Starting over and reinventing a space can be a transformative experience for a property, the homeowners and sometimes even a neighbourhood.
Ron and Eleanor Anderson have lived in their south Winnipeg home for almost 25 years. Last winter, while tossing around the idea to list their home and move into a condo, they decided to reignite their interest with an update to the home's interior. Pleased with the results but still debating whether to stay or go, they explored the idea of renovating their front landscape.
Matt Bell, owner of Geller's Year Round Property Service, met with the Andersons in late April to discuss ideas and commenced the project on June 15.
"We removed pretty much everything except the front deck," says Bell, "and started from scratch." Amazingly, the project was completed in five days. Gone were the old sidewalk slabs, railway tie planters, all of the sod, a mature tree that had outgrown the property as well as two 25-year-old Techny cedars, which not only dwarfed the house and partially concealed it from view but also obscured the view from inside.
A newly installed brick pathway flanked by two rectangular brick raised beds now provides a more formal entrance to the front deck. Symmetrical plantings include two limelight hydrangea tree forms, rudbeckia, Great Expectations hosta, and Arctic Mist coral bells. Directly behind the hydrangea tree forms are two wooden privacy screens that frame the deck and add privacy to the outdoor living area.
The screens were hidden for years by the overgrown Techny cedars. Eleanor has painted them dark brown to compliment the chocolate tones of the new brick walkway.
The new low -maintenance planting scheme is repeated in a rectangular brick raised bed installed beneath the living room window. Instead of tree forms, however, limelight hydrangea shrubs have been planted.
A few surprises are to be expected when renovating an existing landscape. "When we pulled apart the railway tie planters that were against the deck," says Geller, "we discovered that some of the floor joists of the raised deck had absorbed excessive moisture and rotted."
Repairs were made to the front of the deck, which included replacing the wooden steps with an attractive built-in raised stepping stone. An unplanned expense but also a definite improvement.
Geller says often clients are concerned about the cost of a renovation or that a project will take an entire summer to complete. Developing a plan to reality will cost money but is generally more affordable than most people realize. The amount of time it takes to renovate a landscape from design development to installation depends on the scale and complexity of the project. The typical timeline, though, is usually a matter of weeks. When completed, the project greatly adds to the value of the property.
The Andersons couldn't be happier with the renovation and have since decided there is no place like home.
When Radovan and Tatjana Radulovic wanted more space to raise their two young children than their modern downtown condominium could provide, their wish was for an older home in an established neighbourhood.
The house they purchased 18 months ago was built in 1967. Situated on a corner lot shaded by mature leafy elm trees, the property's park-like setting had an over abundance of flowerbeds.
When a mature landscape has been lovingly maintained but extensively developed, prospective buyers may need to look past thickets of shrubbery and perennials to imagine their own vision. The Radulovic's, both busy young professionals, knew at the outset whatever house they bought would likely require some renovation and relished the prospect of putting their own personal stamp on a project.
With a plan to modernize the home inside and out and their own keen design sense, they hired Holz Constructors Incorporated. The finished result has sent ripples of excitement through the neighbourhood. The new modernist exterior is now clad in James Hardie fiber cement board panel siding in a charcoal colour and features innovative elements such as coppery coloured coreten steel.
Next they turned their attention to the landscape which had been meticulously maintained by the previous owner. The Radulovic's wanted a simpler, more functional design that would complement the home's new, modern exterior and provide space for their kids to play.
After consulting with neighbours, they connected with Jeff Duhame, owner of Crimson Sky Tree Service and Landscape Design. A certified arborist, Duhame is also a nearby resident who was already familiar with the property, having walked past it numerous times over a period of many years.
Not all homeowners can envision exactly what they want in a redesigned landscape and often the project is placed entirely in the hands of a landscaping professional. The Radulovic's were a part of the process from beginning to end, designing and completing some of the new elements. For example, after the removal of a white PVC fence on the east side overlooking the street, Duhame re-graded the property and Radovan constructed a unique free-standing double wall using concrete reinforcing mesh. Designed to serve as a living screen or green wall rather than a fence that would close off the property from its neighbours, Radovan incorporated an inner cage and planted Virginia creeper.
The oxidized, rusty colour of the reinforcing mesh perfectly complements the coppery coreten steel which frames the new windows on the house as well as the coppery bark of a newly planted Amur Cherry tree. A children's play area is situated nearby beneath the shade of an existing tree. Another two green walls were constructed including one attached to their side of the neighbour's cedar fence.
Tatjana says it was great to work with Duhame because they were able to work in stages. While the homeowners completed one aspect of the project, Duhame would do something else or he would level the ground so they could proceed, then return when they were done. Throughout the whole process they communicated regularly.
Radovan constructed a new deck on the west side of the house, accommodating an existing ornamental crabapple as well as a white spruce tree. Designed as an intimate entertainment area with built in seating using cedar, the new deck is three meters wide and eight meters long. To enhance privacy the deck includes a wall constructed of thin cedar strips. The north side of the deck faces onto the street. Radovan plans to install a coreten diamond mesh screen to allow light and provide privacy.
Duhame removed all of the flower beds, re-graded the entire property, and installed new sod. Plantings are now limited to the perimeter of the property with an emphasis on foliage and texture, framing an open, grassy expanse in both the front yard and backyard. Some of the plants Duhame installed include Medora Juniper, columnar Norway Spruce, Ohlendorffi Norway Spruce, a weeping white spruce, Trembling Aspen, and a Dakota Pinnacle Birch.
Duhame relocated an existing common lilac, trimming it neatly. A difficult challenge involved the planting of a Black Hills spruce in the area of a magnificent American Elm, ensuring no damage to its root system.
How satisfied are the new homeowners? Tatiana and Radovan concede that not all of their friends could initially see their vision for the property. The seamless beauty of the transformation is undeniable.
Jeff Blanchard, owner of Blanchard Landscape Design, mostly renovates landscapes in mature neighbourhoods. "You have the maturity of the existing trees so some of your work is done for you already," says Blanchard. "It's like working with a canvas that is pre-sketched -- all you have to do is colour it in."
Blanchard says often front yards aren't used to their full potential and become more or less an entrance to the front door. Since light and shade occur at different times of the day in both the front yard and backyard, why not utilize the front yard as well?
Recently Blanchard installed a courtyard in the front yard of a Tuxedo property. With privacy from neighbours and traffic, the homeowners can enjoy their morning coffee or a glass of wine in the evening. Blanchard used reclaimed brick to mirror the era of the neighbourhood.
Blanchard says back lanes in older areas are important, too. For a family in Crescentwood who access their garage via the back lane, Blanchard designed a white brick pilaster fence with wrought iron in keeping with the architecture of the 100-year old white brick house.
Blanchard says there is no written rule that a landscape in a mature neighbourhood must stick to a traditional theme. Rather than using materials that differ only somewhat from a home's architecture, for example using precast stone with an existing limestone foundation, Blanchard suggests going completely modern with glass railings, decorated poured in place concrete wall structures or metal planters made from shiny aluminum or coreten steel.
colleenizacharias@gmail.com
