A stately brick colonial home would only benefit from some much needed landscaping on a partially wooded lot. The owners wanted to both expand their usable space and enhance the beauty and value of the property. Brick and stone were obvious choices to match the home’s primary structure and to retain a rustic natural element throughout the home’s outdoor space.
“The owners contacted us in 2016 to create an outdoor living space in their backyard, says Christine Russell of landscape designers New Earth Designs, of Greensboro, NC.
For New Earth Designs, this job was a nature-taming process.
“The front yard was overgrown and uninviting and large trees in the front contributed to a badly damaged concrete driveway,” says Russell. “The owners wanted better curb appeal and a new walkway to the front door.”
Pine Hall Brick Pathway Full Range clay pavers were specified for the walkway.
Adding paver features like walkways not only increases curb appeal, but can add a lot of value to a home’s resale price.
New Earth Designs saw a need to give the front yard some sculpted topography and patterns and achieved this with a stately stone wall capped with brick.
“After the large trees and overgrown shrubbery were removed, a retaining wall was constructed using similar materials as the back yard,” says Russell. “The wall and walkway are designed to visually draw you up to the front door. The use of brick in the wall ties together with the brick house.”
Stone and brick make a beautiful combination. The curve of the retaining wall also has the effect of inviting guests back to an amazing outdoor room where a stone and brick fireplace is central to a remarkable gathering space.
“The back yard had been a natural wooded space, but they wanted to make it more usable with a new patio area, complete with a wood burning fireplace and gas grilling island,” says Russell.
The fireplace is Pine Hall Brick Plantation Blend accenting Buck County Ledgestone. The mantel and hearth are Pennsylvania Bluestone.
Winter and early spring are great times to begin landscaping because the finished hardscaping and retaining walls look so good when grass, shrubs and flowers return as the weather warms. Even much older brick homes can be paired with Pine Hall Brick products, because the color and style choices are so broad. It doesn’t take long for brand new clay pavers and facebrick to blend in with legacy brick.
Credits: Front of house brick work is by Joe Smith Masonry. New Earth Designs installed the clay pavers and the cultured stone veneer (Buck County). The rear fireplace masonry is by Turner Masonry.
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