The #LakesideLeisure Project was a comprehensive redesign of a lakefront property that transformed various challenges into stunning solutions. Initially, the property featured a small, high-maintenance cedar deck with minimal lake views, poorly placed stairs, limited flat yard space due to extensive tiered landscaping and excessive plantings, obstructed lake views, and privacy concerns from a neighboring home. The client’s vision was clear: they wanted a large, flat yard for family activities and hosting, enhanced outdoor living spaces for dining and lounging, increased privacy from neighbors, more shaded hangout areas, improved “curb appeal” from the lake, and reduced maintenance.

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The Gun Lake Residence replaces a small, aging, existing house located on a narrow peninsula on Gun Lake, in west Michigan. The peninsula is neatly populated with century-old homes that quietly occupy this uncommon setting. The project site offers extraordinary views of the water in multiple directions and extends to the east with open space, bordering on an historic, 19th-century community ice house. A primary project goal was to reimagine the relationship of the house to its surroundings while remaining sensitive to the communal context of the neighboring properties. The design seed of the new project included rotating the footprint of the existing house 90 degrees to open the long side of the home toward the lake, maximizing views and gaining optimal benefit of the linear site. Drawing inspiration from the traditional lake vernacular of the neighboring houses, the two principal roof forms of the new house reciprocate the setting -- the modern, clean lines of the upper gable roof upholds the clarity and tradition of the neighborhood, while the lower roof mimics the extension of the landscape and invites improvisational use. The horizontal flat roof allows use of the deck in all weather and cantilevers the most used public spaces into the landscape in a band of captured horizontal space. A wood-clad retaining wall refines a cut into the earth and harbors a transitional, outdoor room between the water and the basement. At 2200 finished square feet, the conditioned building envelope is compact. And like the exterior, the interior form responds directly to its use. The upper floor is a monastic repetition of modest sleeping cells and bathrooms with unique directional views, combined with a grand central stair and master bedroom at each corner that captures myriad views of the water, over the trees, in all directions. The main floor utilizes a core of small, functional spaces to shield the adjacent road, and forms a backdrop to the open interior spaces. Aided by the reaching, cedar-bellied roof, the living, dining, and kitchen spaces spill to the outdoors through an unusually porous exterior wall. Three sliding glass doors–including one at 20 feet wide–and a finished, surrounding ground plane cohere the landscape to the main living level. Super-insulated wood-framed walls, triple-paned aluminum-clad wood windows, and a structurally insulated roof panels make-up the core of the building envelope, and additional exterior high-performance design features include geothermal heating/cooling and a green roof. Cementitious lap siding, concrete panels, hardwood decking, cedar soffits, and river rock comprise the exterior finish. In addition to cedar ceilings, interior finishes include porcelain ceramic tile, cork flooring, tight pile wool carpet, and neutral painted walls -- designed in quiet tones to highlight the most important interior ingredient: views outside.

Esperto Builders are general contractors in Santa Clara, experienced in general home remodeling in Santa Clara and neighboring cities. Apart from kitchen and bathroom remodeling in Santa Clara, we also offer a host of home remodeling and general contracting services in Santa Clara and neighboring cities which includes ensuites, ADUs, as well as complete home remodeling. Call us today to discover more about our home remodeling services in Santa Clara. General Contractor, Home Remodel & Design in Santa Clara, CA - https://www.espertobuilders.com/

I am sure you will be able relate to this client in Folkstone who had a concrete and brick path and steps to the side of their house that had turned black with dirt. I know many of you reading this post will probably own a Karcher pressure washer and would be happy to do this job themselves, however for those that do not it’s good to know that we don’t just cover expensive patios and driveways and happily deep clean concrete paths as well. The machine I use for this type of work operates at very high pressure, far higher than that of a Karcher and is so large and heavy its actually installed in a van. This type of machine is known in the trade as a Truck Mount and results in a much deeper clean that cleans and extracts the waste at the same time. I popped over to see the client to see what needed to be done and gave them a quote for the work. Having looked round the property I was confident of making a difference. I also noted that steps were not only black with dirt but had become green with algae in places which is slippery when wet and dangerous for the elderly. Before going over with the machine, I wetted the path with Tile Doctor Patio & Brick Driveway Cleaner and left it to soak into the concrete for a good twenty to thirty minutes so it could breakdown the dirt and deal with blackspots, lichen, moss, and general staining. The concrete path was in several sections so whilst I was waiting for the cleaner to soak into one section, I was able to run the Truck Mount pressure washer over another section. When you use the jet wash at home, it can be a very messy business, bringing up all the dirt and spreading it around the nearby walls and usually the user. With our machine washing and extracting the dirt at the same time there is zero mess, and you can literally see the path become transformed in front of your eyes which is very satisfying. Once done the concrete path looked like it was laid yesterday. The client was amazed saying it now complimented the work they had recently done on the front and back patios. It does show up the neighbour’s path though so I would not be surprised if I get a call soon to do their path as well! There was no need to apply any type of sealer to this path. Regular cleaning will maintain it and a once a year deep clean like this would keep it in great shape. Michael Conlon South Kent Tile Doctor

Garden State Shade, LLC
Inspiration for a coastal porch remodel in Philadelphia

This Flemington, NJ landscape and free-form pool was carefully designed on a property with a rolling hill to extend as much usable outdoor living space as possible while simultaneously adding privacy from the neighbors, and the side street. Key to this space is the large retaining wall built at the back end of the yard after the hill was excavated out and the land leveled. The pool deck extends far to the one side to provide sun bathing chairs and furniture; also to tie in the views from the deck and back of the house to the pool lounging area. The planting scheme also was designed to keep the pool open to the house and privacy kept from the neighbors and other surroundings. The pool features a sitting bench or cozy corner for kids to take a rest on while playing in the pool. Overall the design of this space really transformed a hilly tight backyard with not much usable space into the perfect scene for entertaining with friends or family.

Located on a steep hill above downtown Ventura, this modern Spanish house features panoramic views of town with the ocean and Channel Islands beyond. While the views are amazing from a large front deck, the steep slope presented some constraints on the landscape design. Although the property is about a third-of-an-acre, the only useable and open garden space is a small (about 500 square feet) area to the West of the house. The house sits at the back of the property, and another steep hill on the neighboring property behind is held back by a tall retaining wall, leaving just enough room for a narrow, hardscaped patio in the back yard. Bright plantings along the back of the property delineate the home from the neighboring property, and we chose plantings to help stabilize the soil and further develop the Spanish garden look while creating a lush, inviting feel. Additionally, we added 52 pieces of pottery to soften and add interest to the back garden and patio areas. Succulents, herbs, and California natives fill the pottery along with bright, sweet-smelling, tropical-looking, and climate-appropriate plants. Slope stabilization was paramount for the front hill. Beyond that, finding plants that would thrive on the steep slope was the next obstacle. Finally, the aesthetics could be addressed, and we worked to find plants that meshed with the architecture—blending plants with white and orange to play off the red-tiled roofs and white-plastered walls that are emblematic of the Spanish style of this house as well as the predominate style of the neighborhood. The flattish area to the West was designed with the idea of creating a contemporary take on the parterre garden. Reminiscent of Mediterranean gardens, this vegetable and herb garden substitutes formal hedges with formal Corten steel planters to honor the modern Spanish architecture of the house. The citrus, herbs, and vegetables serve the foodie clients well.

Photo: Margot Hartford © 2017 Houzz
Design ideas for a landscaping in Other.

This Flemington, NJ landscape and free-form pool was carefully designed on a property with a rolling hill to extend as much usable outdoor living space as possible while simultaneously adding privacy from the neighbors, and the side street. Key to this space is the large retaining wall built at the back end of the yard after the hill was excavated out and the land leveled. The pool deck extends far to the one side to provide sun bathing chairs and furniture; also to tie in the views from the deck and back of the house to the pool lounging area. The planting scheme also was designed to keep the pool open to the house and privacy kept from the neighbors and other surroundings. The pool features a sitting bench or cozy corner for kids to take a rest on while playing in the pool. Overall the design of this space really transformed a hilly tight backyard with not much usable space into the perfect scene for entertaining with friends or family.

In the heart of Philadelphia, a single family townhouse sports three luxury rooftop gardens, each with it's own take on outdoor living. 2nd story: Off of the main living room and kitchen, is an outdoor living room with a shade canopy supported by a pergola, which creates the "room" feel. Potted evergreen trees screen the tall wall of the adjacent building, adding softness to the space. An Ivy panel screens the neighboring views of adjacent decks. 4th Story: To create an inviting and comfortable space on this small porch, ceder boxes were built to hold plant material and second as seating. The soft tub spa is easy to access from all sides with the wrap around deck. Cedar is such a warm colored wood, and provides a more natural look on top of the original concrete deck. 5th Story: The largest of the three rooftops is on the very top floor, full of lush plantings and a variety of seating. Here you find an outdoor kitchen, a louvered privacy screen, corten-steel planters, and a greenhouse built of cedar. The plantings are lush, providing seasonal interest as well as separation between neighboring deck.

Inspiration for a kitchen remodel in Other

"Retro's nostalgic style is a design lover's dream that inspires a return to a time when the front porch was the place where you kept up with friends and neighbors." —Grandin Road Editors Glide your way back in time, in mid-century inspired fashion: our Retro Squares outdoor furniture offers classic, vintage charm paired with modern-day comfort and smooth-gliding and springing action. Each glider, spring chair and side table is crafted from quality, heavy-gauge steel with a bright powdercoat finish. So go ahead—select your favorite pieces, colors and cushions and soon you'll be gliding or swaying away on the porch or patio, catching up with friends and neighbors in unforgettable comfort and style.

The client wanted a better flow throughout their landscape, as well as introduce straight lines to a space to modernize the irregular shaped pool. Their upper deck was where they did a majority of their entertaining so ensuring this space was large enough for both dining and lounge was the starting point of the design. Introducing privacy from the many on looking neighbours, without completely blocking it off from the rest of their own yard was important. Laser cut privacy screens added this filtered privacy. A round hot tub was added to the back corner of the property, which otherwise seemed like wasted space. Highlighted by the privacy panels in the same pattern used on the deck to create some consistency. Trees were both maintained and added where needs along the property to add greenery and privacy. The entire space now feels open within the backyard, but private from neighbours.

2011 NATIONAL NARI COTY SOUTHEAST REGIONAL AWARD Baby boomers residing in single family colonial in Mclean were tired of their old ragged wood deck and wanted major changes to their outdoor facilities. The backyard was consist of big hill from left neighboring yard that took most of their backyard and create a huge run off and were never able to grow any lawn or plant. They also never got to enjoy their backyard and letting their grand kids and dog out. We Excavate the entire yard to a flat level, Designed and built a 5’x 40’ retaining wall covered with ledger stone between their yards and neighbor yard. Put in place underground drain system to get all most water runoff away from patio Install new shrubbery, plants and lawn tastefully in parameter of new patio. Poured in concrete slab and covered with Flagstone patio in backyard and under deck installed all new Synthetic material deck system with matching railing with larger footsteps than old deck. Connection stairway to back patio. Installed a 12’x18’ screen porch with maintenance free materials, cedar beaded ceiling panels and connection French doors into dining room All siding has been changes along with gutters and down spouts.

Design rendering for a detached accessory dwelling unit in Contra Costa County, California, by Taragano Design & Build. The roof is a single slope pitched toward the neighboring property line, which keeps the tall wall facing the owner's yard. That orientation determines everything else. Full height glass and the transom band go on the high side where the ceiling is tallest and the view is the client's own garden, not a fence. Windows are placed to avoid the neighbor entirely on the low side. On a small lot, privacy in both directions is a design constraint before it is a courtesy, and it is easier to solve with window placement than with landscape screening that takes years to fill in. The soffit is stained wood rather than painted. It is the one warm material on an otherwise plain building, and it sits where it is seen from below on approach. Planting was kept drought tolerant with permeable paths, which suits both the water constraints most of our clients work within and the lot coverage limits that apply once a second structure is added. Licensed general contractor, CSLB #1143420. Diamond Certified.

We love our neighbors on Main St in Downtown Rowlett. We're at home with this community over here. Our neighbors and friends at the Village of Rowlett Apartments invited us to design one of their model apartments and we couldn't have been more excited for the opportunity. Here's a peak at the space. I love the entry in this space.

The homeowner loves to cook and really wanted a space that would give her exactly what she needed. The entire layout was changed and a window overlooking the neighbor’s side wall was removed to create a gorgeous range hood focal point. A peninsula was removed to allow a more open space between the living areas and kitchen. Moving the location of the appliances also allowed for the addition of a beautiful, large center island featuring Calacatta Dorado Nouvo Quartz. The original entry to the house from the garage was tight with too many doors leading to the half bath, laundry closet and kitchen. Steller was able to extend the space into the garage (while still leaving enough room for a car to park) to give this home a brand-new laundry room. The original laundry location was then turned into a cute coffee bar with open shelving.

Our client recently purchased a newly-constructed home in order to downsize and have a low- maintenance home and yard. The existing side yard/back yard was undeveloped by the builder, leaving the homeowner with the huge challenge of creating a great outdoor entertaining space for family and friends, while creating privacy and overcoming the over 8-foot steep drop from the existing back porch down to the alley. The grade was the largest challenge because the space was so narrow with such a large fall from existing porch to the property line. The second largest challenge is that this residence is located in a semi-private community where HOA approval of plans and materials is difficult, as all the residences here share a similar look and feel with a very clean and contemporary aesthetic. We had to precisely shoot grades to know what kinds of retaining walls would need to be constructed along with how much backfill soil and dirt movement would need to be done. After that the design had to carefully consider the space with maximum functionality for outdoor entertainment with newly constructed walls to ensure it would last for many years to come. All of this was done with multiple meetings with the homeowners who are a retired engineer and active architect themselves. Once a design was settled upon, then submission to the HOA board of approval had to be completed and signed off on with all questions and concerns answered for the community by-laws. The two biggest difficulties within the construction phase were that the neighbor next to the back yard had a large retaining wall not properly backfilled up to the property line. That neighbor wouldn’t allow us proper access and control to help alleviate the issues, so we had to skillfully work around this to ensure what we constructed would last, despite their property not being properly addressed. We also had to go through multiple shipments from the manufacturer due to large variances in the material’s appearance on the steps and another shipment that was broken during shipping. These two things delayed the project we were working to complete before the spring so the homeowner could have the maximum use of the space this year. Topping off this challenging construction was a beautiful palette of native grasses, rosemary, groundcover, granite walkways, and synthetic grass to ensure year-round, practically effortless beauty.