Before & After Photos
LANDSCAPE RENOVATIONS
by BLUESTAR LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS
Project 4: Staging a Home in
Roseville: Removing Concrete
This Roseville home was purchased by an investor who makes
his money by flipping houses. Major landscape changes to the
rear yard helped to enable the quick sale of the house.
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BEFORE |
This landscape had way too much concrete. When we
measured the job in the middle of August, the ambient
temperature was 100 degrees. The reflected heat from the
paving, though, made it seem like it was 120 degrees (it
may have been—all I know is that I couldn’t stop
sweating!) Not exactly a getaway feel.
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AFTER |
AFTER |
By cutting out some of the concrete, we achieve several
goals: the home is much more environmentally friendly because of
reduced cooling bills; the small lawn creates a more tropical
atmosphere; the backyard is a much more aesthetically pleasing
place to be. The new colored concrete in an earthy color looks
much more natural and updated than the stark color you see in
the before picture.
The new flagstone apron is a remedy for interfacing a new
concrete pour with existing concrete. Replacing all of the
concrete would have been cost-prohibitive. Because it is a very
small area of flagstone, flagstone aprons are easy and
inexpensive ways to dress up a yard for staging.
Notice how screening off the a/c with lattice work adds to the
upgraded look.
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BEFORE |
AFTER |
One mark of a good landscape designer is one who thinks
outside the box (or wall, shall we say?). We break up this
straight, one-elevation wall by cutting out a section of it and
using moss rocks to retain. The use of these boulders not only
takes away potential awkwardness in adjoining the curve of the
patio with the wall, but it actually accents both the patio’s
nice curve and the pulled-out planter section of the wall.
Skilled landscape designers know that it is absolutely necessary
to eliminate all “left-over” strange pieces when cutting up the
landscape pie. All spaces are graceful.
Look at the trees in both pictures. Although the cypresses are
completely appropriate in this Mediterranean garden, we need a
contrasting shape to bring out their beauty. For this purpose,
we add a crape myrtle for some color (this one is not in bloom
yet) and queen palms. Gardenias next to the patio and lawn add
to the tropical feel.
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