An outdoor kitchen design for your home provides a centerpiece for summer entertaining.
CR Hardscapes delivers an extensive landscape design and construction project for a family in Bow, New Hampshire.
The homeowner's desire was to completely transform their backyard into a place they couldn't wait to come home to.
We designed a stunning landscape that provided not only a place to relax each day but to also entertain family and friends building a lifetime of memories.
Project Background
"We wanted our landscape to be a backyard oasis."
Rather than trying to carve out time for getaway trips to the lake or the beach to relax, these busy homeowners had a growing desire to bring a vacation feeling right to their own backyard.
With a growing business and the addition of grandchildren to the family, they decided it was time to act on their desire to construct an outdoor gathering place at their long time family home.
One of the only things they were certain of when they began to explore options was a desire for a pool as the centerpiece of their new landscape.
The Challenge
Multiple Landscape Features on a Technically Challenging Site
The challenge was to coordinate multiple features on a technically challenging site, into a seamless, coherent design that gave the homeowners that vacation feeling they desired.
Spaces had to be created to accommodate casual daily use, small gatherings, as well as the recreational needs of large family events and occasions. All this in an aesthetically pleasing package that felt like a natural part of the surrounding landscape.
Environmental constraints including the topography of the property, subsurface ledge, and complex drainage needs meant that any aesthetic elements of the project had to be developed in step with the technical considerations of the site.
Proper surface and subsurface drainage would be a critical element to the long-term sustainability of the project. This was addressed in coordination with specialty contractors Yankee Pools and Advance Siteworks.
Landscape Construction Underway in Bow, New Hampshire
Our Solution
All of the features surrounding the pool were designed to fit perfectly into the context of the home's wooded New Hampshire setting.
The landscape plan needed to create spaces for entertaining and relaxing around a centrally located in-ground swimming pool while addressing the desired aesthetics and functional constraints of the site.
All of the features surrounding the pool were designed to fit perfectly into the context of the home's wooded New Hampshire setting. This meant a focus on native plants and regional stone. There was also a welcomed opportunity to harvest and repurpose many large boulders located on the property into new walls and features.
Once the pool design was decided upon the challenge turned to creating a completed landscape design that would tie together established aspects of the property with elements currently under development. The plan had to address previous additions to the home, a newly constructed garage, elevation changes, as well as a pool cabana that was to house amenities for entertaining including a new outdoor kitchen complete with a gas grill, refrigerator, & pizza oven.
The long, straight lines of the house needed to harmonize with the organic shape of the pool. This was accomplished through the creative use of straight and curved edges of the bluestone pool decking accented by planting choices that introduced both formal arrangements and looser groupings of native plants throughout the design.
Early on it was decided that an old deck would be replaced by a bluestone patio. CR Hardscapes designed a custom stone sitting wall to enclose the patio and provide additional seating during larger gatherings. The wall was built to accommodate landscape lighting accenting the stone features at night.
What outdoor oasis would be complete without a water feature? This custom feature utilized stones from the property as well as custom stones chosen specifically for the project. It was designed to cascade water down into the pool while giving the appearance that the pool was installed around an existing spring originating from the hillside. The soothing sound of softly flowing water elevates the experience of relaxation that was an important consideration throughout.
The last important part of this project was to design an outdoor kitchen within a beautiful poolside cabana.
The kitchen included a full range of outdoor appliances (link) and amenities such as a gas grill, a sink for food preparation and clean up, as well as a refrigerator and ice maker. The outdoor room was completed with the addition of a gas pizza oven and fireplace.
A granite was chosen for the outdoor kitchen that matched the granite used in the sitting wall around the patio and veneer of the pool.
Other features of this project included oversized stone steppers, large retaining walls, rustic stone stairs, shade trees & perennial gardens, and expanded turf areas for the grandchildren to play.
The Results
The end result is a restful landscape retreat for the homeowners and a gathering place for generations of family and friends.
What our client had to say...
"We knew nothing about outdoor kitchens or the design/construction process when we started but we knew we wanted an oasis. Curtis from CR Hardscapes has an unbelievable vision and helped guide us through the entire process.
Ours was a complex project that included a pool with a water feature, patios, an outdoor kitchen, a gas fireplace, and a planting plan. It was amazing how all the details of our project were taken care of. CR Hardscapes coordinated the specialty contractors and communicated clearly every step of the way.
We were so relieved to have Curtis working on our project. He took the stress right out of it. There is no reason to hire anyone else."
- Allen & Sue Lindquist- Bow, New Hampshire
Improve the quality of your life through better outdoor living.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can design a custom landscape for you that makes your property more valuable, functional and beautiful.
Contact CR Hardscapes to Explore What We Can Design For You
Start down the path to better outdoor living today. Contact us to learn how we can bring that "on vacation" feeling to your backyard.
"We were so relieved to have Curtis and CR Hardscapes working on our project. He took the stress right out of it. There is no reason to hire anyone else."
Allen & Sue Lindquist- Bow, New Hampshire
We work hard, so you can rest easy.