Being brought onto the project in the early stages of the new home construction allowed the Cross River Design team to create a landscape master plan for the property. Working with the building architect we were able to insure that the relationship between the architecture and the finished landscape flowed together seamlessly.
The original lot was relatively bare, with the front yard facing a dense wooded area. One hundred feet from the road stretching across the width of the lot, were the scattered remnants of an old stone wall. The rear yard had striking views to the valley below, and on a clear day one could see the New York City skyline.
Special care was directed to provide privacy from the new neighbor along the property line.
Although the property was expansive, a large home was being built next door, close to the property line shared with our clients. One of the most pressing concerns was to make sure our plan included ample screening between the two structures.
A new cabana with kitchen, bar and seating area was designed to fit into the rear yard along the side property line, and was intended to serve as a destination space for entertaining. We located the new pool and patio just off the cabana so that the space could be used as overflow during large gatherings.
Just off the rear of the house is a raised deck designed to be used primarily for family and small gatherings. Our clients prefer eating outside when the weather permits, so this deck was a top priority. The deck was designed to support ample seating for dining and seating, while also taking advantage of the scenic views at the rear of the property. Stepping off the deck, guests need only walk a few steps to a sit and enjoy a fire in front of the fireplace along the back of the house. Although this area is close to the deck and adjacent to house, we designed this space to feel as if the user has moved into a different room within the landscape.
Behind the cabana along the property line are 12, 18’ tall Norway spruce located to provide privacy from the new home located just over the property line.
We felt the original stone wall was significant enough to be preserved, so we rebuilt it by using stone salvaged from the property. We incorporated the wall into the front yard plan by locating large stone piers at the ends of the wall where the driveway and wall intersect thus creating an impression that the wall and the driveway were conceived together. A number of large shade trees where added on both sides of the stone wall to create the feeling of a more mature landscape.
