A fresh start

When the Gasper Landscape Design & Construction team first met with the owners of this Newtown, Pa., home, the backyard was a clean slate. An old deck, overgrown plant material and everything else had been completely removed.

Gasper’s design included a new, multi-level composite deck with an attached roof. On the upper level of the deck, there is plenty of space for a large dining table and seating for the cast stone veneered bar counter that overlooks both the pool and the outdoor cooking area. On the deck’s lower level, there is a new outdoor kitchen with granite counters for prepping and serving food. There is a small prep sink and an outdoor-rated, two-drawer-style refrigerator.

The pool, spa and stone waterfall were built by the pool company, Jaydan Contractors, with whom Gasper worked throughout the process. Gasper installed all the concrete paver patios and plantings around the new pool. The new pool patio is large enough to accommodate several different seating areas: one for a large sectional couch with a gas fire table, another for chaise lounges and a third for a smaller, more intimate seating arrangement.

After the rear yard was complete, attention was turned to Phase 2, which was renovating the front of the house. The concrete landing at the front door was capped with wet-laid bluestone, and a new, wider step was built. The landing now leads down to a curved dry laid bluestone walkway that connects the driveway and front door. Large overgrown plants were removed and replaced with size-appropriate plantings that were selected to look good year-round. Even the portico was rebuilt by one of Gasper’s carpentry crews.

Managing stormwater was a challenge. To tackle this, Gasper recommended piping the patio and roof drains to an underground seepage pit built in the yard to collect stormwater and release it back into the ground.

Overall, this project took over 800 hours of carpentry and 1,000 hours of hardscape, landscape, lighting and irrigation work to complete.