a new roof, which we will eventually do in the same green slate that was done on the play house. The fence needs to go in order for the design to look uncluttered and more like a natural landscape.
Last year, we added the Play Area and the leveled off a large area of grass we call the "soccer field".
I like how this terraced look is evolving, and would like to continue that effect up towards the house. We I look out from my kitchen and the veranda, I would like to still have the rolling hill look, so at least part of the area coming off the veranda needs to be sod or very nice artificial turf.
This photo kind of has the effect Charles and I have discussed, with a combination of patio, grass, rock wall and plantings. Our situation would warrant bigger turf area and would need to weave in and out of the mature trees. I don't want straight rock walls to define the space. I would rather see a large turf step mixed with rock wall and planting beds, and then some rolled grass so that lawnmowers can still access the majority of the turf areas.
I love the photo for the stone dining area under the trees similar to what I think ours could be, and also that they brought a few plantings close to the house.
The steps in this photo are appealing to me. I like the evergreens around them and the small wall topped with plantersI like that this back yard garden has some formality and yet overall has a family back yard feel. I definitely want our area to look great all Winter too, since it will be viewed from all the key entertainment areas of the house. I want to avoid the look of too much hard scape by breaking it up with curves and evergreen plantings that look great all year.
I really like this stone column and trellis set back from the pool. This might be what I would envision along the shallow end of the pool, but filled in with lattice fence to create privacy.
This is for the future front driveway. I love the brown colored cobble stone edging the driveway.
These are different shots of the yard that might be helpful. We put the stakes in the yard to get an idea of how the terraces would come together. I tried to space them out far enough so that when I stand in the new kitchen area, I would be able to see each step. It they are spaced too close, it just looks like a drop off.
Coming into the back yard.
Strings show level (not adjusted for slope)
The rocking chairs would sit up approxiamtely at the the orange string line with what we talked about.
This view shows the space for the utility access road. The visible wood stake marks the farthest point into the yard of the proposed screen porch.
This view shows the back of the house. The stake is again the farthest point of the new screen porch wall.
