An Even-ing Out

Two homeowners had a simple request – they wanted a fresh, dynamic space that would welcome their guests rather than embarrass the owners. But the small, rugged corner lot in the rear of their West Orange, N.J., home left very little usable space.

The low side of the property was too low and the high end was too high. In addition to difficult elevation changes, Birch Hill Landscaping was challenged with meeting a strict timeline and budget, negotiating with multiple subcontractors and maintaining the historical integrity of the house. 

“Their backyard was horrendous,” jokes Barry Greenberg, president of Birch Hill Landscaping. “Due to the small, broken spaces, our client could barely put furniture on their patios, and the deck was so old and rickety that it probably hadn’t been re-done in 20 years.”

Before he began the design, Greenberg sat down face-to-face with his client to discuss their expectations. “‘Make it look good’ can have two completely different meanings. I like to get as much input from the homeowner as possible so I can provide them the most comprehensive design.” He typically develops three or four sketches and melds the key elements the client selects into one final design.

First, workers removed a large maple tree that was in poor condition and simply taking up too much space in the middle of the backyard. Greenberg’s design then raised the low side of the property and lowered the high end of the property, which resulted in a large, flat area surrounded by stone retaining walls.

A small covered entryway off the back of the house had six steps leading down from the porch into the yard. Greenberg and his crew built a new covered porch running the width of back of the house that raised the grade so now there were only two steps down into the yard. Each patio is circular, which creates a dynamic visual in contrast to a square backyard space. Lining the higher side of the patio is an 18 inch high wall that doubles as 35 foot long curved seat.

Not only did the client ask for multiple patios to entertain and eat, but they also requested a special area for a hot tub, a built-in grill and an additional patio stretching along the side of the house.

Although Greenberg was initially reluctant to install a patio along the side of the house since their neighbors’ driveway runs parallel, it wound up creating a connection between the house and the backyard. “The design process is reciprocal. Sometimes you really have to listen to what the client wants,” he says.

Born from old farmland, the house is more than 100 years old. Greenberg carefully considered which hardscape materials would best complement the history of the house and community. Birch Hill installed blue stone and brick instead of concrete pavers for the patios, 6-inch blue stone for steps and treads, and large single slabs of blue stone for the walkway.

Guided by inspiration from visiting the public gardens on Long Island and throughout upstate New York, Greenberg coupled tall evergreens for privacy with compact, slow-growing plants like boxwood, ilex, flowering plants, hydrangea, lavender, dwarf lilac and viburnum to provide color and fragrance, and because the small yard could not accommodate large plant materials.

As the project progressed, Greenberg says coordinating the subcontractors, from the plumbing to electric to drainage to carpentry, with his landscaping crew became increasingly important and difficult. But in the end, if the client is happy, his job is done. “They absolutely love the work we did. More importantly, they’re able to enjoy entertaining and have received tons of compliments.”

The project not only earned the company praise from the homeowner, but it also earned Birch Hill the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association’s 2008 Landscape Achievement Award in the residential design/build category for projects between $25,000-$100,000.

Birch Hill began the project in October 2007, completing all hardscape work before the winter. The team finished the final planting in spring 2008. Six employees put in approximately 1,000 man-hours over a cumulative eight weeks.

Despite the struggling economy, Greenburg says he is confident homeowners will continue to invest in home improvements; they will just be more cautious with their choices. He anticipates a 10 to 20 percent decline in his revenue this year.

“Tailoring a project to a client’s needs is like putting together a puzzle,” Greenberg says. “All the criteria are the pieces of the puzzle; if you get them to fit together and work properly, you’ll end up with a nice picture.”

Barry Greenberg says face-to-face meetings are essential to ensuring a good design. 

 Birch Hill Landscaping installed a new, wider deck on the back of the house

Two circular patios contrast with the square backyard space.

COMPANY: Birch Hill Landscaping

HEADQUARTERS: Millburn, N.J.

REVENUE: $1.4 million

CLIENT/SERVICE MIX: 95 percent residential design/build; 5 percent spring and summer pruning and property maintenance. Services offered include patios, ponds, retaining walls, pergolas, arbors, decks, fencing, planting, pruning, swimming pools and driveways.

NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 6 field employees, 3 office employees

SOFT VS. HARD GOODS: 50 to 60 percent of revenue spent annually on plant material and 40 percent spent on hard goods.

ESTIMATED PROJECT COST: $100,000-$150,000

ACTUAL PROJECT COST: $84,000

PROJECT AREA: Approximately 3,000 square feet

TOTAL LABOR HOURS: 1,000

TOTAL DESIGN HOURS: 35

SUBCONTRACTED SERVICES: Electrical, carpentry, plumbing

PLANT MATERIALS USED: Tall evergreens for privacy. Compact, slow-growing plants (boxwood, ilex, flowering plants for summer color and fragrance, hydrangea, lavender, dwarf lilac and viburnum) because the small yard could not accommodate large plant materials.

HARDSCAPE MATERIALS USED: Blue stone and brick instead of concrete pavers to complement the 100-year-old home. 6-inch blue stone for steps and treads. Large single slabs of blue stone for walkway.

EQUIPMENT USED: Small excavator/backhoe, front-end loader, rakes, shovels and masonry tools