To undergo a truly effective renovation, a property doesn't need to be derelict or standing on it's last legs. Today we will show you how a perfectly livable, and actually quite impressive homestead gets a few new additions and becomes even more amazing.
The Kalimtzis Residence as it stood before the makeover, was sprawling, sturdy and stylish with stone features. But the homeowners saw room for improvement and approached landscape designers MASTERPLAN LANDSCAPE DESIGN. With the mission to create a bigger area for entertaining, they dreamed up a huge elevated living space with enough room for storage underneath, a swimming pool, a fire pit and landscaped the garden in a whole new way.
The alterations were dramatic enough to change the whole style of the facade, bringing this traditional style homestead into the 'now'. Let's have a look to see how it was done.
As you can see, this huge, three story family home was not terribly ugly, but the landscaping was not ideal. The trees and shrubbery had actually started to grow into the structure and crowd one side of the house. They had to go!
The rear of the house has an ideal space and more than enough room for a deck to be added, so the designers took advantage of that…
If you make the time to re-design your garden and outdoor areas, then why take the time to work out where to put a pool? Well, that's exactly what these designers did. This 3D rendering shows just how they imagined it.
First, the foundations for the deck were laid down. As it is at the center of the whole project, it's the part that needed to be executed meticulously, and that it was.
The dimensions of the pool and neighboring spa were laid out and the new entertaining area starts to take shape.
This is where the fire pit will be situated – a good sign of great things to come.
Now you can see just how massive the lower area is – and just how many decorative paving stones were laid down! The area around the spa pool is built from the same Cumaru hardwood as the upper deck to tie the two spaces together.
What an incredible feature that fire pit turned out to be! The surrounding garden space was filled with stones to complement the house and wildflowers to soften the effect of the concrete structures.
The end result of the upper deck is incredible. The wood feels homely and complements the existing facade. The pergola provides extra shelter from the elements and the added palm trees give that tropical vacation touch – now there's no reason to leave home for that much-anticipated holiday.
This stone pillar matches the facade of the house so exactly it's easy to think it was always there – but no, it's because of the craftsmanship and attention to detail that makes it blend in so easily. Each stone is new and was hand chiseled!
As proof that absolutely everything was thought about in this renovation, an extra small stone pillar was custom-built to have at the entrance way. Now even the mail has a beautiful place to be.
And not to be forgotten about – the driveway and the entrance to this grand house. The overbearing trees are long gone, the driveway extended with room for cars to turn around (which there wasn't before), and new, low maintenance plants were added for year-round color and growth.
Seeing the back deck at nighttime, it is just as impressive. The lights installed all the way up the staircase makes that wood glow and also illuminates a safe passage between the pool and the pergola.
The ample lighting around the pool and spa area really show off their best features. With water flowing into the spa from three lit-up waterfalls, bench seating that wraps 360° around the edges and powerful massage jets, it is a piece of paradise in and of itself.
And even the path leading to the side entry received the artisan touch – that antique looking lantern was handcrafted and yet another water feature was added. Every feet of this new backyard is attractive, enjoyable and exceptionally finished.
The pool also has an automatic cover that can be extended over it when not in use (as does the spa). Full spectrum LED lights were installed all around the wet area meaning this space can be enjoyed long after the sun goes down. And what's more all of these incredible features (the spa, the pool and the fire pit can be controlled by the homeowner's iPhone! Absolute paradise.
For another unbelievable makeover, take a look around this one.