Terraced pool and tropical softscape form one of the entertainment areas created for a home in Santaluz.

A landscape renovation project can be overwhelming, even just thinking about the concept of what stays and what goes. There are many factors to consider in the early stages of a conceptual drawing for a renovated backyard or front yard.

The residential project featured here, in the Santaluz development east of Rancho Santa Fe, had great bones to work with existing established trees, for example which just needed fine-tuning. The homeowners, with our guidance, decided what was feasible to keep and what had to go.

The front yard was stripped, except for an amazing Canary palm, which we designed around. The homeowners wanted a formal theme, which was created with plant materials such as various hedging shrubs, boxwood shrubs and varieties of ornamental grasses and roses with just enough turf to round it all out.

The entry concrete was finished with Topcast etching and accented with Quartzite flagstone. Accent Unique LED lighting was used throughout the project.

The backyard was designed with a tropical theme, since existing large vegetation (birds of paradise and Phoenix Roebellinis) were scattered throughout. We created several entertainment areas, such as a covered patio structure with heat lamps and a chandelier, an elegant barbecue structure with a stacked-stone backsplash and a trellis accent feature, which dressed up an existing fire pit. Decking concrete used to create this hardscape also was finished with Topcast etching and Quartzite bands throughout.

A patio structure with stacked quartzite columns invites family and guests to sit back and relax.

The plants that were added were a creative mix of varietal flaxes, Leucadendron, Arbutus compacta (strawberry bush), Kalanchoe (flapjacks) Cycas revoluta (Sago palms), Cocos Plumosa (queen palms), ginger, hibiscus and agaves, just to name a few.

The homeowners newly renovated landscape has enabled them to extend their indoor entertaining to the outdoors and enjoy being on a vacation in their yard.

Local interior designers, architects, contractors and decorators are invited to showcase a recent residential project in this space. Contact Home + Garden editor Chris Ross,

Continue reading here:
Backyard gets tropical makeover

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March 14, 2015 at 3:23 am by Mr HomeBuilder
Category: Landscape Yard