A Property Worth Investing in

Landscape design can sometimes be a lot like detective work. Before we draw a line on the drawing board or choose the first plant to put on it, we need to understand what the land is already telling us. On a recent consultation, there were things we could see immediately, and others that only became apparent once we started looking more closely, and asking deeper questions. From the top of the hill, the neighborhood we were in was beautiful, and the house looked great. Once we walked down the path and began seeing the property up close

though, it was one oddity after the next.

The house itself was gorgeous and classic-looking, while the stonework, walkways, garden beds, and other exterior elements felt like a patchwork assembled across several decades and styles, ranging from Mediterranean to modern minimalist. Other areas showed signs of past work that had simply cut corners. The family had recently purchased the home and knew the exterior had received far less attention than the interior, likely in part because the property sits near a fairly busy street and spending time outdoors had never become a natural part of life there. Still, they wanted to know: is there something we can do? What could transform the space while still being a smart and reasonable investment?

A good landscape consultation is about much more than deciding where plants should go. It means walking onto a property and beginning to piece together the story of the site. We noticed a tall retaining wall with a large crack, then runoff carving a low point through the yard. As we kept walking, more conditions revealed themselves: extreme grade changes, circulation and safety concerns, road noise, shade, mature trees, water movement, conflicting materials, and the relationship between the architecture and landscape.

The yard drops roughly 20 feet from the house, which creates obvious challenges, but also prompted the reaction that it was a huge opportunity to do some very cool things, such as a multi-tier planted terrace. The property’s character comes from that combination: a beautifully remodeled house, a strangely unresolved 1990s landscape, major topography, mature oaks, a hidden lower space, road noise, kid safety concerns, and a family still deciding whether this is a place they want to stay for the long term.

There were plenty of assets, too. Mature oaks created shade exactly where we naturally wanted to linger. The pool was worth preserving. Certain areas already felt good to occupy, even though the surrounding landscape hadn’t been designed to support them. The owners told us they had once been “the entertainment house,” yet here they found themselves wondering, where would we even do that?

Once we understood how the family wanted to use the property, the questions became clearer: What deserves to stay? What needs to change? Which existing features could become meaningful assets if they were given the space and attention they deserve?

Michele summed up the possibilities during the walk and said, “I love a project. I can see it 5, 10, even 30 years from now, and it has a lot of potential.” That is where this property sits today. The family is deciding how much they want to invest and whether the backyard could become a reason to stay. Every design choice has to earn its place. Sometimes repairing what exists is the right answer. Sometimes a fuller understanding of the property points toward an entirely different configuration. This one still has plenty of questions to tackle in the next design phase, and that is exactly what makes it interesting, and thrilled to take it on and see where the design leads us.