Ever since I took over management of the building 10 years ago, re-doing the front yard has always been at the top of my wish list of projects to complete. But along the way, other projects took priority like exterior painting, landscaping, and apartment updates. Somehow this project always seemed to get pushed off of the docket and ended up on the “maybe someday” list. I even applied to a few HGTV makeover shows in hopes that our building would get picked and our front yard makeover would become a reality. I thought maybe I even had an in when I met the designer and star of one of the shows at an event. Sadly, even that dream died.
So this project has been about a decade in the making for me and I am beyond excited to tick this one off the list. Before we take a look at where we’re going, let’s take a look back at where we started.
Back in 2009, the building was green and taupe and hadn’t been painted in at least 20 years. It had a ton of overgrown foliage, peeling paint, bars on some windows, rusty security doors on a few units, dirt down the center driveway, and a plethora of opportunity to whip this 1950’s-era building back into shape. We started small by just cleaning up the existing landscaping and then adding some new plants and faux grass down the center driveway.
Then when we painted, the building really transformed. Take a look at the before and after photos below.
why update the front yard
Well, it’s the first thing every apartment tour, resident, visitor, and neighbor sees and as the old saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”. The curb appeal of the front of the building sets the tone for what you can expect when you step into one of the apartment suites and we believe that a pretty environment makes for a nicer and lovelier place to call home.
design goals
We like to approach every project we do by first asking ourselves what we can improve on. Here’s a few things we’d like to accomplish in redesigning the front yard:
Improve curb appeal and building aesthetics
First and foremost, we wanted to redesign the front yard to be pretty – both from the street and from the inside of the community. We want it to feel like a natural extension of the mid-century building while still updating it to make sure it fits with timeless trends.
Enclose the front yard and building
As it is now, the front yard is very open and exposed. We feel that by enclosing the front yard, this will make the community as a whole more private, less accessible, feel more secluded, and reduce the amount of walk through foot traffic.
Provide privacy for the lower front units
These two suites have their bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen windows exposed to the street, sidewalk, and neighboring buildings. While this can be great for people watching from the patio, this isn’t an ideal view for a bedroom or bathroom since foot traffic on the sidewalk can easily peer into these areas if the blinds are open. We redesigned the front yard with increased privacy for these two units in mind.
Provide a sound barrier between the building and the street
Living in one of the front four units naturally comes with an expected level of street noise. You hear the intersection, street traffic, pedestrians walking by that can get rowdy after the bars close, and Hamburger Mary’s in all its late night drag queen bingo glory. There’s nothing to buffer and filter the sound so we also aimed to address this in the new design.
Create an outdoor area for community events and residents
Of the 16 1-bedroom apartments that make up the community, only six of them have outdoor patio areas. The majority of the apartments have no private outdoor space and the community does not have any common areas for the residents to get together.
Every few years, we like to throw an event in the center courtyard so that all of the residents can meet each other and get to know one another. In redesigning the front yard, we wanted to enclose it so that we could move these events to a private area that wouldn’t impede the use of the driveway. This also creates an opportunity for our residents to have a place to be able to read a book in the sun or have a margarita outside with a friend. We hope that the redesign of the front yard allows our residents to do that while still being mindful of the proximity to neighbor’s windows.
the plan
To prepare for the front yard redesign and for inspiration, I’d often walk up and down the surrounding streets, stopping to take pictures of yards that I admired. I had pieced together a few different ideas that I liked when one fateful day, as I was driving along my regular short cut through an adjacent neighborhood, an intersection was closed and I was forced to take a different street. And thank goodness I did because I literally stopped and fell in love with a front yard right then and there that I would have never seen on my regular route. I used this yard as inspiration for the Sweetzer design.
We’re going to start with a clean slate and will be removing all of the existing boxwood, grass, ficus trees, lighting, and wire fence. Then, we’ll level off the soil and get to work.
First up, we’ll be building a three-foot tall wall all along the length of the front yard and set back three feet from the sidewalk. This will enclose the front yard and act as a sound barrier while also providing additional security. We’ll finish it with smooth coat stucco and paint it to match the building so it looks like it’s been there all along.
As a focal point, we’ll also be adding two six-foot tall pillars on each side of the driveway to define the building’s entry and add some grandeur. To these we’ll add lighting on top and address numbers. Eventually, we’d love for these to support a gate, but for now they will act as pretty monuments to define the entry.
We’ll also add two pedestrian gates up front to access the walkways that run along the sides of the buildings.
To soften the hardscape, we’ll add a row of white iceberg roses in front of the wall. This will break up the space between the sidewalk and the wall with pretty foliage that echoes the already existing white roses in the brick planters and along the parkway. We’ll also plant some fig vine that will eventually climb up the half wall too.
Behind the wall, on the inside of the property, we’ll plant a row of ficus trees that will eventually grow to form a hedge and add a ton of privacy for both the community as a whole, but especially for the two lower front units. As the front yard exists now, these suites have their kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom windows exposed to the sidewalk and street, so having a green hedge will completely transform the view in these apartments. They’ll feel more private and like they’re nestled in their own little secret garden.
To complete the design, we’ll add faux grass on the inside – between the ficus trees and the building. This will ensure that this area is always green while reducing our water usage and also the need for the gardener to mow (hello, no more noisy and smelly gas mowers). This open grass area can also double as a communal area. Imagine putting down a blanket and reading outside in the sun with a glass of rosé in hand. Now that sure sounds suite to us.
Let us know your thoughts on the design in the comments below.
