Nestled in a forested site, the owners of this contemporary home asked for a structure that would protect them from the snow and rain as they walked between their house and garage. In addition to the breezeway, the homeowners desired seat walls, a patio that would accommodate their picnic table, plantings, a small water feature, and a way to screen their AC units and utility area behind the garage.

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CONTINUED BELOW

The homeowners had received a design proposal for a narrow shed-roofed structure that zig-zagged its way from the house to the garage but contacted Shoplick Landscape Architecture for a second opinion.  Shoplick suggested that a narrow structure with a shed roof might not be the most appropriate solution, given the rectangular forms of their house and garage. Instead, Shoplick proposed a flat-roofed cedar structure that matched the rooflines and materials used in the home's architecture. The center portion of the structure was raised to link the two lower structures, and its orientation turned to emphasize the connection from the house/garage area to the woods and barn beyond.

 

The structure's columns rest on 18" high Pennsylvania fieldstone walls that provide ample seating throughout the patio. Lattice was chosen for the fence panel that screens the AC units to allow for air circulation. In contrast, a solid cedar fence hides the propane tanks and utility area in back of the garage. An Amelanchier tree was planted in front of the fence and is one of the first things the family sees when they open their door each morning. A second Amelanchier was sited opposite the garage door.

 

To complement the Amelanchiers, Shoplick chose shrubs that are generally disliked by deer, including Andromeda, Boxwood, Enkianthus, Plum Yew, and Leucothoe.

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