Wiping The Slate Clean

Earlier this year, a new client came to us for a garden design. He had some general ideas of what he was hoping for--mostly in the form of how he wanted to use the garden space--but generally afforded us free range on the design. Our favorite kind of client!

As the design began to take shape, we met periodically to review the different elements that would be added to the small but welcoming space. After a few weeks of this process, the entire design emerged as a full-blown swan!

Here is what the space looked like to start with. Nothing much here to suggest the charming interiors that the house offers...but that's all to change soon!

This is the plan that was created for the space.
The new design consists of a pergola covered deck coming off the back of the house. Steps will lead down to a new paved area and ultimately back to a covered pavilion. Because the garage is already detached from the home and Tampa codes only allow for one secondary structure, the new pavilion must attach to the garage via a connecting roof piece.

The new structures will be surrounded by a lush--though simple!--landscape that will provide a beautiful and easy to maintain garden for this homeowner. For budgetary concerns, we have found creative solutions to the staging of the design, and construction is now underway. As always, the first step is clean-up and clean-out.

Whenever possible, of course, we like to salvage any plant material that still looks good, and relocate it. We did manage to move a clump of Areca palms that were right against the house, and relocate them to another spot on the property.

In the upcoming project, you'll see our contractor use some composite materials for decking and fencing for the first time. The homeowner works for the company that produces these products, so using them on his project makes sense for a lot of reasons. We'll all see them, first-hand, together. Keep an eye on this one!