Sometimes more is possible than you might imagine
It was a ‘should I stay or go’ decision for our homeowners, Stephen and Diana K. Of their three children, one was in college, and the other two were preparing to move out of the family home. The couple was contemplating reinvesting in their family home to make it their forever home — as many empty-nesters do — or look to live elsewhere. When they decided to stay, they knew they needed to make some upgrades and repairs to the yard. The first project required removing their old, unattractive and structurally compromised wood deck and replace it with a bigger composite deck. They also knew they wanted to add patios off the deck and outside of the basement entrance along with creating an area in the yard for a fire pit.
When Stephen and Diana first met with Gasper Sales Designer Erik Freeman, they knew they had found someone they could trust. Erik would act as a trusted, experienced partner in the design process, helping make them comfortable with their decisions. “The initial design Erik presented to us was about 70 percent there, but then the design became what we wanted. It evolved.” Stephen recalled. “We asked a lot of questions of both Erik and ourselves. Questions like: How do you live with it? Am I going to use it? Is this something I want to pay for?” They felt Erik was helpful in informing their early decisions and worked hard to help them refine the design.
The 3-D model allowed the couple to visualize their project during the design process. For example, it helped Diana see that she didn’t want nine steps off the deck, so a decision was made to make a landing at the back door to reduce the height of the deck. “The model was very compelling to get to a ‘go’ decision,” said Stephen.
Stephen can’t get over the improvement over the old deck. “My goodness — is it solid!” He jokes that they can now have a 50-person dance party without worry. The new, larger-sized deck is more practical and opens up the house. In addition, the composite decking reduces the amount of maintenance needed by eliminating the need to seal or stain the wood. That, says Stephen, leaves plenty of extra time for those dance parties!
The dry-laid bluestone patio off the deck creates a comfortable and beautiful conversation space. Since it’s a little further out in the backyard, it gets more sun than the deck which is on the northern (shady) side of the house. A graceful, curved-stone seat wall helps to distinguish the patio area and offers the added advantage of acting as a retaining wall to the couples’ sloping yard.
Working with a proper landscape design company like Gasper gave me options I didn’t know I had.
Moving from the dining and sitting areas, the design materials shift from the more symmetrical patterned bluestone to larger pieces of irregular bluestone and boulder retaining walls that provide a more natural and organic sensibility. The fire pit area enjoys more sun as it was placed in an area of the yard that had a few large and compromised mature trees. “We like the fire pit. My daughter practically lives in that area, always having friends over to hang out around a fire. We have even made it a Halloween tradition for the kids to stop by
at the end of the evening for S’mores.” said Stephen.
“The end product is something that works for us. Frankly, that is important.” confided Stephen. “We would definitely recommend Gasper to others.” Are you in a stay-or-go situation of your own? The Gasper design team is the perfect partner to create truly unforgettable outdoor spaces. Call us to set up a consultation at your home today.