The Unity of Hardscapes

The exterior renovation of this Pacific Palisades, California residence included several distinct "outdoor rooms,' a new fireplace, retaining walls, an outdoor kitchen and an existing pool, redefined by plantings and 700 square feet of ashlar pattern bluestone.

Building an "outdoor room' requires an understanding of balance, measuring client wishes, site challenges, budgets and building materials like weights on a scale.

The proper balance of hardscape and softscape in an outdoor lounge area, living space or kitchen can improve visual connections, increase property value, and add form and function to previously unused land, tipping the scales toward a successful project and client satisfaction.

While renovating this Pacific Palisades, California residence, Los Angeles-based landscape construction firm Stout Design-Build set out to bring these benefits and more to the homeowners.

The bluestone palette of the custom fireplace, installed by Stout Design-Build, was matched in the pathways, stairs and an outdoor shower adjacent the pool area. One pallet of full color bluestone flagstone and one pallet of select flagstone were installed, and four pallets of full color bluestone ledger were used. The flagstone patio sits atop roughly 750 square feet of poured concrete.

A seat wall and four-foot "weeping' retaining wall were installed below the base of the existing upper pool patio. A flagstone sealer was used for the "wet look'.

Challenges
Project leader and firm head Tom Stout had multiple challenges to overcome during the four-month project – the interior of the house was also being remodeled, and grade changes, limited space, an existing pool and the client's request for a formal area and "wish list" of plants kept the installation interesting.

The corner lot the Cape Cod-style house sits on is 12 feet lower at the south side of the property, so most of the elevation was equalized on the south and east side of the property with bluestone stairs and inclined bluestone walkways. The homeowner wanted to keep the number of stairs in any one area to a minimum. In the back the client wanted as much lawn area for the children as possible, so a new seven-foot block retaining wall was installed, providing an extra six feet of usable space. A bermed planter bed at the wall's base added dimension to the lawn area.

The use of bluestone hardscape across the patio and on the stacked wall surfaces creates an integrated color palette throughout the space. The bluestone palette was also used on pathways, stairs, the chimney face and an outdoor shower adjacent the pool area.

The residence sits on a corner lot with about 12 feet of grade change across the property. Installation of a seven-foot retaining wall and a bermed planter bed minimized the need for stairs as transitions, and added six extra feet of usable lawn space.

Four masons, four softscape installers, a plumber and an electrician worked on the three-month renovation. The outdoor kitchen includes a grill, refrigerator, sink and wet bar near the lounge area, faced with stacked bluestone.

Four softscape installers added nearly 800 plants during the three-month installation period. Based on a "wish list" provided by the homeowner, the final palette included avocado and citrus trees, maples, roses, grasses, clematis and nemesia.

Features
The most exciting aspect of the property is in the back, between the lawn and the pool. Large pocket doors create a 16-foot opening into the house, creating a seamless transition from indoors to outdoor. The ashlar patterned bluestone patio starts three feet within the house to begin the experience.

A full color bluestone stacked fireplace is the focal point for the outdoor space, and built-in seating on the hearth doubles as storage space for firewood. Additionally, the fireplace serves as frontage for a structural retaining wall, which also provides screening for the pool equipment and air conditioning unit. An outdoor kitchen with a refrigerator, sink, Lynx grill and wet bar was installed across from the weeping wall, near the seating area. The BBQ island was faced with matching stacked bluestone to continue the color palette.

A white wooden patio cover draws together the upper pool patio and the outdoor kitchen while supporting a fan and three heaters. Below the base of the upper pool patio, a four-foot "weeping' retaining wall adds the sounds of water to a conversation space with a seat wall and while providing additional seating on the pool level.

The four softscape installers on the project added 784 plants around the residence and outdoor living spaces, including a dwarf avocado tree, four citrus trees, four Japanese maples, three strawberry guava plants, three coast rosemary, 150 Heuchera "Amethyst Mysts' and 117 Lambs Ear. The exterior features were coordinated with the interior designer planning the interior renovation, and masons, stucco installers, a plumber and an electrician (to install irrigation, planting, drainage and site amenities) also worked on the project.

After a month of planning and three months of installation, this corner of Pacific Palisades was redefined with several new and distinct outdoor rooms, featuring hardscape areas that complemented and unified the property.