The scope of this job was two fold. To take the small grass area of this garden and through the construction of a retaining wall add much needed flat lawn area to the home and to construct a deck out over the edge of the slope on the property to create a large entertainment and gathering space. Then over the deck and in the existing very large pine tree a Tree House was to be constructed.
The garden was cleared and the retaining wall constructed to blend with the existing masonry on the property. The meandering wall is 80ft long and its finished height is just above the new grass level to give the impression of a low border edge more than a large wall. The wall from the lower side is planted out with climbing fig to cover the new painted masonry. The wall was capped with a low steel fence to add some extra enclosure to the lawn area.
The 1000sqdt deck construction on this job leads from the play room of the home out, down and over the edge of an existing slope on the property creating an area of much needed flat space. The deck has a number of both fixed and moveable bench seating areas. The height of the railing varies from 3ft to 6ft to as to provide some extra height and therefore safety where the deck is more than 10ft above the ground.
The deck and the new lawn meet at the same finished level. The deck was constructed to as to incorporate the existing large pine trees in the garden. The deck was built right around them.
The very large pine was then used as the base for the Tree House. The tree house was built 8ft off the deck finished level. There is a step ladder leading to the house part of the structure. You can exit this on to a balcony area which has play elements such as a ships wheel and a telescope. This is also where you can enter and ride the large spiral slide which drops you out at the deck level again. Under the tree house the space was used to create a climbing wall element.
Other features of this garden are a “secret” area up in the top section where a small house was built and “garden” people live.
New large lawn area with deck and Tree House
Deck and Tree House
Deck leading to playroom
Large Deck area and Tree House.
High railings and moveable bench.
Pine tree bofore the Tree House and deck
Pine tree after the deck and Tree House construction.
"Secret Garden Cottage"
Flagstone details and seating area.
Hancock Park
Entertainment Hangout
This project involved redoing the entire landscape of this home.
The front garden was cleaned and lowered to remove the awkward slope at the front. A new irrigation and drainage system was installed to correctly irrigate the new lawn and plants and to ensure the downspouts off the home drained to the street and not back towards the home.
A new wider concrete driveway was installed to make parking easier and a new meandering stone and concrete path leads from the driveway and the street to the front of the home where a large stone landing was built.
Just off the front door in an enclosed courtyard a tall fountain surrounded by large papyrus was installed.
The back garden of this home is where most of the work took place. The existing pool deck coping and fence were removed and all the existing grass and shrubs were removed. The old pergola was taken down as well. The pool was drained and re-plastered in a French Grey color. The re-plastering including some additional steps and seats. The selected Utah stone was then installed as the coping of the pool with and overhang to allow for the installation of the new pool safety cover. The cover is an automatic cover running on a track under the coping. It is stored in a vault under the paving at the far end of the pool. This type of cover is strong enough to walk on.
The surrounds of the pool were paved with 3’x3’ square areas of the Utah stone with grass between. The floor of the pergola was paved as well. The remainder of the back garden was then laid with instant sod lawn and planted out with masses of plants.
Other elements added to this garden were the Jacuzzi, a built in bar and serving counter with stone top to match and the cleaning and resurfacing of the existing wood deck.
Flagstone Pool coping and steping stones.
Serving counter with matching stone and wood details
Flagstone and Concrete path with flagstone landing,
Shade color planting.
Calabasas Curves
The site we began with here was the remains of the construction site, waste and all. The brief was to create a relaxing garden with natural materials, natural curves amd natural features. The large Utah stone patio was laid in a large sweeping curved pattern along the back of the house and out into the large garden area. It provides plenty of space for the BBQ island, and for the dining table and lounge chairs. The focus of the area is the large pot fountian, Its colors reflecting the detail of the stone, sits in a deep pool of water. Next to this is a very large flat sittign rock. The BBQ structure is constructed from the same Utah stone, stacked to show the natural variations in the material. The counter top is the same stone again. There is a large meandering sweep of lawn surrounded by local plants and large rocks. The garden is lit at night to highlight the trees and features of the space. The small front garden of this home is where the feature "dry streem" is located. It is built in the natural drainage line of the garden and is constructed around a number of large feature rocks and plants.
