This month our spotlight is on the Mayhew project. The layout of the backyard space really pushed us to get creative back in 2017, but years later we are still in love with the way it turned out!
When we first met the owners of this home back in 2017, they told us they were interested in having a pool put in and they wanted to figure out a way to give the space a newer, more contemporary feel. There were some definite hurdles to jump when it came down to design, since the backyard was on the narrow side and was basically set on the side of a mountain. Zoning requirements for the offsets of a pool from the property line and primary structure meant we had very little wiggle room for the location of the pool.
Other contractors had suggested making the entire backyard flat and then building a 5ft retaining wall along the back of the property but trucking dirt offsite is expensive and retaining walls that are more than 4ft tall require more engineering and are more expensive than shorter versions. Our challenge then was to find a more elegant solution that could eliminate these additional costs.
Other contractors had suggested making the entire backyard flat and then building a 5ft retaining wall along the back of the property but trucking dirt offsite is expensive and retaining walls that are more than 4ft tall require more engineering and are more expensive than shorter versions. Our challenge then was to find a more elegant solution that could eliminate these additional costs.
Our design meetings lead to the conclusion that we should use the slope as a focal point and allow one side of the pool to be almost exposed with the other sides in-ground. We completely eliminated the need for any retaining wall taller than 3ft with this approach and saved thousands of dollars of trucking fees because we left most of the dirt where it was.
We kept the cost of the retaining walls down even more by using concrete block for the construction. To dress the walls up, we covered the block with wood giving the backyard a spa-feel.
The same wood was then used to build a fence and deck around the pool. The transition from a lower part of the yard to the pool deck needed stairs. To add just a little more flare, we used Corten steel risers that were topped with grass. The steel with the grass and the wood really brings the whole project together.
In phase 2 of this project, in 2018, we went back to continue the home’s transformation by adding a new cladding and a green roof to a portion of the roof. We love how this turned out!
Although the backyard was definitely the focus, we also added some plantings, etc. to the front of the home. You can see that the use of native plants really helps to enhance the look of the house and the steps and walkway give the entrance a contemporary vibe.
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