DESIGN CAPABILITIES
Natural Path Landscaping: Creating a Natural Work of Art Right Outside Your Door
“After determining that our landscape design done by a Landscape Architect did not meet my goals, I hired Natural Path Landscaping for the design & construction. Their design was truly original and fit our home beautifully plus their workmanship was exceptional. They were the first contractor to meet my expectations in the twelve years I’ve lived here.
The end result is stunning.”
The design is critical since even a perfect implementation will not overcome shortcomings in the overall plan. The design must take into account drainage, budget, functionality, beauty, and the surroundings. This is the time to flush out many of the details of construction, to ensure the results match expectations.
Our professional approach to your project
We start each project with an initial meeting to discuss your needs and any special requirements or concerns. At this first meeting, we take measurements, take pictures, and discuss various options. All of this information is then turned into a concept with pricing to establish a rough budget. We then move to a detailed design phase with [1] a scaled drawing, [2] any choices to be made (such as choice of materials and paving pattern), or [3] design details to be finalized (such as measurements for curves and slopes), and [4] the finalized pricing.
The end result is that all this information is put into a written contract so there is no misunderstanding and materials can be easily ordered. This process gives a real sense that the pricing is precise and unlikely to change. It also ensures that the customer ends up with the functionality and design they were expecting.
We pride ourselves on developing designs that are beautiful, unique and functional.
The test of time
While we certainly take great pride in how each landscape construction project looks at completion, we are more interested in seeing how it looks five or six years down the road. That's when our expertise and care prove themselves. Was the base adequately prepared? Were the proper materials chosen? Was careful attention given to grades and drainage? The passage of time is the ultimate test. It is also a test of our "low maintenance" design and, finally, how well we have engaged you emotionally in your landscaping project.
Sample drawings
One of our project designs included curved granite steps, a deck, patio, and walkway to a backyard pool. We created conceptual drawings to show the project design, and detailed drawings with angles and dimensions - down to each stone - to serve as construction blueprints.
Project overview
Elevation drawing shows deck (and screened porch - phase 2) plus steps.
Top view of deck and curved steps includes design dimensions.
Top view of curved steps shows detailed notes and dimensions for all custom granite.
The result was a beautiful, functional, lasting update for this home.
Please scroll down for examples of our work.
Click on the photo to see a larger image.
We covered the original concrete patio with bluestone, and added a rock wall and granite steps. The patio length was extended and a pergola added for greater usability.
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The original entrance to this house featured a steep climb to the front door. It also posed the challenge of a falling slope in one direction, and a walkway that needed to snake in the other direction. Our solution was a circular design incorporating a terraced garden. The circular granite steps transition to the house via a rectangular landing.
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Working with existing mature plants and a slope, we developed this cascading bluestone walkway with its associated granite steps.
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Viewed from the front door, this walkway cascades through a whimsical rock garden to the street below. We also created a split to the left to reach the driveway. The second photo shows the view from the driveway, including a number of finishing touches - the granite lamp post, drip edge around the porch, and Ipe skirting on the porch.
A two-tiered design incorporates a large boulder and breaks up the large elevation gain necessary to reach the door.
The large granite landing is sized to allow pillars and the number of steps is reduced to produce a better flow into the house.
Twelve granite steps with a bluestone landing form a sweeping S-curve to transport the visitor up to the front entrance/sitting area.
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A New England fieldstone wall and bluestone sitting area provide the ideal setting to relax and enjoy the view.
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The curves, geometric garden area and herringbone paver pattern make this driveway special.
Tom exposed the original antique granite step and created a random-pattern bluestone entrance to complement this 18th century house.
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Redesigned entrance incorporates a sitting area, an abundance of granite and appropriately sized plantings.
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Two colliding semi-circular walls terrace this slope creating garden area and eliminating the excessive exposed concrete foundation.
The new design allows a path both up to the mailbox and down toward the garage. The sloping driveway plus the angle between the driveway and house made this design particularly challenging. There are LED lights built into the wall. The owners receive compliments from everyone who visits.
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Replacing these deteriorating steps is tricky because they are 8’ wide, the street sidewalk has a severe slope, there is not a foundation under the enclosed porch on the left, the building is over 100 years old and columns rest on the top landing. Because the distance is so tight between the sidewalk and the house, we used 8” rise solid granite steps which allowed a landing area part way up (7” rise steps required two extra steps so a landing is not possible). Building an internal wall allowed us to fill the entire structure with crushed stone to support the granite paving at the very top.
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