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Project Description

Talk about long term relationships. We had the pleasure of working with this client for over 12 years and still have a couple of projects they are planning. We began our relationship in 1997 with the installation of the tennis court. In 1999 the rear patio, deck and grilling station were constructed as well as the first front foundation plantings. Our next challenge was in 2001 with the design and construction of the guest house. In 2002 the client had us renovate the pool & pool landscape. That fall we re-landscaped the front foundation and rear patio areas after a major renovation to the main house. The low voltage lighting was added at this time.

The driveway was reconfigured with a parking court for four cars in the spring of 2003. The fall of 2003 saw a major overhaul of the plantings around the balance of the property. The last major addition was in 2005 when we constructed a 130' long stone and stucco wall along the south side of the property to ensure privacy from a new neighbor. The planting of this wall followed. We have continually maintained the property on a quarterly basis since we started in 1997.

The client's major request was that the property be warm and welcoming to their friends from all walks of life, while maintaining a respect for the simplicity of the 1970 ranch style that they loved so much. The client never had a need to show off their wealth, yet wanted only the best when it came to materials, plantings and maintenance practices.

The extraordinary success of our company over the last decade can be linked directly to the faith that this one client had in us. They allowed us to use their property to stretch our company's capabilities and grow to the next level and for that we are thankful!

 

Project Challenge

We encountered our first challenge the day we walked on the property. The client wanted a tennis court and the only flat area large enough was in the front yard. That wouldn't do. So, we engineered the tennis court in the side yard were there was a slope with a one to four fall away from the house. An additional 4' of grade had to be removed from under portions of the court so that compactable fill could be brought in as a stable base for the court. The lower side of the court has 10' of engineered fill. Twelve years later and not one crack on the courts surface.

The second challenge was building the guest house between the main house and the tennis court. With less then 40' between the two and over a full story change in grade we had our work cut out for us. The answer was a full basement to the guest house. It would be used for storage and would need a turned down spread footing on the lower side adjacent to the tennis court. A 35’ portion of the retaining wall would be removed to achieve this and rebuilt after the foundation was in. The tennis court was never disturbed. The septic tanks also needed to be relocated to maintain a gravity fed system. Permitting a second residence on the property had its own set of challenges from wells to septic and running a new electrical feed from the road. It was just like building a new residence.

Lastly the construction of the stone and stucco barrier wall on the far side of the pool required a separate construction road to access this area and one of the largest concrete pumps available.

It was well worth it!

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