The Richmonds came to us with a Tacoma property that had good bones and a tired yard. The front was patchy lawn and an aging driveway; the back had drifted into rough grass around an old shed. They wanted the place to work again, front and back, and to feel like one connected property instead of two leftover spaces.
We started at the front door. A new driveway and walkway in Belgard Catalina Grana, Victorian color laid in a three-piece pattern, carry you from the door out to the drive. To give the field some movement, we ran a sailor course of charcoal pavers along the edges. That same charcoal border shows up again in the backyard, which is how the two ends of the property end up reading as one.
Down the side yard we built a custom cedar arbor and gate. We worked a Veradek screen into the gate so there is a peek-a-boo view through to the back without giving up privacy. In the looser areas, stepping stones take over and ease the walk off the lawn and out to the gate.
The lawn is all new, with a fresh sprinkler system. In back, a compacted gravel pathway leads to a seating area that crunches underfoot the way good gravel should. To finish, we set FX Luminaire LED lighting where it earns its keep, along the walking paths and up into a few specific trees, so the yard keeps working after dark.
