Inspiring Front Yard Makeovers ( Befor & Aftter) Part II

[Pearl]

[center] Inspiring Front Yard Makeovers[/center]

Gain curb appeal and outdoor living space with fresh ideas for your porch, patio, and garden


Modern remodel (before)
The front wall of this mid-century modern house was designed to be minimal – its blank façade broken only by high clerestory windows. But a previous owner had added a conventional window at head height, spoiling the simple design.

The brick patio didn't work either. The pattern was too complicated for the style of the house and its surface was broken and uneven.



Modern remodel (after)
The offending window is gone. And simple concrete pads replace the broken, buckling bricks--a much better fit for the clean, simple lines of the house.

[Pearl]

Front yard family room (before)

The front yard of this Leucadia, California house had a pretty view of the Pacific coastline, but the patio was so small it discouraged settling down and enjoying it.

The shape of the lot was awkward, too – sharply sloping and angled.



Front yard family room (after)

A new larger patio of stained, scored concrete is sheltered behind a curved wall topped with an arbor. An outdoor fireplace, covered with slate tiles, anchors the other end of the space.

The old front door was removed and replaced by two sets of sliding doors, one off the living room, another off the family room, making the whole area, in effect, an open-air foyer.

[Pearl]

Craftsman makeover (before)

A 700-square-foot home is a tight squeeze, even for two people. But Michelle and Jeremy Walker knew they could turn their modest Ventura home into a mini-bungalow and find space for a little jewel of a garden besides.

The Walkers added a new gable that spanned the width of the house, and underneath they installed two stone pillars topped with vertical wood posts and an overhead beam. They also poured a wider concrete porch and added a wall. But they weren't finished.



Craftsman makeover (after)

The next step―despite having only 18 feet between porch and wall to work with― was creating a convincing garden.

Michelle managed to squeeze in a maple tree, wisteria vine, weeping bamboo, ornamental grasses, a fountain, and a dry river bed to create good feng shui―all without the space feeling crowded.

[Pearl]

Private front yard (before)

The original front yard of this Santa Cruz residence was dominated by an asphalt driveway, gravel parking area, and two large trees. Except for car parking, it was an unused space.



Private front yard (after)

The pair of 6-foot-tall concrete walls that now enclose the front yard shelter an outdoor dining area. The dining alcove was placed here because this spot is west-facing, and warm and sunny is a good thing in the home's chilly, coastal climate.

The staggered walls provide room for generous planting pockets for green and burgundy foliage plants.

[Pearl]

Southwest courtyard oasis (before)

This Phoenix front yard was generously sized but nothing interesting was happening in the space. The sparse landscaping looked randomly placed. Mostly the yard was a sea of gravel.



Southwest courtyard oasis (after)

The homeowners carved out a spacious front yard courtyard for themselves and screened it behind a series of staggered walls.

There's the craggy-textured cast-earth wall you see here plus two flanking walls of smooth stucco, which provide contrast. A lower wall of gabions (stone-filled wire cages) adds more texture. And now that it has agaves and desert perennials for company the agave looks more at home.

[arslan]

ahan another ideas..god carry on..i like these..

[James.Striker]

Good.

[Pearl]

Good.

Thanks dear

[Pearl]

ahan another ideas..god carry on..i like these..

Thanks arsalan