What to do with this space? Indoor/outdoor, deck or pave, slate or bricks?
11 years ago
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- 11 years agolast modified: 11 years ago
- 11 years ago
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What to do with our massive backyard?
Comments (30)Analysis first, then plan, as Tookoo recommends. Use native plants, as neotoma recommends. Get specific plant recommendations locally, as Terri & sgelade recommend. Here is my two cents worth, for the shortterm. a. Remove and stockpile the lawn edging and most of the mulch back against the fences. b. Take a can of spray paint, or a bundle of surveyor's flag, and mark the largest circular or curved form that will fit within the fenced areas, no matter where the trees stand (inside or outside of the line) to form the temporary edge of your lawn area. See if the entire family agrees on the alignment or just do what looks best to you as the Senior Gardener. c. Add the wood edging to the new edge, or, it will look a lot better if the edge is not visible, using a steel edge whose top edge is down just above the grass roots and no longer visible, and not an impediment to the lawn mower. (when you form the plant beds, you will dig down a couple inches at the edge, where it meets the steel, and then slope the bed up from there, and the mulch will be contained at the level of the lawn, beyond) My recommendation, after you call in your landscape advisor, is to fill the beds totally with ground cover, beneath the shrubs, so no mulch will be seen after the two years of plant growth, using only a finer textured mulch which will become part of the soil bed. (Maybe the bark mulch will smell good in your new fire pit, along with the wood edging.) d. Plant the entire area with grass seed or sod and enjoy the beauty. The curved edge will make the space appear and feel larger and will decrease the maintenance of the smaller bed areas. On the subject of tree placement: analyse first, then plan. Look at all the views beyond your fenceline from all windows of the house, the living/ dining areas, all the bedrooms, to enhance the good views and to block the big, the bad, and the ugly. The large trees on your list will block views from the upper windows, The small horizontally branched trees will be a piece of sculpture in your downstairs view throughout the year, while their flowering and fragrance yet another reason to be alive. For instance, if you have an attractive small tree that has attractive flowers and foliage, PLUS has attractive bark color and has a sculptural quality in the off-season, you won't have to visit the museum quite as often, with a sculpture garden right out your window....See MoreOutdoor patio area dilemma
Comments (6)Looks like the drain that the down pipe goes into isn't working as it should, over flows before water enters the drain. Love the random pavers, these could certainly be reused adding a few more to replace the bricked area all on one level as this would enable a better space for outdoor table and chairs. The pergola is tired and would be great if as you mentioned could be raised up a bit, depends on what the Body Corporate will allow, a couple of see through panels inserted above next to the building would help with light. A BBQ kitchen on the back wall, plus I would try to re swing the door back to it, the door gets in the way as it is, can it open inwards opposite the sink. Certainly keep the garden beds it will help soften all the hard surfaces, taller planting along the boundary will also add privacy cheers...See MoreWhat style of deck for a '70s house?
Comments (21)" It is sooo tricky to get the balance right between modern and sympathetic to 70's." 100%, and if this stuff was easy, us Pro's wouldn't have a job ;) It's always ALL about balance, and when it comes to questions of what to do to existing dwellings it's probably just as much about what you don't do. You need to get the scaling , articulation and detail right. You don't want to do something that looks tacked on and incongruent with the existing. If you are extending a deck to the side on an upper level you'll need to take into consideration potential overlooking to neighbouring private space. We're currently working on a similar upper level deck extension to an existing 70's dwelling, and what we've done is use a combination of different balustrade materials (charcoal random depth timber battening & frameless glass) to simultaneously control the overlooking, focus the outlook, and achieve a balanced complimentary design. It depends on what the deck is for, is it for private use or are you trying to gain access to a view? These things will all influence the design. Budget of course will also influence what you do. The design solution ultimately should begin with responding to the function first and foremost, and then what it actually looks like will (should) naturally spring from this in conjunction with a sensitive response in balance with the existing & with consideration of your budget constraint Good luck! PD www.pauldistefanodesign.com...See MoreHow do I open up my kitchen?
Comments (24)Hi Jennifer, I concur with all the other comments here but please avoid all dead corners! Make one long stretch of cupboards along under the window and put cook top at dining end: it will be safer. Sink and DW doesn't matter at family room end. I would keep the oven tower with microwave on the other wall with the fridge, build in as large a pantry as you can there and have drawers everywhere. Outside I suggest a pergola with deciduous vine over it. It will allow sun thru in winter and beautiful green cool shade in summer. Tho having said that I do not know where you are. Maybe building pergola up from the raised garden bed, leaving room for planting underneath and vine over the structure will make area look larger. Always love to see the final results. Hope the bathroom is ok: better the water on the outside of the walls! Hah Cheers Margot...See More- 11 years ago
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