This ranch house had been neglected for years until my clients purchased the property and did vast improvements on the house. The home came together beautifully but the existing landscape didn’t compliment the homes remodel and aesthetic style. So drastic changes to the landscape were needed.
To enhance curb appeal, new front walkways and a drought tolerant front garden was installed. Large swaths of low water Kurapia (Lippia nodiflora) groundcover replaced the water heavy and uninteresting front lawn. In addition, colorful drought tolerant plantings were added in green and lavender tones. The new plantings add dimension and interest to the curb appeal of this house inviting guests to the front door.
Now since this home is not a traditional home, it should not be treated like one. This home is a ranch with a gate that opens up onto the property. So once you enter the gate, you are on my clients' 6+ acre property making it have different needs than a suburban home.
My clients needed to be welcomed home every time they went through the gate (gate was actually part of the design as well). In addition, since this is a ranch the entertaining area didn’t need to be relegated to the small “backyard” location which was cramped and butted up to a hill. Instead, the layout of the yard was reworked to place the entertaining area in the front yard to highlight the homes’ open property (&great view) and provide aesthetically pleasing views from the majority of the home’s windows.
The previous stone work and coping of the pool was kept (for cost purposes and it was in good shape) so to complement those materials broom finished concrete was added to enlarge the entertaining space and extend the area into the "front yard" zone. A custom rock water feature (adding soft sounds of trickling water) and a built-in bluestone firepit are seen and heard from the main living areas of the home drawing the residence outside to dine or relax.
Comments