New home constructed on a downtown hillside with spectacular views to the north. Merge studio designed the parking court, approach to the front entry and terraced hillside gardens. Stepped board-formed concrete retaining walls provide slope stabilization and a generous sweeping entry stairway. In order to keep stormwater from running onto the neighboring properties, drainage swales with catchment basins were created to slow, sink and spread rainwater on site. Plantings were chosen to provide wildlife habitat and support pollinators while accentuating the scale and depth of the homeowner's experience. Photos by Ramsay Photography