For this landscape design and construction project in the Lyon’s Bend area of Knoxville, Tenn., our clients wanted to extend their outdoor living space so they could be the “it” party place for their children and friends.
Planning
There was a small patio area near the house, a pool further from the house and other existing elements such as a partial paver pool deck, irrigation and overgrown plants, that we either incorporated into the design or strategically decided to remove to make way for better use of the space.
The client also wanted adjacent spaces incorporated into the design to help spread people out during their parties so we included a pergola and fire pit that extended the usable space of the backyard and capitalized on an existing natural stone terrace. We also designed the landscape lighting for this project to make sure the space could be used late into the evening, giving this family more time to enjoy the space.
“I think Carex Design Group is very easy to work with, said homeowner Jessica Doppelt. “They weren’t trying to push something in the design that really didn’t fit the house or our lifestyle. They knew what I was trying to accomplish and that made them enjoyable to work with.”
During Construction
Because we not only offer design services, but also manage landscape construction, we helped this client with project management by soliciting and reviewing bids from several Carex Design Group preferred contractors and recommending the best landscape construction company for the job. In this case, The Lawn Butler partnered with us to bring the designed vision into reality.
As part of our project management services, we also supervised construction and helped make design adjustments as needed along the way (which is a fairly common need with large projects like this one).
“A lot of times, if I undertake a project,” said Doppelt. “I say to the contractor ‘Hey this is the end goal and this is what I want to see happen and here’s what I want to end up with.’ All of a sudden the barriers start going up and I don’t know if it’s because I’m the homeowner or if it’s because I’m the ‘lady of the house.’ But having Carex Design Group’s Bob Graves as a middle person, he said ‘Okay cool, no problem,” and made it happen. There wasn’t this back-and-forth exchange I get all the time with people.”
As the design developed during construction, we agreed with the homeowners that a better connection to the existing pool deck from the house was important so we adjusted the original design to remove some of the planting spaces adjacent to the pool, extending the paver pool deck and adding a new flagstone patio.
Other design changes included adjusting the placement of planting bed lines, altering the height of the pergola and guiding details such as the direction of the paver patterns. It’s because of adjustments like these that we always recommend having your landscape architect or designer involved in the construction of your landscaping project.
For our project management clients, we also verify that industry construction standards are met and make sure that customers are getting exactly what they’re paying for in quantity, quality and design.
After Completion
This project was completed in April 2016, but as follow up we met with this customer in late May 2016 shortly after their first backyard party of the season. We learned that the space was exactly what they wanted and was working well not only for their family, but also for the 22 children and parents who were at the party.
“Carex Design Group understood that I don’t want to have to get out there and really maintain things a lot,” said Doppelt. “They knew my goals, and that goes a long way. It was a good experience.”
