This Los Angeles residence received a complete landscape remodel, including a redesigned swimming pool, originally an "L" shape that was overtaking the backyard, and a Resysta deck that extends the living room from the house. Resysta is a wood substitute made of 60 percent rice husks, 22 percent common salt and 18 percent mineral oil. From these two yard-centered features, patrons can see the two concrete constructed seating areas, a kitchen/bar area and custom fire pit.
Photos courtesy of Risa Teymouri

As privacy was an issue for the homeowners, a gate made from concrete
walls with Resysta facing and wood, was installed at the front of yard. Niche lights by Volt are at the top of each wall section and a variety of coleus plants line the sidewalk.

The new meandering driveway was created with expansion joints to prevent cracking, and a wavy pattern of grass was laid between the colored and leaf stamped concrete pieces. The grassy area of the driveway has a Grasspave2 structure so that cars can drive over without sinking into the grass.

Over 80 Volt lights were used in the 6,000 square foot project, lighting trees and plants, such as the Euphorbia "Firestick' and Tradescantia pallida "Purple Heart' plants seen here.

When the Longworth's decided to remodel their backyard landscape they were referred to Studio H2O, located in Santa Monica, Calif. The goal of the project was to update their traditional backyard, and to make it more "entertainment" friendly. However, the project quickly morphed into a complete landscape remodel, front and backyard, when the homeowners got a taste of what the team at Studio H2O could create.

An initial challenge of the project was the different design tastes of the couple. In the end, the husband, a traditionalist, gave in to his wife's modernist ideas and began contributing to the design. The project, a total of 6,000 square feet, took approximately eight months to complete.

Front Yard
Although the front yard was not part of the original plan, it received a complete remodel, including a new driveway, planting design and custom gate. The driveway was an issue for the homeowners for a couple of reasons. First, because the turn in the driveway was off, the homeowners had a hard time getting cars out of the driveway without crashing into the pilasters or dropping off the curb at the sidewalk. Second, the concrete had cracked in many locations and had been replaced over the years, leaving a series of concrete patches that were not uniform. Another problem the homeowners had was vandalism to their landscape by kids from the local middle school.

The new meandering driveway was created with expansion joints to prevent cracking, and a wavy pattern of grass was laid between the colored and leaf stamped concrete pieces. The grassy area of the driveway has a Grasspave2 structure so that cars can drive over without sinking into the grass. The driveway path was also corrected so the homeowners would not have a problem entering or exiting the driveway.

Forty-two inch tall custom gates, added to help keep away neighborhood kids from vandalizing the landscape, are made from white cement walls and stained wood. The design of the movable wood fencing has open slats to create a friendly look, and the white cement walls have a coordinating Resysta facing.

Most of the plants in the front yard were replaced, leaving only a few existing shrubs, rose bushes, a big maple tree and two king palms as part of the new plant design. The outside of the driveway is lined with purple heart and Korean grass. Two plant beds facing the street have golden dome hebes, Henkel's yellowwood and Mexican sage bush. The lawn is cutting edge grass with coastal rosemary, dwarf-winged burning bush, firestick and Henkel's yellowwood disbursed throughout the yard. Lastly, a Swan Hill olive tree was added at the right side of the driveway.

More than 10 living wall insets, irrigated through drip lines, are planted sporadically on the burnt orange Mondrian designed wall; succulent plants include various aeonium and Echeveria "Imbricata' chicks and hens, as well as Senecio "String of Pearls'. The secondary living wall structure, the kitchen/bar area, is made from concrete that is topped with green granite for the counter. The structure was then faced with a wavy pattern of succulents that are irrigated through a drip line.

burnt orange Resysta lattice fence was built on top of the smooth plaster finished concrete wall.

The backyard has two seating areas that are made from concrete structures with a white plaster coating. The west-side bench is 10 feet long between the two side tables, faced with Resysta. One table doubles as a beverage cooler. The other seating structure is five-and-a-half feet long.

The east-side seating area is an 11.5-foot by seven-and-a-half foot "L" shape. A custom two by six foot fire pit was created from concrete, then topped with green granite and filled with crushed fire glass, both supplied by Bourget Bros. Building Materials.

Backyard
To begin, the homeowners decided to have their "L" shaped swimming pool, which was overtaking the back yard, turned into a lap pool. The depth of the pool was changed from eight feet to five and a spa was added at the east end. Because the depth of the pool was altered, a new surface was necessary. A light blue plaster was chosen and complemented with various blue colored glass tiles that line the inside perimeter of the pool. The slate paving on the pool surface and pool coping was preserved from the original landscaping.

Next to the pool, a deck – made from Resysta, a composite recycled material, was created for entertaining purposes and extends the living room from the house. This area overlooks the pool, outdoor kitchen and seating areas to the left and right. The two seating areas are made from concrete structures that have a white plaster coating. The east-side seating area next to the outdoor kitchen is an "L" shape, 11.5 feet long with a seven-and-a-half foot long chaise. A two by six foot fire pit, also created from concrete and topped with green granite, sits in front of this seating area. The outdoor kitchen/bar area with BBQ, located in the same vicinity, is topped with the same green granite. The secondary seating area on the west side of the pool is 10 feet between the two side tables, faced with Resysta, one of which doubles as a beverage cooler, while the other seating structure is five-and-a-half feet long.

Fencing & Walls
When the project began, the fences in the backyard were pilasters with swooping walls and wood trellises. This was another of the many challenges of the project, as the team had to modernize this look and fill in the open spaces of the swooping walls. To offset costs the team decided to add Resysta planks between the open spaces of the swooping walls, which also matched the front yard gate design. On the east side of the yard a Mondrian patterned wall with inset plants, painted in burnt orange, was created from concrete. At the opposite end of the yard a green colored wall, also made from concrete, was added.

Planting Design
One of the designs of the backyard incorporated a grass grid pattern into poured-in-place concrete squares, which is irrigated with a drip line underneath. The most impressive plant design is the succulent living wall on the kitchen/bar structure, which has a soil base and is irrigated through a drip line. Chicks and hens line the top half of the structure, while string of pearls line the bottom half. Several other living wall structures are placed atop the fencing and inside pockets of the Mondrian wall. The inside pockets include echeveria, aeonium and string of pearls. Other plants throughout the backyard include Italian cypress, "Bearss' lime, "Oliver Twist Kohuhu', Mexican sage bush, Madagascar jasmine, "Brakelights' red yucca, dwarf pomegranate, coleus and mirror bush.

Lighting
Nearly 80 Volt lights were used throughout the project. Seven LED "Top Dog' cast brass spotlights were placed around the trees for uplighting, 47 Infiniti 20 LED spotlights were used throughout the plant beds, and Brass Bunker Hooded step lights on the walls.

Project Challenges
The budget was a huge challenge, as the project doubled in size from just the backyard to include the front as well. Studio H2O worked closely with the contractor and came up with some creative ideas when they could not compromise the materials chosen for the design.

Design Team
Landscape Architecture, Studio H2O

Construction Team
Pool Contractor, Morales Pools
Landscape Contractor, Camillo Banuelos

Vendors
Wood paneling: Resysta
Granite & glass tile: Bourget Bros. Building Materials
Lighting: Volt Lighting
Plants: Green Thumb Nursery