These owners live in Brooklyn and have a backyard that measures roughly 20′ x 30′. It’s a small intimate space; their goal was to transform their backyard into a private sitting garden. The challenge here was to create a private space while being surrounded on 3 sides by tall buildings. The existing yard was enclosed with white PVC fencing, in order to create privacy we added 3 sets of natural wood lattice screening panels. These panels are ideal for cover plants to grow, and thrive on. We installed climbing hydrangeas, climbing roses, and wisteria on the lattice panels to provide privacy from the neighboring buildings. We created a raised planter bed in the far corner and added a large clumping river birch to provide height and shade. Closer to the house we planted a large Japanese Maple for additional privacy. We used reclaimed clay bricks, bluestone, slate, and Belgium blocks for our walls and hardscapes. Now the owner has an immensely private green sitting space in the heart of a bustling urban environment.

This project had many design issues; there was no open lawn area, a large hill side with was not plantable and no terrace area for friends and family to hangout. The issue of no useable backyard was fixed by pushing the earth back about 20′ and creating a lawn area with the use of retaining walls. With the change in grade we were able to create terraces at different levels. The lower level consists of a BBQ area and tables for relaxing. So they now have 3 terraces and an area around the pool for sunning. Plus the homeowners can now see the children anywhere in the backyard.

This homeowner had a very intimate space she wanted to convert into a private pool and Japanese sitting garden. Given the home’s proximity to the ocean we created a small plunge pool to maximize space. The yard was fenced in with custom bamboo material with a decorative pagoda on top that our client designed. The landscaping we installed was a mixture of Japanese maples and ornamental plantings. We also incorporated a variety of natural materials into the landscape; we primarily used bluestone stepping stone, moss rock boulders, river stone, and cobble stones. The front yard was enclosed with arborvitaes to provide privacy from the surrounding neighbors.

The Duranga’s were looking for a large scale paved space suitable for parties and entertaining guests. They typically have guest-lists that exceed 50 people for any given event. Subsequently we created two large entertaining spaces for them, one near the house and one near the pool. In addition, we established a separate covered space in their backyard where they can enjoy their newly built custom koi pond and waterfalls. For this client we also designed a custom free form pool with a large moss rock waterfall that cascades into the pool at 4 different locations. As a bonus for their children, nieces, and nephews we created a slide that winds around the moss rocks and landscaping. Above the pool is a pond and stream water feature that feeds the koi pond below. This whimsical element creates tranquil ambient noise and provides another place for children to play.

Mr Hart had completely remodeled his home; his final request was a customized entrance gate. We designed an entrance area which included automated entrance gates, entrance piers, and entrance walls. In an effort to make his entryway seamless we integrated the various elements into the newly heavily landscaped area. Mr. Hart’s entrance piers and gate were personalized with his initials in order to make this project truly special. The piers and walls were built with a mixture of natural stone materials; primarily bluestone caps, limestone, and sandstone were used to build the entrance walls. Specific design details were placed in the custom arched limestone entrance walls in order to create a uniform aesthetic for this project..

This was a small project we worked on after Hurricane Sandy. The House is located in Long Beach and they need the front of the house completely refined. After the stoop was refinished with new Bluestone pavement and new bluestone veneer stone to cover up the existing stoop. We added new low maintenance dwarf plantings to the front yard. We added a mixture of colorful perennial plantings as well as evergreen plantings. The owner wanted a simple garden space that had a beach feel, so we added different variety of ornamental grasses.