In my opinion, good landscaping around a beautiful home is like the punctuation at the end of a sentence. Landscape architects create unique outdoor experiences, just as interior designers create warmth or drama inside the home. Be it dramatic or subdued, rustic or elegant, formal or natural, any style of landscaping offers satisfying results if it is done well. Plantings should compliment the home, not compete with it. Beautiful trees and shrubs can soften the hard edges of a home’s exterior, and carefully selected flowers add bright splashes of color. Landscaping should offer surprises whenever possible–a unique piece of outdoor art, a fountain, or even a planting in an unexpected area. The right plant materials can make small spaces seem larger, and large spaces feel more intimate. To frame all this, I especially like to use dry stack rock walls to create privacy, define areas and create additional opportunities for surprises that never fail to delight visitors.

Pergolas are some of my favorite outdoor structures. They offer filtered shade, create a sense of space for patios and add architectural interest to backyards and courtyards. Pergolas are especially effective in smaller outdoor spaces where solid walls and rooftops would be too overwhelming, or where no porch or veranda is available. Wood is often used for the framed cross timbers, while concrete, brick and stone may be used for the support columns, especially to bear the weight load of a larger structure. I always recommend protective metal flashing (copper is my favorite) for the top of the beams to make them water resistant. Outdoor fabric and plexiglass are sometimes used as lightweight coverings for pergolas that permit light yet protect from wind and rain. As with other outdoor features, I like to see fountains and live plants incorporated in pergolas wherever possible—wisteria and popular flowering vines may be added to enhance the beauty of the structure, as well as provide additional shade. Thin stainless steel rods running perpendicular to the cross beams may be added to support the weight of the heavy vines. Heaters, low-voltage lights and ceiling fans can be wired into the arbor’s beams to add to the livability and entertainment possibilities. With endless design options, a pergola can add a sense of space and organization to your outdoor area, and a perfect spot for three-season gatherings.

Just as most stock brokers will tell you the best time to
acquire more stocks is when the market is down, you can also take advantage of
a housing slow down such as many regions are currently experiencing.

Now is the time to seize the moment with many homes
and lots selling at below previous values–and mortgage interest rates at big
discounts. If you’re in a holding pattern with your home, it’s also a great
time to start the planning phase so that when you are ready for a
new home, you can hit the ground running. Buying a set of construction plans
now and working through any customization requirements puts you in good shape
when construction actually begins. And speaking of construction, many
contractors and sub-contractors have much more favorable rates right now to get
your business. Whether you’re looking to install new wood floors or are
planning your next family home, look at the current advantages in the housing
market and make them work for you

Patio landscaping and flowerboxes are key elements I include in every home I design. These extra touches make a home feel truly special, but they can pose headaches for the homeowner when watering becomes a burden. For my own home and for a recent client, I designed an irrigation system for flowerboxes that connects directly to the main sprinkler system as their own zone. We installed closed conduits (1” waterpex pipe) built into the exterior walls. Inside these conduit are ¼” feeder lines. Because the conduits are open to the outside, any leaks that might occur will do so on the outside, not in the home. Another method I use for watering potted plants on patios includes actually running the sprinkler system under the patio before the foundation is poured. This allows for sprinkler heads or other mechanisms to water the plants on a regular zoned schedule. As with most other elements in a new home, proper planning ahead of time is important to execute these techniques. With the patio, I not only provided a plan for where the pots would be located, but also a furniture plan for this outdoor space. For my favorite flowerbox resource, visit www.flowerframers.com.

Quite often I work with couples whose children have left home and the parents are on the cusp of the empty nester phase. This time of life causes them to long for simplicity and less maintenance. It’s a natural time to transition to a different sort of home, and many couples believe they don’t require as much space as before. While is this sometimes true, what I find most often is that they do require about as much space as before, it just looks differently now.

For example, large game rooms or media rooms that once accommodated teenagers are traded for more luxurious and expansive master suites complete with spa-like amenities, work out spaces and quiet retreats fit for adults only. Oversized closets and dressing areas give them the space they once sacrificed to other family members. This is the time, they tell me, when they want to focus on themselves. They want a clean slate and they want to do it right this time. Bedrooms, used infrequently now by visiting college kids or married adult children, become smaller to allow for larger commercial-grade kitchens, wine cellars and other such luxuries they enjoy. When planning for this phase of life, I recommend considering what new priorities couples have and how this new clean slate can allow them to sketch out the home they’ve always imagined.