Today’s photo is a recent view of a portion of one street median renovation we designed in Lakewood Colorado. We designed several landscape plans for this renovation project, consisting of many miles of existing street medians in that city, that are slated for renewal. It was an interesting and challenging project to work on, and the city staff were great to work with. We look forward to seeing how these designs grow and flourish over time!
Landscape median in Lakewood, Colorado
Before renovation photo of the same median as above, but with camera looking north.
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
Located in Littleton, Colorado, The Gardens at Columbine is a memory care/assisted living facility on which Outdoor Design Group provided landscape design services. This site was an expansion of an existing assisted living facility onto adjacent property. This new building provides a space for adding memory care services to the facility’s roster of other existing services for senior citizens.
As the new building was being planned for this recently acquired property, we designed the outdoor spaces, walkways and landscaped gardens to surround this new structure. Because the site was not terribly large, and the proposed building sizable in scope, this provided several challenges. From how to fit parking spaces into a small space to designing safe and sound emergency exit pathways, this project was a challenging but satisfying endeavor.
One of the first challenges we had to face was how to provide a working landscape at the east entrance to the building. This entrance is near the other existing building, and is the preferred access point for employees traveling between buildings. The difficulty here was adding an entrance walkway that would transition from a higher elevation parking lot then drop down to a doorway that sits slightly below grade relative to the parking lot. Retaining walls were necessary in this area so we added built in benches at the walls to provide useful amenities along this path. Step lights in the walls provide a soft illumination for this well used pathway.
Prior to construction, the original site was filled with trees, as it had been a large lot with one single family home on it. While some of the existing trees could not be saved due to the scope of the proposed building, we worked with the city and the owner to save as many trees as we could. For example we spent a significant time working and re-working the landscape plan with the civil engineer on the project to reconfigure the entrance drive and parking areas to save several existing trees on the north and east sides of the property.
The namesake gardens are located in the internal courtyard of the project. These outdoor spaces give residents of the facility a charming scene that invites them to go outside and get some fresh air amid the trees, shrubs and raised bed gardens.
Stepping out of the building and into the courtyard, the first of the raised planting beds one encounters is a large circle comprised of a poured-in-place concrete seat wall that is chock full of colorful perennials, wispy ornamental grasses, low growing shrubs and scraggy boulders.
As you step further into the courtyard, you encounter wooden raised bed gardens where residents of the facility can indulge their gardening bug and get their hands dirty in the soil. These two beds are situated on opposite sides of the courtyard, connected by a concrete walk where the residents can circumnavigate to achieve fresh air and exercise, ensconced in the protective calm of these hidden gardens.
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
The landscape design includes patio space and a gas fire pit that allows easy enjoyment of the mountain views
Are you considering purchasing a new home? When you tour the lot, examine the adjacent views and how the site may be landscaped and used for outdoor living space. With a little foresight and a good design, the yard can be made into an inviting extension of your home for your family and guests alike.
For this project, located on the west side of Arvada, Colorado, we worked with the homeowners to take advantage of amazing mountain views, while adding value and convenience to their property. A sloped lot was redesigned to provide a flat lawn area and a secondary seating area with a custom gas fire pit. Pavers were used to soften the existing covered concrete patio, and a built-in outdoor kitchen and bar seating were added. Soft lighting provides security and ambiance in the evening, while the Rocky Mountains provide the backdrop for stunning sunsets.
The view from the back of the lot toward the house and outdoor kitchen
View of firepit with tiered lawn behind
The view from the leveled-off lawn are to the outdoor kitchen
The existing sloped backyard
Most builders will include a basic front yard landscape in the home price, but will leave the back yard as bare ground for you to improve however you wish. The design must be approved by the homeowners association. The proposed landscape will need to ensure proper drainage and shouldn’t have any negative impacts on your neighbors lots, or adjacent open space.
The front yard can always be redesigned as well. The front yard irrigation mainline and valves should already be in place, so the design can be modified pretty easily. This homeowner asked us to redesign the front yard simultaneously, and they plan to redo the front yard in a second phase. For the time being, they have completed their landscape, eliminating the bare dirt and allowing them to fully enjoy their new home and yard.
Pavers were installed over the concrete patio that came with the home
Enjoying a beer and the mountain views
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
As 2014 nears a close, we’ve created a quick collage highlighting a few of the projects we’ve worked on over the year:
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
Over the summer we helped this client create a new stone edge to their natural pond. It is difficult to tell in this photo, but there are two layers of boulders helping to navigate a 24″ drop-off to the water. In the foreground is a lush new lawn for entertaining and games. Look for more photos of this project soon on our Facebook and Google Plus pages!
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
