Brentwood Masterpiece: Beautiful, family-friendly, and easy to maintain.
Landscape Service Performed: firepit, kids play area, decomposed granite walkway, paver patio, and landscaping (plants and trees).
Location: Brentwood, CA
Initial Impressions
Ken’s lovely home in Brentwood, CA started out with a decently spacious dirt backyard and front yard that had already been landscaped by the builder. There were a few plants and some trees. However, Ken felt it was still too sparse, and wanted something much more welcoming and more enjoyable than what he currently had. He wanted, as he put it, an entertaining backyard and a full remodel for his front yard.
Moving fresh from San Francisco into the Brentwood community, he immediately noticed that all of his neighbors had the same generic cookie-cutter front yard. Clean and neat, maybe, but still unoriginal and uninspired. Ken wanted something different. He wanted to stand out, including a more welcoming entry and a backyard with a pool, attractive shaded areas, entertaining spaces - something unique, grand and beautiful. He also wanted something that had more privacy than the simple iron fence along his back fence
Ken was referred to us by his friends, and our past clients, Bob and Teresa. He told us his vision, laid out some non-negotiable features, and with a plan in mind, we got to work. For this project, we remained flexible and highly communicative all throughout.
THE PLAN
Ken wanted to go all out, and we were happy to oblige. We took the time to listen to all his ideas and his absolute must-haves for the yard. Using his input, we put together a 3D design to implement everything he wanted.
The yards had plenty of space and had existing features we were going to work into the final design such as the California Room in the back yard and the grass area in the front. From the columns, fireplace, and retaining walls, everything needed to be eye catching and complement Ken’s request for a unique shaped pool and separate barbecue area.
We decided to use fun, interesting pieces like travertine, natural stone veneer, brick, and lava rock as the primary materials for both the front and backyard. We also installed a fence, drip system, and garden boxes for landscaping. Aside from the additional electrical and lighting services that Ken requested, we decided to throw in a good amount of statement pieces such as metal trellises, large olive trees, and patios to keep things cool during the summer months and dry during the rainy season, making this backyard usable all year long!
HOW WE HELPED
Overall, this project was truly a journey. Ken felt that AJ’s went above and beyond for him. He felt like we really over-delivered on the project, and then some, going so far as to consider us the cream of the crop in backyard remodelers. We made sure even the pool shape was unique and complementary to his yard’s shape!
At the end of it, Ken even threw a party to show off the newly landscaped front yard and remodeled backyard to everyone he knew. They loved it! According to him, it got consistent rave reviews, and people now want to hang out there on a regular basis. We’re happy to know that we were able to spice up his life through landscaping, and it was nice seeing the design come to life. Their Homeowner’s Association was so amazing by the transformation that they did a photo shoot for their community magazine.
Now, Ken continuously speaks highly of his outdoor living space and how much he enjoys spending time in it. He even spoke to a new client of ours and graciously allowed them to check out his yard. His overall summary of the entire thing is “fantastic.”
Chris and his crew did an amazing job managing the entire creative process and installation of our landscaping. The design was exactly what we hoped to achieve, and now the finished product is drawing rave reviews from friends and neighbors. Chris listened to us, even as we hit him up with tons of change orders along the way (I'm well-known for changing my mind midstream...) and he patiently guided us to a fantastic end result. I cannot recommend him more highly.
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