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B.DeMichele Inc.
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Sponsored Content
Pro Spotlight: Conquer Your Yard’s Slopes
A Media landscape designer tells how to use hilly terrain to your advantage
Sponsored Content
Who: Blase DeMichele
Where: Media, Pennsylvania
In his own words: “The world is a beautiful place, and we want to contribute to that beauty and encourage our homeowners to spend time outdoors in their backyards.”
For many, a perfect backyard is a flat one. Just because yours isn’t level doesn’t mean you can’t have a great outdoor space — it just takes a little extra creativity, says Blase DeMichele, founder of B. DeMichele in Media, who works with head designers Brita VanRossum and Elizabeth Duncan. “Plants and patterns in nature inspire us to create designs that are unique to the space and natural environment,” DeMichele says.
Where: Media, Pennsylvania
In his own words: “The world is a beautiful place, and we want to contribute to that beauty and encourage our homeowners to spend time outdoors in their backyards.”
For many, a perfect backyard is a flat one. Just because yours isn’t level doesn’t mean you can’t have a great outdoor space — it just takes a little extra creativity, says Blase DeMichele, founder of B. DeMichele in Media, who works with head designers Brita VanRossum and Elizabeth Duncan. “Plants and patterns in nature inspire us to create designs that are unique to the space and natural environment,” DeMichele says.
Outdoor spaces with longevity. “We like to put ourselves in the clients’ shoes and create spaces that they will be proud of,” DeMichele says. “We want to exceed their expectations, and we do this by understanding their needs and wants. We always take into account the space’s functionality and what’s important to the homeowner. This will create a gorgeous space that they’ll use for years.”
Designing for the site. “A lot of homeowners deal with grading or topographic issues, causing water flow and drainage problems,” DeMichele says. “There are a number of ways to create multilevel elements to get drainage water away from your house.”
Ready to conquer the hills in your backyard? See DeMichele’s tips below for working with tricky terrain.
Ready to conquer the hills in your backyard? See DeMichele’s tips below for working with tricky terrain.
1. Cover Hills With Plants
While steep hills can be difficult to maintain, they also can make your yard much more interesting, DeMichele says. Covering them with plantings will help maintain hillsides and direct drainage downward. “The plants’ roots help to stabilize the land and soak up water runoff,” he says.
A waterfall and natural stone steps take advantage of the change in elevation on the hillside of this Newtown Square residence. “Steps are such a sculptural part of a yard,” DeMichele says. “There’s something magical about plants combined with hardscaping; it creates a great focus. Hardscapes and softscapes are great together.”
See more of this project
While steep hills can be difficult to maintain, they also can make your yard much more interesting, DeMichele says. Covering them with plantings will help maintain hillsides and direct drainage downward. “The plants’ roots help to stabilize the land and soak up water runoff,” he says.
A waterfall and natural stone steps take advantage of the change in elevation on the hillside of this Newtown Square residence. “Steps are such a sculptural part of a yard,” DeMichele says. “There’s something magical about plants combined with hardscaping; it creates a great focus. Hardscapes and softscapes are great together.”
See more of this project
2. Create Multilevel Spaces
Having different outdoor living spaces provides natural separation throughout your yard, DeMichele says. “The three main outdoor areas we create are dining space, living space and a play area for kids,” he says. “We take advantage of the change in elevation to create those spaces.”
In this Thornton backyard, the client was looking for creative ways to get from the upper level of his yard down to the pool area, DeMichele says. “There was a large drop in elevation, which was solved by adding a patio area between the main deck and the pool deck.”
See more of this project
Having different outdoor living spaces provides natural separation throughout your yard, DeMichele says. “The three main outdoor areas we create are dining space, living space and a play area for kids,” he says. “We take advantage of the change in elevation to create those spaces.”
In this Thornton backyard, the client was looking for creative ways to get from the upper level of his yard down to the pool area, DeMichele says. “There was a large drop in elevation, which was solved by adding a patio area between the main deck and the pool deck.”
See more of this project
3. Add Natural Stone
DeMichele recommends the use of natural boulders or stones as steps and walls: “Utilizing boulders found on the site can save money and aids water’s natural drainage. Plus, it’s environmentally sensitive.” A client of his in Phoenixville wanted to combine modern and rustic elements in his backyard. “We achieved this look by creating naturalistic walls that allow for water drainage and plants to pop through,” DeMichele says.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Blase DeMichele and examples of his work, visit B. DeMichele’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
DeMichele recommends the use of natural boulders or stones as steps and walls: “Utilizing boulders found on the site can save money and aids water’s natural drainage. Plus, it’s environmentally sensitive.” A client of his in Phoenixville wanted to combine modern and rustic elements in his backyard. “We achieved this look by creating naturalistic walls that allow for water drainage and plants to pop through,” DeMichele says.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Blase DeMichele and examples of his work, visit B. DeMichele’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
B. DeMichele Inc. has been owned and operated by Blase DeMichele since 1994, providing superior workmanship and... Read More
Review by Jim Eash:
Blase has done a considerable amount of work on my property. This includes an outdoor kitchen, fire pit, new paver walkways and a paver driveway. All work has been great. We left two rows of slate ...More
DeMichele installed all the hardscaping for our new home, including entry, walled rear patio, raised sidewalk for outdoor equipment, terrace with tiered planters and pergola, and a stairway to the lower yard. In addition they installed several small flowering trees, and a rain garden to help manage runoff. Our property slopes considerably from left to right, so these areas are an important element in grounding the house to the land and creating transitions and gardening spaces. The work is beautiful and the crew were professional and courteous.