duplicate post
http://www.houzz.com/discussions/521634/Need-Help-Designing-a-Private-Front-Courtyard-

The first post didn't include all four photos, so I deleted it. Thanks!

From the looks of your house I believe that you are likely in California. Have you seen this landscape designer?
http://www.houzz.com/pro/deboracarl/debora-carl-landscape-design
I would recommend someone like this to help you here. Great house and it would even better with a spanish courtyard. If you are still not sure, let me know and I will see what else we could do. SCR

What great ideas you have! I love them, esp. the fountain, courtyard, trees, etc. A low wall at the top of the slope would provide privacy because it starts high. An archway and bougainvilleas would give it a friendly touch. Low walls are not "fortress-like' - they invite resting upon, or a place to put big pots of greens, etc. Colorful plants along the slope will also be welcoming. Good Luck!

have you considered possibly adding some landscaping lights as well. it will really show off your manicured lawn and give your home an expensive look.

Just came across your letter again, the other time i wrote I had only seen two pics so could not quite follow all
your plans. The steps up to house level and the entry itself are rather forbidding rather than welcoming. The steps are great but the plantings are overgrown - it says timid souls stay out. If you retain the steps (which I would) I would plant low growing plants kept clear from the steps. The entry does indeed need an entire reno-vation. The tiles would be great - its too narrow for a fountain of any size to be centered but offset would be fine.

I wonder if anyone makes a "half-fountain" that could be installed against one wall. The area near the door needs lightening and brightening. I would like to paint walls & ceiling all a very light cream color, with the door painted to match the roof tiles or just a little brighter. The door itself needs to be larger with large black strap hinges to convey a more Spanish look. Could you find several large black iron wall sconces with lights spaced along the walls to brighten the courtyard and the door area? There's a kind of moss that can be used between pavers that makes a beautiful red/green design and takes away the harshness of solid pavers. Some bougainvillea on trellis up the wall would be beautiful - maybe to frame the front of the courtyard. That's all I can think of and I wish you well in your work.

P. S. Lamps Plus and Lighting Universe have many black exterior wall sconces in every style imaginable.

It would be nice to use large shrubs like these podocarpus to enclose your water courtyard. Also a spanish courtyard is usually created by geometric shapes and hedges. See below picture for idea. It looks like you may be in southern ca if you are interested in having a layout plan created of your site let me know.

Handsome lot.

Terracing that bluff with a succession of planters and progressively larger vegetation will minimize the fortress effect you are concerned with.

From there, as Garza Concepts mentioned, setbacks need to be addressed - affecting the following.

Are you interested in: a shaded outdoor space, an open outdoor space or a blend of the two?

Wow, thanks to all for your ideas, contacts, and pics! I agree, Nancy, with all of your suggestions, particularly about the walkway and entrance. Since the front of the house gets direct sun and we are in SoCal, I would like a blend of the two (perhaps a pergola with vines?) My most pressing design issue is the materials for the courtyard wall. I've seen great stucco, brick, and stucco/iron designs, but they all seem to lack the more "natural" barrier I am seeking. Ideally, I would love an enclosed courtyard that incorporates plant barriers into the hardscape barrier. Does that make any sense on a slope?

As others have stated, setbacks need to be a number one consideration because one can start imagining this beautiful area, only to have one's dreams dashed upon the shoals of setback requirements. Generally speaking, the lower the wall, the closer it can be to the road. (A common setback for higher walls is 20 feet from the road which looks like it may be quite doable for your property. But of course I don't know what your setback requirements are.)

If your hardscape setback makes the space too constricted and close to the house, you can achieve a similar privacy effect with the use of plants which draw much less scrutiny than stucco walls. Since you want a Mediterranean feel, you can create a mixed privacy barrier with phormiums and bananas and other sub-tropical looking plants to give a sense of enclosure. I don't think that the Iceberg roses (???) fit with the look you're going for so I would start making your landscape more cohesive by using the palms as the sentinel "theme" plant.

I would approach this design exercise in the following manner .

Emphasise the Entrance of the house by a Pseudo arch/ or many of the spanish stand alone design devises etc well ahead of the House and de-emphise the visitors Bedroom window .which you hope to turn into a door into the front courtyard ( presently the lawn)

The forecourt to the house entrance door could have a set of pergolas running towards it behind the statement arch

next think of an imaginary low wall ( very low) that will envelope your garden / courtyard .

Align the front entrance dead straight with low planters along the steps as Nancy has suggested . .Shallow broad steps are devine

Think in volumes 3D not in two dimension planning . This is important and exciting - also the niggly - piglys will then fall into place .

you may find it intersting that i live in the tropics ! - Sri Lanka ( Ceylon )

I hope i could hav been useful to you

Lal

Old post from 2013

laltkoon2gmail.com

Thank you so much for your very helpful suggestions, Lal. Would love to see photos of your property in Sri Lanka. I've not yet had the opportunity to travel there, but it is on my bucket list.:-)