We accomplished some big changes and met our goals on this project within a relatively small budget. The most pressing task was to improve access to the front door. The driveway and sloped lawn were the only ways to get from the sidewalk to the front porch. Squeezing by cars in a driveway or walking on the edge of a grassy
slope is not comfortable for anyone, but especially not easy for an older person or someone with a
stroller. The flow to the front door was further complicated by an existing boxwood hedge and a small brick pathway 10 feet from the door. In all, we began with an uncomfortable and unwelcoming approach to the house and limited space for the homeowners and guests to exit their cars when parked in the narrow driveway.
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| BEFORE |
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| AFTER: New Path Extends Driveway |
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We built a comfortable new path with a short concrete wall covered in a faux stone veneer to keep us on budget, and capped with flagstone to match the flagstone on the house.
It's difficult to communicate through words and pictures how different the space feels now that one can access the front door so easily from the sidewalk, and exit a parked car with a load of groceries without missing a beat.
Our other goals included: updating the plant material, adding trees to define the space and accentuate the new walkway, and replacing the brick around the front porch, again with an affordable stone veneer and flagstone cap that plays off the original flagstone details on the house.
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| BEFORE |
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| AFTER |
The plant palette is subdued and focused. We only used eight plant varieties. The client and I worked together quite well. After going through a lot of landscape photos from magazines with her to see what she was drawn to, I decided to use diagonal lines for the pathway and planting areas, and I think it was very successful. I added a little path through the plantings, so one can still easily access the lawn from the front door.
The nicest moment for me was when the client told me that now she is proud of her home, and she could have never accomplished this without me.
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