Tuscany

The owners of this large lot located in the Calgary community of Tuscany wanted to preserve the impressive view from their backyard while improving the property’s design. The space mainly consisted of a vast lawn with little visual interest, a small concrete patio under the upper deck which was too small for entertaining and felt disconnected from the rest of the landscape. The homeowner is an avid gardener and wanted to see beautiful plantings, access to the back gate, a larger entertaining area beneath the upper deck, and more privacy and storage. Most importantly they did not want any trees to impede the view. Given that the home is a two-story walkout, most of the landscape would be viewed from above, so it needed a dynamic and visually engaging shape.

The concepts provided the homeowners three ways to layout the landscape with the following elements; increase the size of the patio by pulling the sitting area out from under the upper deck, a walkway to the back gate, a water feature focal point, screens for privacy, a shed for storage, outdoor lighting, and large planting beds. All three concepts presented these elements in three different layouts.

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The homeowners preferred curves over straight lines and so the final design process began.  The materials and style for the patio, screens and water feature were chosen. The plant material was placed in the plan with specified sizes to be installed. With this information the project was priced and construction began. It should be noted that not all elements from the drawing were installed due to cost. The spiral staircase from the upper deck to the lower patio was eliminated.

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We have added pictures of the projects three years after completion. The pride of ownership is evident. The plant material is thriving and the homeowners still have people pausing on the walkway to take pictures.