Designs by Sundown Project

This contemporary home is located just outside downtown Denver. The client was in the middle of a major home renovation and seeking a landscape that provided a connection to the architecture and interior of the home and optimal function for a young family. DBS was lucky to work hand in hand with the architect on this job. We knew we needed a design that created a cohesive indoor/outdoor space. The architect installed all accordion doors that fully opened making the backyard a literal extension of the home. A fireplace with a metal pergola anchored the backyard. The dining area was directly centered behind with a fully equipped outdoor kitchen. The client wanted their backyard to be their retreat from the city and wanted to create a sound barrier.

The first thing we added was a modern water feature that gently muted the outside noise on the north end of the lot. This was made into a formal outdoor sitting area right off the formal living area. We then built 8-foot-high walls around the proximity of the lot to further act as a sound barrier as well as putting our client at ease for a safety barrier. We then lined the wall with over 15 trees to give further privacy.

One of the greatest challenges was that the client purchased the corner lot next door to make all for their backyard landscape, but the problem was that the corner lot had a separate address than their house. We had to go through the city of Denver to get a variance to allow us to place the pool where the client wished it to be. After the city kept dragging their feet on the issue the client requested a backup plan, which then we designed a large sport court that could transition from a basketball court to a hockey rink. Another challenge on this property was drainage. The lot is extremely flat which made it exceedingly difficult to come up with a game plan to properly control drainage around and through the site. An extensive underground drainage system was designed and installed to help mitigate potential drainage issues. This property has a lot of very old, mature trees that are very important to the site and family to remain unchanged. We had to work around all these trees and take extra precautions and adjust some of our building practices to accommodate them.