Out of the Box Entertainment Area

We are extremely fortunate that our customers have such good taste, enjoy and understand great landscaping, give us repeat business and can afford to realize their dreams. This particular job came our way because our customer moved across the lake and needed to renovate both the interior and exterior of his home. They entertain a lot and needed space for family and friends, in addition they loved to show movies outdoors where they could be watched from the comfort of their patio or by neighbors lounging in their boats on the lake. The previous job we installed featured 1500 square feet of pavers, an outdoor kitchen, bar and lots of seating on a large lake lot on a point with a terrific view. The new house was smaller, on a tighter lot and difficult to access. We also had to create a space that would be acceptable with the local building codes and address our customers desire for something new and inventive, "Tina, I don't want this job to look like everyone else, I want something unique," he said. I think we hit the nail on the head by using Arkansas, two man, field stone boulders, Tennessee blue/gray super slabs, with circular paver inlays, snap cut staircase framed with hand selected Arkansas boulder columns and finishing with an elegant understated plant pallet.

I regret that I do not have before pictures of this job but I do have lots of after shots. The job was started around the first of August and completed in mid September. Man hours on site were around 700. Lighting was installed by the customer, irrigation we subcontracted, the wood deck was completed by the interior contractor and the design was mostly mine guided by the firm hand of my customer who handed me a basic concept sketched on a cocktail napkin. The custom bar was the work of our customer who worked on it just hard enough to ensure completion by the time we finished. Access for our equipment was gained through the graciousness of the neighbor, we could not have completed the job without her. One thing that is still being built are the glass steps that will lead from the wooden deck to the house, when they are complete I will be sure to post photos.

This job ranks in my top five of my landscaping designs we have installed over my career. I think it is pretty groovy let me know what you think. We will do maintenance and annual flower installation for the property this year and I will post some more photos at that time. Some of the annuals installed last year were chose for their availability and will likely change this year.Mini excavator performed the dig out, set the heavy boulders and helped with some flagstonePatio prepped with limestone base, retaining wall boulders in place and staircase startedSuper slab patio is fitted together like jig saw puzzle using a hand held, gas powered, diamond blade saw, the circle is ready for the paver inlayOne of two ten foot paver inlays that help make this job uniqueMy foreman Bill who after 17 years of working together seems to read my mind, he always makes the intallations all they can beSecond brick inlay, hand selected stone columns and snap cut staircase in progressComposite deck with sweeping curves to match the curves of the patio and boulder walls, our steps lead to the deckWe re-sculpted the entire lot, here we pushed the grade back 12', built a small retaining wall and created a secret seating area by the garageThe Arkansas boulder retaining wall is beautiful, functional and provides additional seating. The moss on the stone is misted by the irrigation which keeps it prettyThe grand entrance with plants and lighting