Fresh Project – Courtyard Wall
After completion of the new front walk, it is
time to begin work on the new courtyard wall, starting with the digging and pouring of the footings. Luckily, no large roots from the existing mulberry tree were encountered along the way but it still took a couple of weekends to get the footings dug, rebar installed and concrete poured. Once that happened, there was steady progress in constructing the block wall.
As far as the design for the new wall, you will notice it was designed with a small step back that creates interest both inside the courtyard and from the street as well as echoing the front facade of the house. When designing a landscape it is always key to take into consideration the bigger picture and by that I mean, considering the architectural style of the house, how it sits on the lot and how it relates to its neighbors and neighborhood. By utilizing this information and reflecting it back in the landscape design, you insure that the entire project has a seamless transition and will be visually pleasing to the eye.
Since the clients were open to new ideas, I
thought it would be incredibly beautiful to have the wall be a dark blue color, creating a super, cozy courtyard that really envelopes the space. Random glass block inserts allow light to penetrate and create great contrast with the darkness of the wall. As the sun moves through the sky, the light in the glass blocks shifts as well. The blue will also allow the greens of the plant material to really pop therefore creating a more lush feeling. The wall itself is 4’ high, the clients didn’t want a higher wall as it would really be too much of a barrier to the street and they wanted their front yard to be gracious and welcoming to visitors. Over time as the plantings fill in, they will provide a bit more privacy but it will be of a softer variety. There are also two raised planters inside the courtyard that are the same blue, but different heights to add some interest to the inner courtyard.
Stay tuned for more………
