![]() If there is no nearby garden of appropriate size, we can build concealed drains into the hardscape every six feet to prevent fluctuation in grade beyond one inch and thus make the patio appear completely flat. In some Houston landscape projects, we may gradually slop the patio toward a large garden, using it as a catch basin of sorts. In back yards, patios need to good drainage without obviously visible slope. ![]() To help prevent them from detracting too much from home architecture, the grade of the motor court can be lowered so that they are partially obscured from view. Such events will no doubt have many cars parked in front of the house. In the front yards of larger estates, many people like to have an elevated patio or gazebo set aside for large outdoor summer parties that need both the front and back yards to accommodate all the guests. Grading the landscape can be done in both front yard and back yard landscape design. Four-inch steps gives a person a very real sense of lowering elevation, which on a Houston landscape is just enough to create the emotion and interest we were looking for. In order to make it seem like more than that, we built the 4 four inches high rather than the standard 2.8 inches used on typical walkways. The total grade drop was only about 16 inches. To avoid harming trees, this was also done in a very subtle way. Without this shift, the room would not have that feeling of interest. In order to get to the outdoor room, a person had to step down from any other area of the backyard. What we did in this project was to raise the grade in the rest of back yard. People sitting or standing around the patio can now overlook the water from an elevated perspective.Īnother project of ours involved creating more interest around an outdoor room. This allowed us to both remodel the pool, and it created in a better focal point for gatherings. In a Houston landscape design that already has been extensively developed with pools, outdoor buildings, and pre-existing gardens, it is better to enhance existing grade than to attempt to force a new grade onto an area.įor instance, in project that we did a few years back, we graded the pool, and we left the patio high. Raising the grade at one end of the yard can create special space that either invites guests into a secluded area, or politely says “for residents and family only.” In a new yard, raising different parts of the Houston landscape can work toward creating different areas for outdoor rooms, special gardens, fountain areas, natural ponds, and lighted pathways. Special zones of interest have to be carefully portioned in the landscape master plan, then graded appropriately to their intended function and desired aesthetic. Landscape architects cannot just randomly alter the elevation of an entire yard because it will harm or kill trees. However, to say this is one thing, to do it is another. Beyond the exterior walls of the house (which requires flat terrain for a stable foundation), the yard has to have a certain level of slope and elevation to appear interesting. Virtually anywhere we build something, we must engineer strategies for getting excess water away from sensitive plants and expensive outdoor architecture.Ĭreating a grade is more difficult than one would assume. Drainage is always a challenge anywhere we work on the Houston landscape because almost the entire city is completely flat. Water runoff is one of the primary functions of landscape grading. This is a vital, albeit little publicized element to residential landscape design. Services provided include urban planning, land planning, urban design, landscape architecture on a wide range of projects including new towns, urban redevelopment, urban infill, master planned communities, town center developments, corporate headquarters, botanical gardens, public plazas, commercial mixed use and residential developments from conception through to construction completion.Grading, by definition, is altering the slope of the Houston landscape between one point and the property and another. In the summer, Houston’s municipal water supply can be used up to half by business. While Houston is known for its lovely pink and white azaleas, blue flowers are a. Having practiced in approximately 23 countries and 23 states, SLA has developed a significant portfolio of project experience that includes projects ranging in size from 1 to over 70,000 acres. Popular Houston Front Yard Landscape Ideas 1. The firm has served a wide range of project types and scales worldwide. Land (SLA, a Texas Corporation) was founded in 1983 to initially provide professional services in planning and landscape architecture.
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