This front yard of this rural Sebastopol home began as a blank slate after a home remodel. The clients needed parking, including a driveway that needed to be raised to meet the height of the garage door. They also wanted an eye-catching entry, so a gentle slope was terraced and angled diagonally from the house. Smooth, “hard troweled” concrete was used to create the necessary retaining walls, and it was also used to create a bubbling fountain that greets visitors to the front door. Interlocking paver pathways connect the driveways to the entry steps.
In the backyard, a vegetable garden was added with steps leading up to an existing patio. Again using smooth troweled concrete for both the walls as well as the countertop, an outdoor kitchen was added. Hardwood doors provide some contrasting warmth to the cool concrete, while shelving both covers up yet provides access to the property’s well pump. A variety of grasses and colorful perennials were added along with boulders to the slope behind the pool and new outdoor kitchen.
