SITE AND LANDSCAPE GOALS FOR THIS RENOVATION PROJECT INCLUDED IMPROVING THE CURB APPEAL, providing outdoor recreation space, and creating access to the basement level of the home.  Maintaining environmental integrity, managing vegetation, and lake-friendly stormwater management were also careful considerations.

Prior to renovation, the existing two-story garage blocked the front door of the house from the road.  The tall building and garage doors at the road contributed to an unappealing arrival.  The garage was razed, reoriented, and relocated to reveal the front of the house.  The re-orientation allowed us to create a driveway that could be used for outdoor recreation, specifically basketball and pickleball.

The entry court bridges the gap between the garage and the house.  It features finely crafted rectilinear hand-laid granite quarry stone walls with rock-faced Woodbury Grey granite steps. Concrete pavers complement the granite walls and steps and form a small seating area as well as an outdoor cooking area, both protected from prevailing breezes off of the lake.  The driveway and entry court are lit with granite post-mounted luminaires and built-in LED step lights.

The challenge of the lakeside design was accessing the basement.  Careful detailing of sub-surface insulation over the existing foundation allowed us to lower the grade along the structure and install a door to a basement mudroom.  This space gained under the deck allowed us to discard the lattice wrap around the deck and add windows into the basement.  The space gained under the deck also allowed us to create a flagstone patio using rustic Olde Chester Granite.  The patio and walkway to the dock are constructed with pervious details and allow stormwater to pass through open joints and infiltrate into the soil, reducing runoff and lake sedimentation.  LED path lights provide subtle guidance from the dock to the home after evening boat rides.  The lakeside yard was left open for lawn games, while native waterfront plantings were installed to rejuvenate the riparian buffer.