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LANDSCAPING IN NEWBURY PARK

This landscaping project in Newbury Park began after one of the owners, a general contractor himself, decided that he was tired of having a flood on the side of his house after every rain. This was caused, along with the almost non-existent remaining landscape, by some landscape contractor in the past who had botched just about every part of the job.

The other owner, the contractor’s wife, didn’t like the large storage barn that the neighbor had right next to their property sticking up 10 feet in the air above the wall – she also wanted to eliminate traffic noise from the distant road as much as possible.

The new landscape design began with the obvious need to get some screening material going along the wall. It was decided that Magnolia trees would be used (since these grow very densely and are great for blocking out unsightly things like barns), interspersed with some large shrubs in the background. The idea was to distract the eye from the barn immediately and block it out totally in a few years. The soil in this area was raised using granite boulders to make the elevation change look natural. This gave us an extra two feet of height to begin with. It also gave the yard a new look.

The traffic noise was addressed by moving an existing fountain from the front yard, where it was doing little good, to the back patio, where it made enough sound to effectively eliminate the noise coming from the road a block or so away.

To give an idea of the kind of preparation that was done to the soil, when we began the project it was almost impossible to drive a stake in at all. We brought in a big tractor and at least two truckloads of soil amendment, turned this into the soil with the tractor and also, in the tight areas, with a roto-tiller. Other beneficial items were turned into the soil as well.

The drainage was handled as a routine part of the project. We always handle the drainage of surface water with every project – and sometimes it is necessary to handle underground water as well. Due to the importance of this, I find it hard to believe how often I see properties where the subject of drainage was not addressed. Frankly, it’s just not professional.

In any case, the finish grades of the soil were done in such a way that the water was all led into drain grates and these were emptied into an underground sump well with an overflow device. Since the property was at the end of a very long driveway and bordered by parkland (they wouldn’t want drain pipes dumping out onto the park), this was the best choice.

Anyway, the project was wrapped up with a new irrigation system that included a rain override device to keep it from running during a rainstorm. Outdoor lighting was added to some of the key features and new gardens were designed and planted. The final touch was a new sod lawn with a small, rustic stone patio in the corner. It was a whole new look and all the issues had been taken care of.

Bruce Larsen
Larsen Landscape
Simi Valley, CA.