This was one of those consults you go on where you pretty much know what the problem/challenge is before you even knock on the door.
The front of the house was beautifully landscaped and seemed to extend a warm welcome as I approached. But toward the end of the driveway I got another feeling and it wasn’t welcoming. The homeowners were right-on with their observations and requests.
“We’re not comfortable going into the backyard from the driveway and certainly not comfortable inviting our guests this way.”
The back woodland area was overgrown and unkempt, which made it even more unsightly. In addition, there was no feature to invite and lead you into the backyard. The sloping ground didn’t help matters either.
The first step was to tag & remove all the undesirable trees and rough grade. This phase called preliminary sitework organizes the property and helps give a clear vision of what you have to work with.
Bluestone was chosen to build dry-laid walls to manage the slope. Right away we are drawn to the more graduated levels. The hand-tooled bluestone walls bring structure and a sense of order to the area.
Solid bluestone slab-steps were used to create a connection between the woodland and the home. The stone steps send a message of invite into the backyard and to the deck. The subtle use of native fieldstone boulders adds another element of harmony.
We used the same pavers of the driveway for the landing to the stone steps adding continuity to the backyard landscape.
