Creating Compatibility
A massive renovation brings a sense of harmony to this Lower Cape landscape.
By: Deborah J. Carr
Photography: Jennifer Eldredge Stello
Landscape & Hardscape Design & Construction: Joyce Landscaping, Inc.
Pool: Viola Associates
Rick and Cherie Neu loved the elegant house they purchased on the Lower Cape in 2007. The natural amenities of the four acre setting, especially the woodland privacy borders and a stream that meandered through a meadow in front of the house, had tremendous appeal.
However, they wanted landscaping to anchor the house more compatibly to the site, while retaining the property’s natural features. They did not want “fussy”, over-manicured areas, but rather outdoor spaces that extended the interior elements of their home. They wanted a harmonious connection between the property’s cultivated and natural areas. With this mission in mind, the Neus retained Joyce Landscaping, Inc. in Marstons Mills.
Christopher Joyce understood the property’s challenges but knew his design/build team of hardscape and softscape specialists could organize a landscape to realize the Neus’ objectives.
His in-house design team coordinated with landscape designer Peter Hanson to work on the initial design concept, which balanced aesthetic and practical considerations, while complying with the conservation requirements of nearby wetlands and woodlands. Every decision, whether it involved dramatic excavation or the details of color, shape and arrangement of plantings, texture and pattern of paving materials, height of fencing or width of a path, received meticulous attention.
“They listened to us, but they came up with suggestions for details we never would have thought of,” said Cherie Neu, who raved that the team “put their hearts and souls into the project.”
The design team used new paths, fences and retaining walls, as well as a new driveway, bridge and courtyard/parking area to define areas and create transitional spaces. They then used extensive plantings to soften and break the rambling property into segments and to complement the scale and architecture of the house.
After determining that the property needed a more attractive approach coming in from the street, they installed an elegant antique replica brick paver driveway. Its entrance is marked with impressive fieldstone pillars, topped with turn-of-the-century weathered copper lanterns.
Where the driveway curves gently, a new fieldstone bridge passes over the stream. By grading the area and installing a new culvert, the stream functions more efficiently and has become a more appealing asset.
“We love sitting on the front porch and looking at the stream and the bridge area,” said Cherie, who says it has become one of their favorite areas of the property.
The driveway terminates in a courtyard and parking area, which connects the three-car garage/guest house, main house and swimming pool areas. A new flagpole is a welcoming point of interest in the courtyard.
“The bluestone compass in the center of the courtyard breaks up the large expanse of red herringbone brick”, says John Hill, who points out that the bluestone paving reprises the bluestone caps of the adjacent field stone wall.
The compass is a charming accent for the courtyard which is a focal point of the surrounding walls and plantings that define boundaries and the paths that choreograph traffic to adjacent areas. A latticed arch and privet hedge welcome visitors to the pool area, while a new bluestone path invites guests to the front entrance.
“We wanted to encourage people to use the front entry, so we installed the new, wider bluestone walkway,” says Seth Hazard, who thought the house deserved a grander, more appealing entrance with more generously sized and proportioned plantings. He selected and strategically placed the borders that have established and accentuated a more elegant front entrance, while establishing a harmonious connection with the wilder meadow area.
The coordination of traditional materials, such as fieldstone, bluestone and brick pavers, and carefully chosen plantings throughout the property have reinforced the Cape aesthetic and married the house to its site, the architecture and the Neus’ vision for their property.
Outdoor rooms, each with its own character, have been organized around the house.
“There are areas for large group activities as well as intimate spaces for quiet moments or small dinners”, says Joyce, who was sensitive to the Neus’ interest in having different spaces for different age groups and activities.
Joyce chose Viola Associates of Centerville to install the 20’ x 40’ rectangular pool between the guest house and the main house. The pool area includes a circular fieldstone spa, sheltered by ornamental grasses and tall Leyland Cypress. A compact outdoor kitchen was installed in a field stone wall in the opposite corner. Many landscape elements of the expansive pool have “borrowed the scenery” of the wetlands beyond the pool.
From the main house’s second floor, the view of the pool and its surrounding landscaping echo the indigenous vegetation and view of Cape Cod Bay.
With an artful combination of layered plantings, bluestone paving and curving field stone walls, the pool area has a sense of balance and serenity, implying both seclusion and expansiveness. The walls and paving accent the dynamic visual quality of the soft plantings, rolling lawn and perennial garden.
“We tried to blend the landscape into the existing environment and create a seamless connection,” says Hazard.
One can retreat from the pool area to a patio at the corner of the house, where a field stone wall, which contains another outdoor kitchen, creates a more intimate space.
There is another patio at the back of the house, where the most extensive excavation occurred. “We excavated the hilly area behind the house,” says Joyce. “We redefined and expanded the space by grading, layering and installing two field stone retaining walls and a perennial garden.”
The patio’s serenity is enhanced by a cascading waterfall and reflecting pool which were built into the fieldstone retaining wall. By framing this view through the living room and the patio doors, the charming water feature is also visible from the front entrance. Establishing this visual link between the interior and exterior space, is an example of the Joyce team’s attention to spaces, objects and views.
The landscape project has extended the Neus’ outdoor living and social spaces. The well-chosen, climate-appropriate plantings have provided a dramatic visual impact, with the interplay of materials, forms and patterns, contributing to a balanced and coherent landscape.
“We love the comfortable, relaxed feeling of the property,” says Cherie. “It’s exactly what we wanted.”
Project Overview
• Create compatibility between
home and land
• Remove substantial amount of fill
• Build tiered stone walls
• Form ‘outdoor rooms’ with flagstone patio areas
• Install pool & two outdoor kitchens
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