The challenge
The property dropped fourteen feet from house to treeline. Rain carved gullies through the lawn, the only “patio” was a cracked concrete pad, and the owners — devoted entertainers — had nowhere flat to put a table. Three landscapers had already declined the job.
The approach
The slope wasn’t the enemy — it was the design opportunity. Two 70-foot fieldstone retaining walls carved the hill into three usable terraces, and a hidden drain system now routes stormwater to a planted rain garden.
The result
The upper terrace became 1,100 sq ft of bluestone for dining and lounging; the middle holds cutting gardens and a small heritage orchard. The owners hosted forty people the week after the final walkthrough.