Distinctive Landscaping – Charlie Proutt

Charlotte, VT 

City House Squeezed Between Two Streets 

Excellence Award

 

This home is situated inside the switchback of two streets in a Burlington hillside neighborhood.  The most pressing problem was water infiltrating the front of the house and getting into the lowest level, (the home dropped two stories from front to back). More challenging, our clients wanted to lower the interior level of the front entryway, making water infiltration even more problematic.

By sinking the entry court 12″, we were able to drain the water away from the entry and into the newly planted south gardens.  Grade was retained through the use of salvaged stair treads as well as the original red rock excavated from the site.  A secondary landing leads towards a meandering stone stairway to get to the backyard.

The western yard was bisected by a thick, overgrown hedge of Yew and Arborvitae. The decision to remove these evergreens was difficult because they gave substantial protection from the western street and added an aura of antiquity to the site. The advantage was that their removal allowed for a more elegant space suitable for more sure-footed stairways, more gardens and exposed the trunk of a magnificent Shagbark hickory. Airflow in the yard returned and the redstone walls and ledges were once again exposed.