Green Thumbs
When it came to their new yard, which is the size of a typical lot, the couple brainstormed their landscape with Bob Renaud of Southview Design.
“They wanted to stay true to what it meant to be a GreenStar Gold Home,” Renaud said. This meant thinking about water.
“Pete wanted to capture the rainwater, so we came up with a unique irrigation system,” Renaud says. This system captures rain runoff from the metal roof, channeling it via rain barrels to help irrigate plants in the yard. “It works beautifully,” says Renaud.
The couple can enjoy their outdoor setting from a variety of vantage points: the open front porch; a screened porch off the back of the house; or on their patio located off the back porch. “They wanted a couple of areas to sit outside,” says Renaud. “The screened-in porch has a fireplace and is a natural place to gather. ”The porch looks out over a cobblestone-like patio, which is actually a concrete paver product. “That’s where the grill is, and there’s a long bench as well as another seating area,” Renaud says. Sue enjoys gardening as well as entertaining.
“We have a lot of planting beds, but it’s mulched native plantings and a drip irrigation system,” she says. “It’s getting to the point where it’s all pretty low maintenance.” Her husband also doesn’t need to spend as much mowing anymore.“He can get it done in about 15 minutes with an electric mower,” she says.