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Landscape Design

terrace or no for spot between garage and house.

2 years ago

Well, as you prob can figure out, our budget is very small. This will be a DIY. We are trying to figure out if we keep the terrace? Make the terrace boulders with plants in both sections or take the stones away and just slope the bed down. What do you think?

Comments (12)

Katie
Original Author
2 years ago
Forgot photos!
Katie
Original Author
2 years ago
Pictures of arwa
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To me I think the stone around the garage portion of the house looks like the driveway is creeping up onto the house, or that it's exposed foundation. I know it's very popular to do a high water pants band of stone around the bottom of the house, particularly starting in the period that this house was built, but I think the house is kind of lucky to have escaped it the first time. Random stone put here and there as a decorative applique of sorts has no real "structural" basis, so it doesn't make a lot of sense if you think about it. It's actually completely appropriate to your style of house since so many people do it, but there is really nothing wrong or boring with a house made of one primary material. Plus, stone at the foundation area doesn't really address a bigger issue of the garage which is that large expanse brick in the gable end above the doors. I think you would get a much bigger bang for your buck sorting out the landscaping and trying to reduce the impact of the giant driveway, and leaving the house pretty much as is.
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Katie
Original Author
2 years ago
We changed path so it goes to garage, will get rid of old path regardless. That’s what my husband was digging out.
Katie
Original Author
2 years ago
I like the terrace and think if we keep it it will look good, husband disagrees and wants to plant a cinnamon girl maple where path was. Please arbitrate this.
callirhoe123
2 years ago
Is it a place that you are likely to want to sit? What is the view in the other direction?
Katie
Original Author
2 years ago
The view is the creek
Katie
Original Author
2 years ago
Here isvoew
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
2 years ago
I vote to get rid of the terrace. It doesn't serve a practical purpose, and isn't going to be high enough quality construction to add anything to the scene.
Katie
Original Author
2 years ago
Okay
callirhoe123
2 years ago
If you were hiring it done, I'd say build the terrace since you like the view. But, as a DIY, I don't think the result will be good long term. Make a small garden and include a bench.
Christopher CNC
2 years ago
What we are really talking about here is block edging to define the shape of a bed. The only logical reason for an actual terrace would be because of an elevation change that would require supporting the ground for the new walkway. I don't see enough of an elevation change to require that.

You could create the temporary illusion of a terrace - plants will hide it quick - by having the block edging follow the contours of the new path and terminating it by the stairs at some point along the walk. Block edging running in the middle of a single large bed does not make sense.

About your new walkway: People are lazy. They are genetically averse to making two turns on a path when they can just sort of step over the corner of the flower bed. Fill in the triangular shaped corner of that bed, the 90-degree turn in the walk, with more pavers and make that intersection a nice wide sweep in the walkway instead of a turn.
Katie
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you!

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