Coastal Landscape Reconnects With Its Natural Setting
A landscape architect sensitively revives a Cape Cod property with scenic marsh views
Reviving this historic Cape Cod home and improving the health of its surrounding landscape were priorities for the homeowners, who had spent decades summering in a smaller house down the road and had deep ties to the community.
The homeowners hired LDa Architecture & Interiors to renovate and enlarge the home while respecting its history, and Crowley Cottrell to restore the health and usability of the 8-acre property. Landscape architect Michelle Crowley eradicated invasive species, added native and naturalized plants, and made the property more accessible, functional and beautiful.
The homeowners hired LDa Architecture & Interiors to renovate and enlarge the home while respecting its history, and Crowley Cottrell to restore the health and usability of the 8-acre property. Landscape architect Michelle Crowley eradicated invasive species, added native and naturalized plants, and made the property more accessible, functional and beautiful.
Before Photo
After: Crowley worked with the architects during the renovation. The new outdoor paths provide access from the street and allow people to walk all the way around the house without encountering steep slopes or thick vegetation. Understated lighting provides safety without overwhelming the space. “The homeowners wanted to use minimal lighting for a moonlight effect,” Crowley says.
The thermal rockface bluestone stairs that connect the street to the front door feel set into the landscape. Their thermal-finished surfaces are smooth and slip-resistant, while the chiseled rockface edges give the stairs a rugged, natural look. “We chose monolithic bluestone over choices like granite because its color recedes more into the ground and doesn’t stand out,” Crowley says.
To save existing trees like the mature oaks, Crowley hired an arborist, who protected their roots and pruned the trees. All the new plantings are either native or naturalized to Cape Cod.
New native trees include red maple (Acer rubrum, USDA zones 3 to 9; find your zone), Canadian serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis, zones 4 to 8), Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides, zones 4 to 8), American holly (Ilex opaca, zones 5 to 9), tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera, zones 4 to 9), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica, zones 4 to 9), hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana, zones 3 to 9) and sassafras (Sassafras albidum, zones 4 to 9).
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The thermal rockface bluestone stairs that connect the street to the front door feel set into the landscape. Their thermal-finished surfaces are smooth and slip-resistant, while the chiseled rockface edges give the stairs a rugged, natural look. “We chose monolithic bluestone over choices like granite because its color recedes more into the ground and doesn’t stand out,” Crowley says.
To save existing trees like the mature oaks, Crowley hired an arborist, who protected their roots and pruned the trees. All the new plantings are either native or naturalized to Cape Cod.
New native trees include red maple (Acer rubrum, USDA zones 3 to 9; find your zone), Canadian serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis, zones 4 to 8), Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides, zones 4 to 8), American holly (Ilex opaca, zones 5 to 9), tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera, zones 4 to 9), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica, zones 4 to 9), hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana, zones 3 to 9) and sassafras (Sassafras albidum, zones 4 to 9).
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During construction, a crumbling chimney had to be removed from the house. When Crowley discovered that it was made of locally produced bricks from the West Barnstable Brick Co., which went out of business in the early 1930s, she recommended salvaging as many as possible for reuse. The bricks now form landings along the entry staircase, edged by bluestone pavers.
Before Photo
Before: This yard is on the left side of the house, and the door in the center was the main entrance before the renovation. From the front, the only way to reach the door was through the porch, as there were steep drops on both sides of the house.
Before and After: 3 Creative Solutions to a Sloped Yard
Before and After: 3 Creative Solutions to a Sloped Yard
After: Thinning out the existing overgrowth revealed some surprises. “We found an existing kousa dogwood buried in invasive plants,” Crowley says. “It was fun to expose it and celebrate it.”
The wraparound porch was rebuilt as part of the renovation, and wide new steps make it easy to enter. Crowley designed a curved bluestone patio that creates a smooth transition between the house and the landscape. “These flagstones have a natural cleft that lends a more informal look,” she says.
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The wraparound porch was rebuilt as part of the renovation, and wide new steps make it easy to enter. Crowley designed a curved bluestone patio that creates a smooth transition between the house and the landscape. “These flagstones have a natural cleft that lends a more informal look,” she says.
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The architects screened in part of the wraparound porch, which provides a spot to enjoy views of the marsh.
Crowley worked closely with the Town of Barnstable Conservation Commission to comply with coastal buffer requirements around the marsh. She enlisted Wilkinson Ecological Design to eradicate invasive plants from the landscape. They did so by hand, without chemicals. They seeded areas with sea lavender (Limonium sp.) where they’d removed reed grass (Phragmites sp.). They will continue to monitor and manage the site to prevent their return.
“This landscape is chemical-free by design, and there was no fertilizer required,” Crowley says. While some drip lines were installed to help the new plants establish, they won’t be needed as the plants mature.
Crowley worked closely with the Town of Barnstable Conservation Commission to comply with coastal buffer requirements around the marsh. She enlisted Wilkinson Ecological Design to eradicate invasive plants from the landscape. They did so by hand, without chemicals. They seeded areas with sea lavender (Limonium sp.) where they’d removed reed grass (Phragmites sp.). They will continue to monitor and manage the site to prevent their return.
“This landscape is chemical-free by design, and there was no fertilizer required,” Crowley says. While some drip lines were installed to help the new plants establish, they won’t be needed as the plants mature.
Before Photo
Before: This photo shows the overgrown vegetation as well as the steep drop-off between the house and the garage. The roof of the garage can be seen in the center.
After: With the invasive plants removed and overgrowth thinned, Crowley was able to create a series of outdoor rooms connected by paths. Additional grading and new steps allow people to walk all the way around the house. The new layout includes a path from the porch and patio to a new home office the architects created when they rebuilt the garage (seen here on the right).
This path runs across the front of the house to a bridge leading to the home office on the second level of the garage. The steps seen in the foreground provide a gentle route around the garage and down to where the family parks on the street.
Crowley graded this side of the property, between the bluestone patio and the street, to maintain a grassy slope that’s less than 5%. The result is an easy, casual entry. Family members can park, walk around the garage and enter through the side entrance off the wraparound porch.
Crowley graded this side of the property, between the bluestone patio and the street, to maintain a grassy slope that’s less than 5%. The result is an easy, casual entry. Family members can park, walk around the garage and enter through the side entrance off the wraparound porch.
The retaining walls required for the grading plan are made of full fieldstones from the region. The fieldstones help maintain the natural look of the site.
A bluestone patio off the home’s lower level overlooks the large expanse of marshland. This seating area with Adirondack chairs around a metal wood-burning fire pit is a favorite gathering spot.
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Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: This is an extended family’s summer property
Location: Craigville community in Centerville, Massachusetts
Size: About 8 acres (3.2 hectares)
Landscape architect: Crowley Cottrell
Architect: LDa Architecture & Interiors
Before: The landscape around the home had become overgrown, and the terrain was rugged. “It was impossible to walk all the way around the house, and the stairs were treacherous,” Crowley says. The main entry door also wasn’t visible from the street, making the house feel less inviting.
The new homeowners envisioned a landscape that felt connected to its Cape Cod setting and the marshland, “without anything looking too precious or perfect,” Crowley says. “They wanted the house to feel set into the landscape.” The work included removing invasive plants while preserving oaks, sassafras, holly and bayberry.