While these homeowners' 1966 Asian-inspired rancher was built for entertaining, the backyard wasn't living up to its potential. A combination of crumbling composite and wood decks wasn't functional and had become an eyesore, so they were replaced with an expanded single-level PVC deck. A new paver patio features a sunken fire pit and inset bench rocks, providing further space for entertaining. Additionally, a paver path wraps around the existing retaining wall and ramps up to the deck, providing a barrier-free entry to the house that will enable the homeowners to age in place.

With any historic property, getting the details right is critical. For this Pleasant Valley home, a crumbling stone porch needed replacement. Our knowledgeable crew matched the look of the stone and grout work to keep the home’s aesthetic period-specific without sacrificing quality. The result: a gorgeous porch that draws the eye and fits the property perfectly.

This lovely mid-century modern home was dominated by a large crumbling circular asphalt driveway and boring lawn. Removing the asphalt driveway and replacing it with separate exposed aggregate driveways to form an upper motor court and a drive to the garage called for a solution to retain the grade and create access from the front door to the lower-level garage. Corten steel sheets were pre-rolled then welded on site to form the dramatic walls to a curving staircase and path and to accommodate the grade change in the motor court. A large specimen Weeping White Pine spans the stairway and walls creating a living arch and adding screening from the busy main road. Mounted wall lights cast a gentle glow to guide you between the walls and give a sense of enclosure to the stairway.

Using design expertise, proper engineering and modern building practices, Elite Landscaping transformed an outdated, crumbling concrete pool and landscape into a fresh, award-winning masterpiece. Highlights of this outdoor living space and pool renovation include: Repaving the entire pool deck with travertine. Adding a 13-person year-round spa. Building a pool house with 20’ open cedar-beam ceilings over the men’s and women's changing rooms. Expanding and reinforcing an outdoor deck, finishing the under-deck ceiling and building a full-service, outdoor bar beneath it. Additionally, the Elite team designed a multi-level patio with sunken fire pit, flanked by natural boulders and flagstone paths. The pièce de résistance, however, is the custom-concrete waterfall and grotto, with natural interior skylights and customized water features.

With any historic property, getting the details right is critical. For this Pleasant Valley home, a crumbling stone porch needed replacement. Our knowledgeable crew matched the look of the stone and grout work to keep the home’s aesthetic period-specific without sacrificing quality. The result: a gorgeous porch that draws the eye and fits the property perfectly.

Using design expertise, proper engineering and modern building practices, Elite Landscaping transformed an outdated, crumbling concrete pool and landscape into a fresh, award-winning masterpiece. Highlights of this outdoor living space and pool renovation include: Repaving the entire pool deck with travertine. Adding a 13-person year-round spa. Building a pool house with 20’ open cedar-beam ceilings over the men’s and women's changing rooms. Expanding and reinforcing an outdoor deck, finishing the under-deck ceiling and building a full-service, outdoor bar beneath it. Additionally, the Elite team designed a multi-level patio with sunken fire pit, flanked by natural boulders and flagstone paths. The pièce de résistance, however, is the custom-concrete waterfall and grotto, with natural interior skylights and customized water features.

Using design expertise, proper engineering and modern building practices, Elite Landscaping transformed an outdated, crumbling concrete pool and landscape into a fresh, award-winning masterpiece. Highlights of this outdoor living space and pool renovation include: Repaving the entire pool deck with travertine. Adding a 13-person year-round spa. Building a pool house with 20’ open cedar-beam ceilings over the men’s and women's changing rooms. Expanding and reinforcing an outdoor deck, finishing the under-deck ceiling and building a full-service, outdoor bar beneath it. Additionally, the Elite team designed a multi-level patio with sunken fire pit, flanked by natural boulders and flagstone paths. The pièce de résistance, however, is the custom-concrete waterfall and grotto, with natural interior skylights and customized water features.

Using design expertise, proper engineering and modern building practices, Elite Landscaping transformed an outdated, crumbling concrete pool and landscape into a fresh, award-winning masterpiece. Highlights of this outdoor living space and pool renovation include: Repaving the entire pool deck with travertine. Adding a 13-person year-round spa. Building a pool house with 20’ open cedar-beam ceilings over the men’s and women's changing rooms. Expanding and reinforcing an outdoor deck, finishing the under-deck ceiling and building a full-service, outdoor bar beneath it. Additionally, the Elite team designed a multi-level patio with sunken fire pit, flanked by natural boulders and flagstone paths. The pièce de résistance, however, is the custom-concrete waterfall and grotto, with natural interior skylights and customized water features.

Using design expertise, proper engineering and modern building practices, Elite Landscaping transformed an outdated, crumbling concrete pool and landscape into a fresh, award-winning masterpiece. Highlights of this outdoor living space and pool renovation include: Repaving the entire pool deck with travertine. Adding a 13-person year-round spa. Building a pool house with 20’ open cedar-beam ceilings over the men’s and women's changing rooms. Expanding and reinforcing an outdoor deck, finishing the under-deck ceiling and building a full-service, outdoor bar beneath it. Additionally, the Elite team designed a multi-level patio with sunken fire pit, flanked by natural boulders and flagstone paths. The pièce de résistance, however, is the custom-concrete waterfall and grotto, with natural interior skylights and customized water features.

Using design expertise, proper engineering and modern building practices, Elite Landscaping transformed an outdated, crumbling concrete pool and landscape into a fresh, award-winning masterpiece. Highlights of this outdoor living space and pool renovation include: Repaving the entire pool deck with travertine. Adding a 13-person year-round spa. Building a pool house with 20’ open cedar-beam ceilings over the men’s and women's changing rooms. Expanding and reinforcing an outdoor deck, finishing the under-deck ceiling and building a full-service, outdoor bar beneath it. Additionally, the Elite team designed a multi-level patio with sunken fire pit, flanked by natural boulders and flagstone paths. The pièce de résistance, however, is the custom-concrete waterfall and grotto, with natural interior skylights and customized water features.

Using design expertise, proper engineering and modern building practices, Elite Landscaping transformed an outdated, crumbling concrete pool and landscape into a fresh, award-winning masterpiece. Highlights of this outdoor living space and pool renovation include: Repaving the entire pool deck with travertine. Adding a 13-person year-round spa. Building a pool house with 20’ open cedar-beam ceilings over the men’s and women's changing rooms. Expanding and reinforcing an outdoor deck, finishing the under-deck ceiling and building a full-service, outdoor bar beneath it. Additionally, the Elite team designed a multi-level patio with sunken fire pit, flanked by natural boulders and flagstone paths. The pièce de résistance, however, is the custom-concrete waterfall and grotto, with natural interior skylights and customized water features.

Using design expertise, proper engineering and modern building practices, Elite Landscaping transformed an outdated, crumbling concrete pool and landscape into a fresh, award-winning masterpiece. Highlights of this outdoor living space and pool renovation include: Repaving the entire pool deck with travertine. Adding a 13-person year-round spa. Building a pool house with 20’ open cedar-beam ceilings over the men’s and women's changing rooms. Expanding and reinforcing an outdoor deck, finishing the under-deck ceiling and building a full-service, outdoor bar beneath it. Additionally, the Elite team designed a multi-level patio with sunken fire pit, flanked by natural boulders and flagstone paths. The pièce de résistance, however, is the custom-concrete waterfall and grotto, with natural interior skylights and customized water features.

We had a several challenges to face with this project. Not only did we need to update a dated landscape to accommodate two seemingly different design tastes (modern & minimalistic vs natural english garden), we were tasked with improving the property’s drainage, improving the driveway access, reducing water usage and plant maintenance, and fixing a crumbling wall. To marry the two design tastes, we started with the more modern elements of metal planters and softened the landscape with mass plantings of ornamental grasses and native sedge. These grasses act as a turf replacement that do not need to be mowed and require less regular watering. On each side of the yard we constructed new cedar fences to provide updated and additional privacy. In addition, we poured a new concrete wall to replace the existing retaining wall and play off the new modern vibe.

With any historic property, getting the details right is critical. For this Pleasant Valley home, a crumbling stone porch needed replacement. Our knowledgeable crew matched the look of the stone and grout work to keep the home’s aesthetic period-specific without sacrificing quality. The result: a gorgeous porch that draws the eye and fits the property perfectly.

Using design expertise, proper engineering and modern building practices, Elite Landscaping transformed an outdated, crumbling concrete pool and landscape into a fresh, award-winning masterpiece. Highlights of this outdoor living space and pool renovation include: Repaving the entire pool deck with travertine. Adding a 13-person year-round spa. Building a pool house with 20’ open cedar-beam ceilings over the men’s and women's changing rooms. Expanding and reinforcing an outdoor deck, finishing the under-deck ceiling and building a full-service, outdoor bar beneath it. Additionally, the Elite team designed a multi-level patio with sunken fire pit, flanked by natural boulders and flagstone paths. The pièce de résistance, however, is the custom-concrete waterfall and grotto, with natural interior skylights and customized water features.

This yard was unusable by the resident grownups and unsafe for their kids who wished they had a place to retreat from city hazards. We refurbished the crumbling concrete retaining wall at the bottom. built another wall above that using dry-stacked broken concrete pieces, and a third wall at the top using decorative dry-stacked cement blocks. Between the upper two walls, we carved out a space for a patio, which we paved with Mediterranean style pavers. At the patio's front edge, we built a safety railing of redwood and vertical steel tubes, which gave it a classy look.

Using design expertise, proper engineering and modern building practices, Elite Landscaping transformed an outdated, crumbling concrete pool and landscape into a fresh, award-winning masterpiece. Highlights of this outdoor living space and pool renovation include: Repaving the entire pool deck with travertine. Adding a 13-person year-round spa. Building a pool house with 20’ open cedar-beam ceilings over the men’s and women's changing rooms. Expanding and reinforcing an outdoor deck, finishing the under-deck ceiling and building a full-service, outdoor bar beneath it. Additionally, the Elite team designed a multi-level patio with sunken fire pit, flanked by natural boulders and flagstone paths. The pièce de résistance, however, is the custom-concrete waterfall and grotto, with natural interior skylights and customized water features.

Using design expertise, proper engineering and modern building practices, Elite Landscaping transformed an outdated, crumbling concrete pool and landscape into a fresh, award-winning masterpiece. Highlights of this outdoor living space and pool renovation include: Repaving the entire pool deck with travertine. Adding a 13-person year-round spa. Building a pool house with 20’ open cedar-beam ceilings over the men’s and women's changing rooms. Expanding and reinforcing an outdoor deck, finishing the under-deck ceiling and building a full-service, outdoor bar beneath it. Additionally, the Elite team designed a multi-level patio with sunken fire pit, flanked by natural boulders and flagstone paths. The pièce de résistance, however, is the custom-concrete waterfall and grotto, with natural interior skylights and customized water features.

Photo: Rachel Loewen © 2018 Houzz
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