Tall Timber

This project had been underway for almost a year when the owners brought in a new architect and builder to replace the original team.  Cross River was brought in with the new team to re-design the grounds, and to locate the new cabana, pool and retaining walls.

The property was part of a large sub-division, and this particular lot sat at the end of the existing culdesac.  A large portion of the property was exposed to the road at the front and along the side property line shared with a neighbor.  One of our first priorities was to screen the views of the culdesac and the road vegetatively, giving the property as much privacy as possible without over planting.

We incorporated a number of stone retaining walls and terraces to support the steep slopes along the hillside at the back of the property.  For setback and grading purposes, the ideal location for the cabana turned out to be in an area close to the hillside, so we located the cabana, pool and spa together and placed them on a raised terrace at the base of the slope.

The cabana, with attached wooded pergola, sits at the far end of the terrace and is used for entertaining throughout the year. A small doorway on the side of the cabana opens to reveal a large telescope, which can be rolled onto an adjoining patio designed specifically for that purpose.

View looking across the pool to the cabana and attached wood pergola.

Our designer’s located the swimming pool directly in front of the cabana, and located the spa and waterfall a short distance away.  Plant beds containing Crepe myrtle and Sasa pygmaea frame the corners of the upper terrace, and dense shrub and perennial plantings including Cone flower, Lupine and Hardy Geranium drape down from the stone walls above.

Leaving the terrace, a set of stone stairs lead to an expansive lawn area which flows to the rear and side yards.  Chickens roam here during the day and find their way into the custom chicken shed (located just out of view nearby),  at night.

Facing the terrace along the back side of the garage barn is a enclosed vegetable garden. Based on our our client’s requests, we designed the garden to have a number of raised beds for growing organic vegetables, and a series of guides for growing espaliered fruit trees.  Not far from the garden and closer to the side yard, is an area we designated for a number of beehives purchased earlier.

Moving to the front of the garage barn is a paved area and porte cachere used to connect this space to the courtyard at the front of the house.  Because we felt an asphalt driveway would appear stark next to colors on the house, we instead picked a warm colored, gravel resin surface for the driveway.  For the courtyard we chose a combination gravel resin and granite paver inlay, which acts as a focal point at the center of the courtyard.