The customers had been living on this forest-fronted property for several years when the landscaping project was initiated. Three major issues guided the design of this project. Firstly, the worrying increase in traffic on the road where the residence is located, the ambient noise related to this growing traffic, and finally, the deforestation of the land caused by the emerald ash borer.

The customers wanted to be able to make the most of their property and the natural surroundings. The felling of numerous ash trees gave the impression that the land had been left to its own devices, and the gentle imprint that nature had once had was giving way. All the living areas were therefore carefully redesigned before being reintegrated into the layout.

Installing gabions to fill the need for privacy and integrating the waterfall seemed a natural solution to the project’s challenges. Although imposing, these stone giants remain in symbiosis with the nature already present on the site.

Constructing the gabions called for new working techniques that had never been used by our teams before. We drove a number of piles 6′ into the ground in order to nestle the gabions in place.

Installing the waterfall also required a certain amount of thought on our part, since the entire waterfall system is located inside the gabions. For water collection and drainage, we used the “Eco-block” system and buried it behind the low wall with a slate mulch finish on top.