THOUSAND OAKS LANDSCAPING

This landscaping project in Thousand Oaks probably had as much change impact as any project we have ever done.

The property is a corner lot, not really on a main street, but on a street which offers a shortcut around a busy intersection – in other words, it really is a sort of main street at times. And being a corner lot, the front yard is even more visible than usual.

For over a year, the property had been looking worse and worse, not due to any negligence on the part of the owners but rather due to a desire to really do something special. They had been diligently killing weeds every few weeks and had graded the whole front yard at one point. During this time, there were a number of looks from the passers by and even a few thinly veiled remarks from a couple of the neighbors.

This is the point where we came in. After pouring over photographs of various landscape approaches and bringing up ideas that they had been having about the new landscape, certain points were emerging as vital to achieving what the owners wanted. A patio in the front yard was definitely high on the list. They were outgoing people and really wanted to help create a friendly environment in the neighborhood. Some may remember that this was a standard feature, especially in the mid-west half a century ago. It is a life style that really should make a comeback.

We did the masonry walls with stucco to match the house so it would tie in visually and used brick for trim since there was already some brick in the driveway. The floor of the patio was done in texture-stamped concrete with an earth-tone base color and ten additional colors scattered over the top surface, breaking the record for the most colors we have ever used on a single patio (most of the colors were subtle tints, similar to the base color). The client was very handy and he built some of the elements, himself, such as the patio cover.

The garden design got a lot of attention since it was such a visible corner. This is the type of garden that doesn’t need much work much of the time, but certain times of the year a lot of the plant material gets cut back drastically so that the new growth comes in looking fresh.

Outdoor lighting, irrigation and a new lawn finished off the landscaping. The biggest change was in the attitude of those stopping by to visit and those walking by. The property had definitely undergone a major facelift. The difference in both the look and the remarks were dramatic.