The landscapes at the Ocean Cottage bring the project full circle. There is literally a circle around the house with changing grades as well as challenges.
Since we expanded the front entry, the walkway needed to be rebuilt as well as the entire front façade and front patio. The plantings along the front walkway were updated and blended with the old planting. The client enjoys shades of white with pops of color and a passion for peonies. The old Rose of Sharon was moved to a better location on the side of the deck opening up a few of the water from the interior and giving the beautiful shrub better light and space.
Connecting the old deck to the new back deck is a large format blue stone walkway with a side garden. This space is peaceful and logical and looks like it has been there for years.
The side and back yard got dressed up after the removal of a huge, old hickory tree that use to drop messy debris onto the deck and hot tub. This allowed for the removal of shrubbery and gave us about 12’ of additional yard space for planting arborvitaes and maple trees to assure color, texture and privacy. Along this back edge of the property there was a sincere water issue which has been rectified with new proper grading.
As we move along to the back side of the house, this is where the real challenge is introduced. The entry door to the basement was a pre-cast system and needed to be installed at a challenging height for drainage. At the same time, the septic and leach field were located relatively close to this area. The resolution was to retain the septic / leach field with large boulders to create a higher area, then build large stone steps down to the basement door and stairs up to the back deck. One more step up to the outdoor shower created a wonderful, functional and interesting space.
Hales Landscaping did an amazing job pulling this project together. They are a team of talented guys who can work with a backhoe like I use a pencil. It is a complete treat to watch them work and create art at such a large scale.