The garden was designed to be a Zen retreat. It has become the “Big Chill Garden”for the owners friends and family to enjoy. The garden is centered around an abstract garden sculpture “ the Sine Wave” this sculpture creates a visual of rushing-falling water and the soothing sound of heavy rain. On warm days this soothing sound radiates through the home with a zen calming effect.

The Vision

The owner desired a world class garden on a very small budget.

The Challenge

This property is located on a private country road, but unfortunately close to a highway that generates road noise. In addition, there was no parking and the driveway opened onto a dangerous blind curve. Invasive trees grew close to the house. The grade sloped toward the house, turning the basement into a river during heavy rains.

Design Criteria:

• Mitigate road noise.
• Create privacy. The home is located very close to a side street.
• Create a master plan that relocates the driveway, re-grades the property, and creates a sculpture garden courtyard.
• Large project, small budget.

The Solution

We devised a master plan that included removing large trees to make way for a sculpture garden, terraced the property, and rerouted the driveway into a straighter, less dangerous outlet. Stones that turned up during excavation were recycled into walls. We planted a formal hedge to block the view of the new parking area from the garden. A sculpture, “Sine Wave,” was designed by the owner, and constructed at the end of the courtyard. This sculpture creates the sound of rainfall, which drowns out road noise.