Top 10 Projects of 2020

Who knew what 2020 would bring?! It ended up being The Year of Home. I mused that since no one would be traveling to Paris or Venice this year, maybe people would put their vacation budget into their home, landscape, and outdoor spaces. While I may have meant that as a joke, it wasn't far from the truth, as few of our clients have told us.

Despite the challenges of finding supplies, manufacturers being shut down, wood prices skyrocketing, and material shortages, we had a lot of fun this year. We live to create. We enjoy the end result. We love seeing our clients live in their new space. We take pride knowing we had something to do with the memories they'll create enjoying the great outdoors. 

Here are the Easton Outdoors top 10 projects for 2020!

10. Front Yard Water Feature

Twice built. When I first visited here, I knew the original feature had to be removed. It was a shame, as it had just been built the year prior. However, it leaked, the lights didn't work, and it was generally unfinished. Because of their previous experience with a bad product, I worked hard with our client to build trust and create a new vision for this front yard water feature. 

9. Front Entrance

Curb appeal! We completed the backyard of this home in 2019, and elevated the appeal of the front yard even farther this year. The pavers, curbstone, and landscape will not be something that is easily forgotten.

8. Split Level Patio

Material shortages were the name of the game on this one. Techo Bloc is a Canadian company, and they were running at limited capacity for quite some time, making the completion of this space a challenge. The end result is stunning though. Our client played a large role in the design of this space. I think he did a great job!

7. Wetland Filter

Over 170 fish call this pond home. When we arrived, the water quality was horrible, as the original pond had no filtration. The water looked like pea soup. We were able to come in, renovate the pond, and make the water crystal clear. We used a wetland filter and a large intake bay. We had to remove all 170 fish for three days while we did the work. Not one fish was harmed while we had them in storage. It was quite the feat!

6. Splash Pad

Front yard patios were the "hot trend" of 2020, and these clients took it to the next level. They wanted a space the grandkids could splash around in- not a pool, but still something with moving water. They did a lot of the major landscaping themselves and we were honored to come in and create a water feature, a pathway, and then grade the whole yard to allow proper drainage.

5. Backyard Rehabilitation

Every time it rained, water was pooling up against this foundation. There was a lot to do here! We ended up installing drainage and taking out 40+ yards of soil just to get a baseline. We then put together a patio and landscape that fit this mid-century home perfectly. I love how it all ties together.

4. Techo Bloc Patio

We finished this patio the week after Gov. Northam shut the state down. Our client here was actually out of the country when we did the design, so I designed and sold the job without ever meeting her in person. We then were able to pull off the completion of this project while they were on vacation, allowing them to come home to a finished space. They let us be creative with the materials and textures, making this a really fun project!

3. Poolside Waterfall

We came out to this site before the pool was even started. The client allowed us to help design the pool to make sure our waterfall fit perfectly. There was some disappointment here when we showed up in October of 2019 ready to build this epic waterfall, to find that the site wasn’t ready for us. We waited patiently for the pool builder, and were finally able to make it happen in July of 2020. Big rocks from Missouri made this one epic! The feature is run with pool water which can also be heated, so in the winter you can sit in the waterfall and enjoy the "hot springs experience."

2. The Complete Package

We do a lot of work with Wayne Harbin Builders. We came on board with this project to simply get the front and side landscaping done. It turns out, the client had made musings of adding a pool at some point. Those ideas quickly turned into conversations about getting it done before they moved in, which ended up happening! I had so much fun designing this space and then seeing it all come together. 

1. Metal Arch

I remember getting the call on this one with a sample picture. I jumped. "Yes!! We can create this." Bringing it to reality and seeing all the pieces come together was exhilarating. It is truly a one-of-a-kind space.