Hilliard River Project

This project near the river just outside of Hilliard had unlimited opportunities just due to the scale of the property. The hard part was to complement and not overdue the already beauty of the site. Lots of mature native trees covered the multiple acre site. The house was under renovations when we were brought into the project. All exterior hardscape decisions were yet to be made, so lots of layout problems were yet to be solved.

Driveway and patio schemes were the first to be made. The driveway was somewhat controlled by existing trees to be preserved and budget. A previous home’s driveway was still somewhat there. To remove, replace, and re-design would take up more budget than what was practical. Turn around capabilities and additional parking space was taken into consideration without creating a sea of asphalt near the home. A larger curve to allow drop-off at the front door and parallel parking spaces was created.

Patio areas were designed to take advantage of some existing Maple trees in the back, but allow expansion to the fire pit and possible swimming pool some day. The pool has yet to be created, but the fire pit became part of the initial installation. One unique material was the large granite boulders unearthed during the home construction. All the boulders used for benches, walls, and accent where found on site—many during final grading of the lawn. This leads to the largest difficulty, sandy alluvial soils—almost river bottom. Home construction unearthed huge amounts of rounded cobble rock. Truck loads where removed and truckloads of topsoil brought in to create planting beds near the perimeter of the home.

Once soil and hardscape where installed the beauty of the property made it fun to enhance. Some trees were added to mitigate what was lost during home construction, but not many considering the size of the property. Lots of seasonal color, shrubs, and perennials were used to create color and interest throughout the year. The client does not like mulch, so as little is used as possible. Spreading perennials and groundcover were planted throughout to eliminate the need for mulch. Overall this is a very exciting and ever changing landscape.