PROJECT DETAILS

Where: Rural Subdivision with Impressive View

Immediate Need: Landscaping and outdoor living space off new addition to client’s home

Additional Requests:

• work around irrigation system
• work around septic system
• speaker system
• low-voltage landscape lights
• kitchen and eating area
• retaining walls with couches/seating
• fire pit

SUMMARY

Our crew at Schockemoehl Landscaping works hard to create outdoor spaces that are extensions of our clients’ living areas.  For these clients in a rural subdivision, they were looking to create an area where their family could entertain and enjoy the surrounding landscape.

When we were first approached by our clients to help design and build this outdoor hardscape and landscape, they gave us a list of requests including an outdoor fire pit, a built-in grill area, and plenty of seating for their extended family.  While we were in the design phase, we also had to take into account that this property had private septic system and irrigation lines installed throughout the yard that we would need to avoid in order to not disrupt the function of these systems.

In our design, we wanted to make sure that we provided all the items in our clients wish list, and in addition we needed to use our expertise to create a design that fit the fall of their property.  What resulted was a multi-level layout connected by stairs.  This not only helped us build into the property’s natural elevations, but it also helped the homeowners create several unique spaces.

The first space we created for this family was an outdoor kitchen and dining area. With a built-in grill and surrounding cabinets and counters, this would allow the family to cook entire meals outside without going outdoors and indoors during meal prep. To accent this feature we added wood pergola and custom paver patio in colors that tied in the blocks of the built-in kitchen and the home’s brick exterior.

On the same level as the outdoor kitchen, we extended the paver patio into the yard to offer another seating area for the family.  Their property is surrounding by beautiful, rolling crop ground with a scenic view of their small town and river, so we wanted to capitalize on their unique vantage point from this place in the yard.  We leveled off that section of ground to provide a uniform base for the paver stones, but at a grade that allowed for water runoff and natural slope of the lawn.

Up next was the unique seating space for the fire pit.  As a family with children and hosts of frequent summer gatherings, the family wanted to be able to utilize their yard after sundown, so a cozy space that allowed for a fire was just the answer.  In addition to a custom circular fire pit, we also constructed retaining walls around the patio that doubled as both extra seating for guests and dirt retainment for the surrounding shrub beds.

Throughout this outdoor oasis, we also installed our top-of-the-line lighting systems to accent the eye-catching details we constructed and use of all areas well into the nighttime hours.  In addition, the homeowners installed outdoor speakers, providing ambiance during their parties and making this the epitome of outdoor living.

From a standard patio, to a multi-level extension of their home, these homeowners made the most of their property, and we were thankful to be their landscape designers and builders of choice.

 

 

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