When some people see a barren area they see only dirt. When Charles Tilotta sees an area like this, he sees possibilities. At a residence in Dunwoody, Georgia where barren areas are adjacent to overgrown trees and shrubbery, some people thought this was hopeless. Tilotta saw hope, and much more. He envisioned courtyards perfect for gathering places and water features that would be the topic of conversation, all enhanced with hardscaping and lighting. ?EUR??,,????'??I had done a project similar to this one, but on a larger scale,?EUR??,,????'?? he said. ?EUR??,,????'??My biggest challenge was getting what I had in mind and putting it on my canvas, which was the dirt there on the property.?EUR??,,????'?? What he created was a project done in the ?EUR??,,????'??Savannah style.?EUR??,,????'?? Tilotta described Savannah style as areas designed with courtyards that provide a quiet setting to sit back and reflect, or tell stories with friends. He said the movie ?EUR??,,????'??Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,?EUR??,,????'?? which was shot in Savannah, shows these courtyards off perfectly, where secret gardens make these areas seem almost like another world. ?EUR??,,????'??These are quaint and quiet places,?EUR??,,????'?? Tilotta said. ?EUR??,,????'??You can almost picture Forrest Gump sitting on one of the benches telling one of his stories.?EUR??,,????'?? Aside from the Savannah style courtyard, this project also saw Tilotta and his crew form Sun Landscape in Lawrenceville install an arc-shaped driveway, and in the backyard, a pond made from natural rocks found in Georgia. The Courtyard The front entry court features blue square stones and a water fountain/bird bath that is surrounded by concrete benches. Upon entering the courtyard, visitors are greeted by two columns that were formed with Alabama and Tennessee slate stone. An antique iron gate is attached to the columns and was purchased from an old home in Savannah. The big task for the front yard was the removal of existing shrubs at the front and side of the house. Existing trees were limbed up so a view was now established into the backyard. All of the existing Bermuda sod was replaced with Meyer Zoysia, and an arc-shaped driveway was installed. Tilotta also installed a new flowerbed and planted azaleas, rhododendrons, nearly wild roses, jap anises, annuals and perennials. The side of the house now features low stone walls that measure approximately 2 1/2-feet high and are bordered with purple wintercreeper and Aaron?EUR??,,????'???s beard. ?EUR??,,????'??When we started this job the place looked like a jungle,?EUR??,,????'?? Tilotta said. ?EUR??,,????'??We opened it up; the only things I saved in the front were two or three crape myrtles and maybe a Foster holly.?EUR??,,????'?? Tilotta also used low-voltage lighting focused on the fountain to enhance the courtyard?EUR??,,????'???s appearance at night. ?EUR??,,????'??From the stairs you go into the courtyard where there is a fountain,?EUR??,,????'?? he said. ?EUR??,,????'??At night it is really cool because it looks like you are in a little Savannah courtyard. It?EUR??,,????'???s like a natural setting because there is no road traffic and there are birds. It?EUR??,,????'???s a good little meeting place to sit and reflect.?EUR??,,????'?? Three path lights also guide visitors from the driveway to the courtyard.?EUR??,,????'??It?EUR??,,????'???s not an overkill of pathway lighting,?EUR??,,????'?? Tilotta said. ?EUR??,,????'??They are soft and don?EUR??,,????'???t overpower the pathway. In the courtyard the light shines from the Foster holly onto the fountain because it?EUR??,,????'???s the main feature there.?EUR??,,????'?? The Backyard The goal for this area, according to Tilotta, was to create a peaceful natural surrounding with a variety of colors and shrubs. The crew created a triple waterfall using different types and sizes of stone, thus making a peaceful and natural look. Stone walkways and stone sitting areas were installed and aquatic plants such as parrots feather, lily pads, Mexican petunias, irises, and umbrella grasses were installed in and around the waterfall. The design of the water feature also took into account the existing dogwood tree. Tilotta and his crew excavated the perimeter surrounding the dogwood and formed the feature with blocks, staked with Tennessee flagstone, some field stone, and it was backfilled with topsoil. A Permalon high lastic fish safe 45 mil. EPMD pond liner was installed. Creekstone was placed to cover all visible liner as well as different sizes of pea gravel. ?EUR??,,????'??We couldn?EUR??,,????'???t bring any machinery in there because of all the trees. We had to hand dig everything because of the roots,?EUR??,,????'?? Tilotta said. The water cascades down both sides of the dogwood into a pool. A submersible pump was used with a float switch for automatic operation with a 220 volt HP motor with a 96 GPM capacity. A 702 F skimmer/filter with a 24-inch purifall with a detachable lip was also used. Three egg lights shine on each water fall. The natural wooded areas around the feature consisted of downward shadow casting on the pathways, waterfall and the columns. ?EUR??,,????'??The egg lights are positioned at the spot where the water falls into the pond,?EUR??,,????'?? Tilotta said. ?EUR??,,????'??It gives you a beter look at the falls at night. That?EUR??,,????'???s the part that makes it have a natural effect. ?EUR??,,????'??It?EUR??,,????'???s like God put it there, almost.?EUR??,,????'??