CUSTOMER SOLUTION: BACKYARD LIVING TRANSFORMATION
When it comes to designing your own backyard paradise, it can be difficult to determine what features you want most and what it will take to create them. Furthermore, how much work is it going to take to maintain the improvements over time?
Recently Envision completed a one-of-a-kind backyard transformation in the Waldo-Ward Parkway area. Below you may just find a little inspiration for your own outdoor space revival!
THE ISSUE: A MUDDY MESS
Envision was approached by a client to help transform their backyard landscaping. The family had recently
installed an amazing inground, saltwater pool, complete with built-in spa. They were extremely pleased with how it turned out, but unfortunately the existing landscaping paled in comparison to the impressive new in-ground pool and spa.
The perimeter grass was suffering as family and friends frequently cut across the lawn – and over-splash from the saltwater pool wasn’t enhancing grass-health either. The lawn was hanging on by a no more than a few roots as muddy patches began to dominate the formerly verdant grass. To make matters worse, the family’s two rescue dogs were tracking muddy footprints from the swampy lawn border onto the snow-white pool deck – which the homeowner power-washed almost non-stop to preserve the overall look of the pool – and keep muddy remnants out of the water. As if these issues weren’t enough, the natural slope of the back lawn caused rain and pool water to gather in puddles rather than make its way to the front yard storm drain.
THE MISSION: POOL & PET FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING
The client reached out to Envision to help take back control of the muddy melee. They wanted to repair the grassy area around the pool and add vertical plant life along the perimeter fence.
The landscape professionals at Envision suggested installing artificial turf around the pool area. The synthetic turf is highly durable, boasting an expected 15-20 years of life without fading or tearing. What’s more, the grass-like turf would be tough enough to handle the heavy foot traffic and the saltwater runoff from the pool. The Envision team chose a turf that was pet friendly and, to enhance the lifetime of the turf, reinforced the borders of the installation with “nailer boards” so the turf edges wouldn’t fray and come loose or succumb to family’s dig-happy pups. The best feature of the turf might be that it requires almost no maintenance – with no need to mow or fertilize the lawn all spring, summer, and fall.
The client and Envision discussed additional landscaping elements they wanted to add to the outdoor living area. Initially, the homeowner wanted to completely line the perimeter of the yard along the property fence with shrubs and plants, but the cost for the plant materials was too high. As an alternative, Envision recommended creating intermittent islands – or “plant boxes” – along the fence so they could stay within budget and still gain the natural border effect they desired.
Together, the client and Envision selected plantings that had the look they wanted – and were low-maintenance. A drip-irrigation system was installed to keep the plants healthy with no need for dragging hoses around the yard, and they surrounded the bases of plantings with river rock instead of mulch. The choice of river rock versus mulch kept the area low maintenance and eliminated the chance of the family dogs digging up mulch and tracking it onto the pool deck and ultimately into the pool.
SWIMMING POOL AS GOLF HAZARD!
With the basic design concept complete, the Envision team had another big idea to present to the homeowner: What about adding in their own personal putting green? They knew the homeowner was an avid golfer and this addition would add a unique, signature area to complement the pool. The client loved the suggestion, so the Envision team went to work meticulously creating a practice green for putting.
There’s much more to creating the perfect practice green than just laying down a circle of turf as the Envision crew carefully calculated how much slope the green would have and where it would tilt – making it not too easy or too difficult. To top the golf installation off, the would-be greenskeepers also created another turf area diagonal to the green on the opposite side of the pool for the client to launch chip shots from, essentially making the pool a water hazard for practicing tricky approach shots!
ALL ABOUT THE DETAILS
Envision knows just how much care pools require, so they consciously proposed landscape ideas that were simple and low-maintenance – one of the key reasons they suggested turf to the client. But the Envision pros were thinking ahead far in advance.
Before any turf was laid out, a fair amount of work went into working out solutions for drainage. The team graded the whole area to prevent backyard flooding and even graded the front yard and installed French drains to route backyard water out to the curb.
Below the turf Envision also created a network of plastic tubing to encase wiring for a surround sound speaker system. 
The wiring would be protected from the elements, but still easy to access in case the client wanted to run new wiring or make any upgrades to the sound system at a later date.
The expert craftsmen at Envision also assisted the homeowner in building a structure to enclose their pool filtration system it. The pumps and filters were neatly hidden from view behind an artificial hedge – while still being readily accessible for regular maintenance.
While it may be the major visual aspects of a project may be what people notice first, Envision knows it’s the little details that make an installation truly special.
THE MOMENT OF TRUTH: A HAPPY CLIENT
Here’s what the homeowner, Andy, had to say about working with Envision:
“The experience was very positive. Originally, we were looking to do some landscaping around the pool, but when the Envision team mentioned using artificial grass, the project really took off and they put together a plan that was pretty spectacular.
Honestly, they were the best. They were trustworthy, considerate, and are definitely experts at what they do, so our comfort level with them was pretty high. We just left the project in their hands and they just knocked it out of the park. The Envision team was always on time, super helpful in answering our questions and always mindful to clean up after themselves. The entire project turned out perfect, better than we even could have imagined. I’m especially pleased with the putting green and being able to work on my short game at home. I’m ecstatic that we chose Envision.”
PLAN YOUR IDEAL OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE
When you contact Envision there’s no expectation that you have a detailed blueprint ready to execute. Envision is there to listen to your ideas and share their own ideas with you – working together to find the best solutions to fulfill your outdoor living space needs.
A personal putting green may not be in your backyard future – and that’s ok! Maybe your outdoor living vision includes an intimate firepit to sit beside while enjoying a glass of wine, or maybe a full-service outdoor kitchen, perfect for summer barbeques. Or a new patio, tree row or backyard dining area. Whatever your outdoor dreams may be, the landscape professionals at Envision are experts in the field and are committed to working with clients to get the most out of their landscape and hardscape budgets. Call Envision today at (816) 788-0808 to schedule a complimentary consultation, or send a message online and they’ll get back to you right away!
