Traditional Patio + Landscape - Whitefish Bay, WI

2016 Silver Award for Excellence in Residential Landscape Design and Construction - Wisconsin Landscape Contractors Association

This east side project already had a very small backyard before our client decided to change their single car attached garage into a new home office. This necessitated that a new garage be built on the east edge of the property. We were commissioned to create a new patio and outdoor space in the leftover area between the home and new garage, while sticking to a modest budget.

Our first task was to design a terrace that would not feel small in the limited space; the simple geometry of a circle fit the bill. Although concrete was chosen for the balance of the patio for budget reasons, we wanted the circular area to feel special. For the stone, Valders Rustic Pavers was chosen to coordinate with the lannon stone detailing on the home. Likewise, the clay pavers were chosen to mimic the brick home. Plants around the patio were chosen to be hardy and to tolerate the limited lighting conditions.

An elegant wood moon gate connects the home to the garage. In front of the gate we created an “outdoor foyer” using Valders stone and clay pavers as a preview of the patio within. In tune with the age of the home, our client asked us to design a banded driveway like those seen around Milwaukee back in the day. In conjunction with the driveway, a new planting bed was created alongside the home with a simple palette of plants. Groundcover provides a steppable but green surface for family and friends to stand on as they exit their vehicle.

Creating a beautiful backyard in such a limited space was a challenge, but also rewarding. It was also fun to incorporate details from the home into the hardscaping.