2010 TEIL Bronze Award in Residential Landscaping

Objectives:  Create outdoor living area for entertaining and relaxation with good flow between several points of entry. Enhance the view from the master bedroom and create an intimate setting for a morning cup of coffee or an evening of wine and good company.  

Special problems encountered: Drainage was a huge factor in the walled courtyards and especially the lower level that would become the main patio. Existing drain systems were inadequate to the point that the garage and lower patio area regularly flooded. The poor drainage affected all aspects of plantings from lawn to trees.

Overview: This attractive home in an upscale Dallas neighborhood needed considerable upgrading to bring out the potential in the back yard. The infrastructure was missing in some areas and inadequate in others. In the course of the project we removed dry stacked stone walls and reserved the weathered stone to be mortared back in place in the new design. All the subsurface drains were removed and engineered differently with a combination of French drains, surface catch areas, and downspout tie-ins, and irrigation was also reconfigured.  A minimal system of 120 volt tree lights was replaced with an extensive energy saving low voltage system including tree and eave mounted down lights, up light accents, and copper path lighting. The lighting system features a remote control to isolate areas and make custom adjustments from inside the home. Crumbling brick steps and lawn areas were replaced with a combination of mortared flagstone and salt seeded acid stained concrete. A decorative iron rose became a focal point of one courtyard, and two bubbling fountains bring  the gentle sound of water into the walled spaces.

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