The Pearson Residence: Going From Ordinary to Spectacular

Existing walls and fences cut off access from both the kitchen and the front yard, giving a claustrophobic feel to a yard that was dealing with more than enough property but little planning.

This regulation Mediterranean style house located in Mission Viejo, Calif. used to be like many in the Orange County suburbs, with pastel colors, lots of turf, palm trees, gray concrete with a dated pool and spa surrounded by a tan colored slump block wall. Now look!

The Challenge

After collecting many pictures and images over the years Steve & Pam Pearson consulted with two landscape architects to come up with creative ideas for their yard. Hourian Associates was one of the design firms to compete for the design contract. After meeting with the Pearsons and analyzing the property, it was obvious what was needed.

Using existing adult king and queen palm trees as a barrier for privacy and a starting point, the gray concrete along with the dated pool and spa were updated with travertine tile, new columns and a fabulous casitas (or ?EUR??,,????'??little house?EUR??,,????'??) in the backyard.

The property on the side of the pool was fenced off from the family room creating a physical and visual barrier to the pool. Much of the yard was disconnected as one moved from one area to another. A trellis structure was located across the back of the house. A small retaining wall off the family room at the rear of the property cut into possible usable space. The area needed more usable deck space around the pool and spa, as well as a major makeover. An internal wrought iron fence blocked the pool area and did not allow for a smooth transition from one part of the property to the other.

John Hourian of Hourian Associates took the challenge and provided a number of conceptual ideas using photo sketches to delineate various design concepts. After several meetings, Hourian Associates was selected to develop the master plan. Over the years, Steve and Pam had collected many photos from magazines as they looked forward to solidifying their ideas, and Mr. Hourian?EUR??,,????'???s job was to take their various concepts and come up with a cohesive plan. Even though the Pearsons had a relatively large piece of land, the narrowness of the side yard and the fragmented patio areas discouraged full use of the property.

Mr. Hourian updated the pool by adding new coping and tile around the pool, as well as upgrading the pool to a mineral water filtration system. A raised seating area on the back side of the pool was added. A raised bond beam with accent tiles was added with a series of water features to bring the sound of water. But more was needed. The pool equipment was located in the side yard and that made the side yard unusable. The solution was simple-move the pool equipment and add a new set of French doors from the kitchen and family room to capture the unusable side yard.

The side yard needed a reason for existing aside from storing cans and housing the pool equipment. The addition of French doors on the side patio suddenly opened up all kinds of possibilities.

A fountain water feature was added in the side yard along with accent paving to create an outdoor focal point. The side yard area was widened with the use of a small retaining wall with a decorative concrete cap. The fountain wall was accented with travertine tiles. The Pearsons also envisioned an outdoor solid roof entertaining room with a fireplace since they love to entertain and barbecue. A functioning outdoor kitchen close to a sheltered patio with a fireplace was a high priority. Mr. Hourian located the roofed outdoor room (Casitas) close to the cooking center in order to provide easy access to the house.

A television set was built in one corner of the room for those Saturday and Sunday baseball and football games.

The site also had a number of king and queen palms that were able to remain or be relocated. The new planting design reflects the use of more colorful foliage plants with a stronger sense of massing and design. The Pearsons now have a more usable entertainment area that flows freely from one section of the yard to the other.

The newly added casitas takes advantage of an underutilized corner area and has become an extension of the family room. Covered over, it is more protective than a trellis covering and provides extra entertaining space in all seasons.

Updated Water Features

Many of the additional accents and details brought tremendous personality and elegance to the new pool features. The raised pool wall at the newly raised deck area consists of travertine tile, mosaic tile and 8x8-foot stone tile, along with a 1x2-foot brick-like tile stone.

The water filtration system for the pool is a new QuickClean water cleaning and filtration system. This state -of-the art system brings filtered water through a series of predetermined jets located in the pool floor for an even distribution throughout the pool.

The raised pool wall and upper patio area was suggested by John Hourian to increase usable patio area. This elevation also provides increased interest to the pool area. The previous five concrete paving and lawn areas did not provide enough usable decking for the Pearsons and the elevation change also allows for a raised planter behind the added deck.

?EUR??,,????'??The raised deck end of the pool area was redesigned to include sheet fountain water features that not only help aeration, but add soothing white noise to drown whatever sounds come from the neighborhood.

Added interest was achieved on the wall using tile accents as well as sheer-descent water features. The spray pattern is smooth and even and provides a strong flow into the pool. The waterfall treatment also reduces noise from the adjacent street.

Another issue with the pool area was the location of the pool equipment. The equipment was relocated 125 feet away from thits original location in order to take advantage of the side yard off the kitchen which was not being used. Without all the pool equipment, it was possible to expand the side yard and create usable space. Adding a stucco retaining wall with a precast concrete cap provided additional interest as well and the precast concrete cap matched that of the fountain. Additional accents of travertine tile paving were located between the fountain and the newly added French doors off the kitchen. Before work began, a tubular steel fence existed along the side yard. The Pearsons decided that, instead, they wanted a glass screen wall in order to be able look at the landscape on the slope. This not only helped reduce the distraction of the tubular steel fence, it created a more expansive feeling.

The luxurious casitas with comfortable rattan furniture has a pair of windows that give it an open air feeling as well as extending the line of sight to the plantings outside.

The accent fountain in the side yard also utilizes travertine tiles with a concrete cap to match the treatment of the low pilaster caps used on the outdoor casitas unit. To get association approval, Hourian Associates provided photo sketches of the existing and proposed treatments. The new side yard patio now provides an additional way to get to the outdoor casitas.

A Casitas for Every Occasion

The casitas was planned to match the treatment of the house. Since association rules mandated that there be a 10-foot height limit on exterior garden structures, the structure was designed with a flat roof. The original designs reflected a combination flat and sloped roof with matching clay tiles.

A custom fireplace was designed in the outdoor casitas to blend in with the style of the pool upgrade. A concrete precast seat and backer wall with travertine tile provides an accent backdrop and ties into the fireplace. The goal for the interior of the casitas was to create the interior feel of their home. Light sconces were added on each side of the fireplace and a precast concrete cap was added above the mantel. The fireplace tapers to the ceiling while arched window openings on either side of the room provide an open air feeling to the room. The window openings give visual relief and extend the view to the adjacent plantings. The location of the casitas was chosen because of its proximity to the family room and its relationship to the newly expanded side yard. Outdoor rattan furniture now enhances the extended family room feeling in the outdoor casitas.

The newly expanded side patio left room for a fountain with planters that are filled with prunus trees and colorful shrubs such as mandevilla, gardenias, elephant ears and ground cover roses. The owners wanted a glass wall behind the planter as another way of extending the view over the adjacent slope area.

The adjacent trellis was expanded and modified to match the details of the outdoor casitas. Precast detailing was applied to the trellis to add more of a finished look. The precast additions are pre-moulded, dense styrofoam shapes. The original patio cover was the typical trellis treatment with overhanging beams, corbel cuts and with the latching cantilevered at the ends. The new look with column and pilasters is much more elegant and blends the design of the house with the casitas seamlessly.

Because of the size of the property, the air conditioner condensers could be moved approximately 25 feet away toward the front of the house. Since the property is a corner lot, we were able to relocate a new masonry wall and capture more of the front yard, bringing it to the pool side of the yard. The pool equipment is now located in a walled enclosure. With ample room, the king palm was added in the pool equipment area. For further interest, all of the existing and new walls were stuccoed a light color to match the interior planter walls.

The architectural columns of the outdoor casitas are a combination of precast columns and a low travertine clad 18-inch high pilaster with a concrete cap. This treatment also matches the precast features used on the retaining walls, pool coping and low retaining walls.

Privacy With Palms

The property had a number of mature king and queen palms, as well as approximately 10 pigmy date palms. A few of the mature palms located behind the new raised wall were raised up to take advantage of the raised planter grade. The mature palms aided in providing instant maturity to the look of the yard. The pigmy date palms were clustered in a number of different locations throughout out the property for added accents.

Primarily, the Pearsons were concerned about privacy and wanted the ability to screen the outdoor casitas unit from the surrounding neighborhood. The fact that Hourian had access to the existing mature palm trees helped provide additional screening. Hourian Associates wanted a more colorful plant palette as well. Therefore, strong plant massing throughout the property was another goal the Pearsons wanted to achieve in their garden. Purple leaf plums were added to provide a splash of burgundy color to the plant foliage. To provide property screening, prunus ?EUR??,,????'??Brite ?EUR??,,????'??n Tite?EUR??,,????'?? was used to achieve plant screening adjacent to the outdoor casitas. Additional prunus trees were added along the wall by the raised planter and facing the other street. Other colorful shrubs included are those such as mandevilla , day lilies, dietes, ground cover roses, trumpet vines, dwarf magnolia, dwarf phormiums, lantana, bougainvillea, dwarf liriope, silvery sunproof, creme de mint pittosporum, elephant ears and gardenias. Plants were clustered to create strong groups with periodic accents. When completed, the side and back yard made an original ordinary house look more like a Roman villa-a spectacular change for the better.

The fragmented patio area has now been designed with several levels that make the property look even bigger. All the added new features have precast details that connect and continue the style of the retaining walls, pool coping and pilasters. These connect the rest of the yard with the style of the new casitas.