MEDITERRANEAN, TRADITIONAL, CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, MALIBU, CALABASAS, SANTA MONICA, THOUSAND OAKS, SHERMAN OAKS, WEST HILLS, PACIFIC PALISADES, NORTH RANCH, AGOURA, AGOURA HILLS, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, SUCCULENTS, ECLECTIC, OAK PARK, DECOMPOSED GRANITE, AUSTRALIAN PLANTS, CALIFORNIA NATIVE, CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS, SUSTAINABLE, RAIN CAPTURE, SOIL HEALTH, RUSTIC, ENGLISH GARDEN, DROUGHT TOLERANT, DROUGHT RESISTANT, LAWN REMOVAL, WATER CONSERVATION, WATER CONSERVING, WATERWISE, LOW MAINTENANCE, CLIMATE, FRONT YARD, BACK YARD, BACKYARD, PATIO, POOL, SOUTHWESTERN, ASIAN, WALKWAY, SUCCULENT POTS, GRAVEL, EDIBLE, LANDSCAPE, POOL, GARDEN, GARDEN DESIGN, SUCCULENT GARDEN, SUCCULENT POTS, REBATE, SUCCULENT WALL, LIVING WALL, DRAFTING, HARDSCAPE, HARDSCAPING, LIGHTING, FOUNTAIN, WATER FEATURE, LOW WATER, DRIP IRRIGATION, FIRE PIT, SANTA BARBARA, OXNARD, VENTURA,

This small dated kitchen was transformed with new everything! Although the basic footprint stayed the same, the skilled CCKAB kitchen team removed counter tops and cabinets that divided the kitchen from the eating area. We also removed the soffits over the cabinets and kitchen table, and by relocating the soil pipes above, it gave the small space an open feel. The Stow kitchen needed more wall space. So...we closed the the entrance to the dining room to provide more wall space and installed a double wall oven. The central focal point of there new, gorgeous kitchen island, providing extra counter space, storage and seating. The modern appliances, new cabinetry, granite counters and sleek range hood all work together to give this kitchen the wow factor! Wow! Features included: Fieldstone Cabinets, Bristol, flat panel style with a full overlay. Color: Maple with a caramel stain. Colonial Espresso granite countertops Stainless steel appliance Custom built Wainscot in Dining Room. "My husband and I are so impressed with the phenomenal job that Chester County Kitchen and bath did with our home. John came out to evaluate our place and designed a layout that gave us so much more function and storage! We had our kitchen and powder room gutted and replaced, as well as hardwood floors installed throughout the majority of our fist floor. Wow! The ugly sofits were eliminated, plumbing moved, kitchen totally rewired, tons of lighting added, a doorway closed off, an outside door replaced, crown molding added to living and dining rooms, wainscoting done in dining room, and more. The CCKAB team and all the subcontractors were professional, friendly, efficient, and timely. The finished work is absolutely GORGEOUS. It is more beautiful than we ever imagined it could be. The project timeline was dead-on. It was wonderful to know what to expect every step of the way, and with the interactive website we were able to both ask and answer questions to take care of the details. We highly recommend this company- they will exceed your every expectation." Mrs. Stow

Photo of a contemporary landscaping in Austin.

This is an example of a landscaping in Minneapolis.

The client wanted to reduce the amount of sod in their front yard. We removed the grass and some soil to put DG with stabilizer down compacted the DG then installed the flagstone over the DG. We used the same DG for the joints. The client wanted a 1/2 heart planter next to the driveway so soften the flagstone.

MEDITERRANEAN, TRADITIONAL, CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, MALIBU, CALABASAS, SANTA MONICA, THOUSAND OAKS, SHERMAN OAKS, WEST HILLS, PACIFIC PALISADES, NORTH RANCH, AGOURA, AGOURA HILLS, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, SUCCULENTS, ECLECTIC, OAK PARK, DECOMPOSED GRANITE, AUSTRALIAN PLANTS, CALIFORNIA NATIVE, CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS, SUSTAINABLE, RAIN CAPTURE, SOIL HEALTH, RUSTIC, ENGLISH GARDEN, DROUGHT TOLERANT, DROUGHT RESISTANT, LAWN REMOVAL, WATER CONSERVATION, WATER CONSERVING, WATERWISE, LOW MAINTENANCE, CLIMATE, FRONT YARD, BACK YARD, BACKYARD, PATIO, POOL, SOUTHWESTERN, ASIAN, WALKWAY, SUCCULENT POTS, GRAVEL, EDIBLE, LANDSCAPE, POOL, GARDEN, GARDEN DESIGN, SUCCULENT GARDEN, SUCCULENT POTS, REBATE, SUCCULENT WALL, LIVING WALL, DRAFTING, HARDSCAPE, HARDSCAPING, LIGHTING, FOUNTAIN, WATER FEATURE, LOW WATER, DRIP IRRIGATION, FIRE PIT, SANTA BARBARA, OXNARD, VENTURA,

After removing the lawn and deciding where the path should go, low berms were created using soil and gravel to "cradle" it in a warm, welcoming embrace. Berms also adds the possibility for staggered height to plantings - akin to the added exposure of stadium seating, as opposed to a flat plain. So as not to obstruct river views, the HOA maintains a max height requirement for plantings, so even low berms create movement and a more interesting dynamic.

What does a roof deck look like when every part of the roof, even areas deemed uninhabitable and structurally weak, is utilized and optimized? This large midcentury home on the edge of Presidio National Park in San Francisco had an incredible location and views. But the original roof deck suffered from poor design detailing that had rendered it a leaking, deteriorating mess. Even worse, the previous owner had covered three roof areas surrounding the deck with river stones, structurally overloading the building and endangering its occupants. We removed the river stones and everything else down to the framing. An expertly detailed drainage and waterproofing system underlies everything above. The deck and access stairs are surfaced with durable and refined porcelain pavers. The guardrail is made from custom stainless steel supports with clear, low-iron, laminated glass spanning between for an unobstructed view. Heated seats make watching the chilly fog roll in through the gate comfy. Planting and greenery surround the deck. The type varies depending on structural conditions- a deep planter sits on top of a structural wall, sedums in shallow soil occupy the strong edges of the surrounding rooftops, and faux grass turf fills out the middle in areas that can’t support the weight of wet soil.

This town home job was a complete transformation from an old, dirty, insignificant front and back yard to living in luxury with the space provided. This job required for us to do a bit of demo, including cutting, and ripping out the sidewalk in the front yard, all pavement and old decking in the backyard, and replacing it with appealing, level pavers all the way around. Along with this beautiful change, we also replaced the fence in the backyard, and put in a nice decorative fence in the front yard. In addition to these adjustments, we provided 4 large very nice pots in the front yard, filled and placed them. Added top soil, sod, river rock, and planted some plants in the front yard. Made sure all pavers were retaining their positioning, and waited time for client to get other renovations, when finished we anchored and placed a pergola between the garage and home and stained it. In short: Demoed job site by removing all concrete, ordered fountain, leveled terrain, created customer-selected custom arbor, placed liner where necessary, built fence in front yard, added mulch, added sand, additional leveling, and pavers in front and back, added metal edging, planted plants, brought in various pots and placed them, added sod, added river rock, received fountain and put it in place, removed and redid fence in backyard, built and stained pergola.

Apologies in advance but I forgot to take the usual before photograph of this Victorian tiled hallway in Twickenham that I worked on recently. It’s a shame really as it was certainly in need of a good clean and re-seal after years of inadequate maintenance and I’m sure a photo would have helped. Victorian tiles are porous and do need a sealer to stop dirt becoming ingrained, as once that happens they can be difficult to clean and a Hallway is an especially high traffic area that will see a lot of dirt being tramped in. That activity also wears down the sealer over time so it’s important to keep it topped up. On these tiles, we used a 50:50 combination of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean mixed with Tile Doctor Remove and Go. This combination of products works very well to break down old sealers and also to clean the general soil away from the tile. As usual it was left to soak into the tiles for ten minutes before using a heavy duty scrubbing machine to scrub the floor clean. This achieved a good result and the soil and products were then flushed away using our special flushing tool which fires a jet of water onto the tile whilst vacuuming at the same time (no mess!) to an external tank. After allowing the tiles to dry off overnight with some heating on, the floor was ready to accept a new seal the next day. Our customer decided to have a sheen finish so we opted to apply Tile Doctor Seal and Go. These tiles are very porous and so need seven coats to be applied to the floor before it was completely sealed. Apologies again for not taking a before photo so you can compare the difference however hopefully you can see how health the floor looks following the deep cleaning and application of a fresh sealer which will ensure future maintenance is a lot easier for the customer. Jonathan Oldham South Middlesex Tile Doctor

MEDITERRANEAN, TRADITIONAL, CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, MALIBU, CALABASAS, SANTA MONICA, THOUSAND OAKS, SHERMAN OAKS, WEST HILLS, PACIFIC PALISADES, NORTH RANCH, AGOURA, AGOURA HILLS, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, SUCCULENTS, ECLECTIC, OAK PARK, DECOMPOSED GRANITE, AUSTRALIAN PLANTS, CALIFORNIA NATIVE, CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS, SUSTAINABLE, RAIN CAPTURE, SOIL HEALTH, RUSTIC, ENGLISH GARDEN, DROUGHT TOLERANT, DROUGHT RESISTANT, LAWN REMOVAL, WATER CONSERVATION, WATER CONSERVING, WATERWISE, LOW MAINTENANCE, CLIMATE, FRONT YARD, BACK YARD, BACKYARD, PATIO, POOL, SOUTHWESTERN, ASIAN, WALKWAY, SUCCULENT POTS, GRAVEL, EDIBLE, LANDSCAPE, POOL, GARDEN, GARDEN DESIGN, SUCCULENT GARDEN, SUCCULENT POTS, REBATE, SUCCULENT WALL, LIVING WALL, DRAFTING, HARDSCAPE, HARDSCAPING, LIGHTING, FOUNTAIN, WATER FEATURE, LOW WATER, DRIP IRRIGATION, FIRE PIT, SANTA BARBARA, OXNARD, VENTURA,

This town home job was a complete transformation from an old, dirty, insignificant front and back yard to living in luxury with the space provided. This job required for us to do a bit of demo, including cutting, and ripping out the sidewalk in the front yard, all pavement and old decking in the backyard, and replacing it with appealing, level pavers all the way around. Along with this beautiful change, we also replaced the fence in the backyard, and put in a nice decorative fence in the front yard. In addition to these adjustments, we provided 4 large very nice pots in the front yard, filled and placed them. Added top soil, sod, river rock, and planted some plants in the front yard. Made sure all pavers were retaining their positioning, and waited time for client to get other renovations, when finished we anchored and placed a pergola between the garage and home and stained it. In short: Demoed job site by removing all concrete, ordered fountain, leveled terrain, created customer-selected custom arbor, placed liner where necessary, built fence in front yard, added mulch, added sand, additional leveling, and pavers in front and back, added metal edging, planted plants, brought in various pots and placed them, added sod, added river rock, received fountain and put it in place, removed and redid fence in backyard, built and stained pergola.

Linda Estrin Garden Design, (310) 493-1668, lindaestrin@gmail.com, California Native Garden, California Native Plants, Succulents, Succulent Pots, Los Angeles, Malibu, Calabasas, Santa Monica, Thousand Oaks, Pacific Palisades, Agoura, Agoura Hills, Southern California, Oak Park, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Sustainable, Drought Tolerant, Drought Resistant, Lawn Removal, Water Conservation, Water Conserving, Waterwise, Low Maintenance, Rain Capture, Soil Health, Front Yard, Back Yard, Backyard, Patio, Walkway, Garden Design, Succulent Garden, Lawn Rebate, Hardscape, Decomposed Granite, Gravel, Fountain, Water Feature, Low Water, Drip Irrigation, Fire Pit, Firescape, Wildfire, Mediterranean, Traditional, Eclectic, Rustic, English Garden, Southwestern,

After construction of the pool, the front and back lawn areas were severely damaged and compacted. Degraded soil was removed, site was graded, new soil and sod were installed. Irrigation was installed and plants moved back into new locations.

Removed all the soil in the front yard , lined it with limestone and perforated pipe to drain the soil. Repaired decks, new braces and a water bladder in the crawl space for drinking water storage.

A client with a high-rise apartment in Manchester city centre contacted us in relation to the look of their bathroom tiles. The grout had become grubby and black with mould and it was clear from their message that they were considering have the grout replaced in order to freshen up the bathroom. We discussed the problem over the telephone, and they emailed a picture of the bathroom across so I could get a better idea of what needed doing. It turns out that the apartment had been rented out previously and they needed the bathroom renovating so they could start letting it again. Clearly, they were keen to have the work completed as soon as possible. Fortunately, we are sometimes able to come out on short notice, especially for small jobs like this and so were able to do the work the following week Re-grouting is a lot of work and very time consuming so I explained the benefits of Grout Colouring which is much quicker and results in a more practical finish as I will explain. There was a small issue with parking as one would expect from the city centre, but we were able to use one of the parking spaces of a neighbour in the basement of the building. My first task was to get the grout as clean as possible before applying the colourant and given the amount of mould I decided to apply Tile Doctor Duo-Clean which is a Tile Cleaner/Mould Remover and ideal for use on ceramic tile and grout. The product was sprayed onto the tiles and grout and then scrubbed in by hand to get the grout as clean as possible. I also used a powerful steam cleaner to get the grout as clean as possible before rinsing the soil off with water. This process went well, and the grout looked much cleaner afterwards but was now a little patchy in places due to deep staining. It’s worth noting that mould thrives in damp warm conditions and can easily be controlled by ensuring the bathroom has adequate ventilation. Some modern showers have a function that cool the bathroom down after use by running the shower on a cold setting. Improving cross-ventilation by leaving the bathroom door and a window open can also improve the situation and of course you can always apply Tile Doctor Duo-Clean on a regular basis. Once the grout was dry and as clean as it could be, I applied a White Tile Doctor Grout Colourant along the grout lines with a small brush taking care to wipe off any excess from the tiles as I went. Only one bottle of colourant was needed, and I have found baby wipes work well when wiping off the excess. The last step in the bathroom renovation was to strip out all the old mouldy silicone between the bath and the tiles and replace with new mould resistant silicone. The cleaning and grout colour completely transformed the look of the bathroom leaving it looking fresh. The grout which was previously dark and patchy was now a consistent white colour giving the impression it had only been recently tiled. The colourant also forms an epoxy barrier over the grout that will prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the grouts surface going forward, it’s also much easier to clean. The customer was most impressed with the result and has informed us since that they will back in touch about renovating the grout in their own home! They left the following comment on the Tile Doctor website. “Kamila made a wonderful job cleaning my grout and silicone. The bathroom looks like new. She was also easy to deal, very friendly and professional. Thank you!” Alex Logozny Greater Manchester Tile Doctor

Active front yard ripout and renovation showing existing plantings, cleared soil bed, and preparation for new walkway installation at brick home.
Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional front yard concrete paver landscaping in New York.

What does a roof deck look like when every part of the roof, even areas deemed uninhabitable and structurally weak, is utilized and optimized? This large midcentury home on the edge of Presidio National Park in San Francisco had an incredible location and views. But the original roof deck suffered from poor design detailing that had rendered it a leaking, deteriorating mess. Even worse, the previous owner had covered three roof areas surrounding the deck with river stones, structurally overloading the building and endangering its occupants. We removed the river stones and everything else down to the framing. An expertly detailed drainage and waterproofing system underlies everything above. The deck and access stairs are surfaced with durable and refined porcelain pavers. The guardrail is made from custom stainless steel supports with clear, low-iron, laminated glass spanning between for an unobstructed view. Heated seats make watching the chilly fog roll in through the gate comfy. Planting and greenery surround the deck. The type varies depending on structural conditions- a deep planter sits on top of a structural wall, sedums in shallow soil occupy the strong edges of the surrounding rooftops, and faux grass turf fills out the middle in areas that can’t support the weight of wet soil.

With the slope stabilized, our team addressed pool renovation. After draining the pool and removing the original liner, a poorly built concrete block wall was uncovered. The solution was to straighten the wall and fill the block in with concrete and steel rebars for strength. New vinyl covered stairs were then added, as well as new pipes, returns, skimmers, pump, filter and new liner was installed. After this, the pool was carefully backfilled and tamped. We compacted the soil back around the pool in three-inch lifts to allow for the immediate installation of new pavers around the pool. This compacting process is not done by many contractors. The idea is that using compacted soil the base will not settle, so you don’t have to wait to install a patio around a new pool. Many contractors still install concrete slabs under their patio. In our experience we find this does not work well. Settling still occurs under the slab allowing the patio to crack or settle. After the base materials were finished, we installed chestnut-hued durable pavers from Cambridge (Sahara). These particular pavers have little or no color fade and the random design pattern adds interest to the patio. The pavers’ protective coating means these clients will have a clean-lined modern look. Even after being subjected to snow plowing, de-icing salts and normal wear, they will keep their color and beautiful appearance.