Edgartown Pool & Garden

The client was building a new garage/pool barn and main house addition at their Edgartown summer residence. The 0.5-acre lot required considerable landscape planning to site the pool, pool patio, fire table, masonry outdoor kitchen, driveway entry/parking, pool fencing and gates, and plantings.

The building location, property line boundaries, and property setbacks posed a very tight space challenge. The landscape master plan needed to maximize the back yard space to accommodate a pool with a deep end and spa, as well as a masonry fire table and masonry outdoor kitchen. Planning also considered placement of outdoor furniture and comfortable circulation throughout the patio area. A new septic system in the front entry driveway limited the options for tree planting. Rather, a sizeable garden with low plantings would be needed to soften the buildings and gravel driveway.

A precise design strategy and process was necessary to address the space limitations. The first critical step was to establish the correct orientation of the buildings to the pool, optimizing the spatial relationship of the main house, pool, and pool barn. Ultimately, the proper design decision was made to orient the three structures with a harmonious orthogonal relationship. The second step was to push the Pennsylvania flat fieldstone retaining wall, required to meet the adjacent property elevations, to the edge of the property. This decision maximized the amount of usable, flat area. The small backyard was transformed into an expansive and open livable space. The third major design decision was the planting strategy. A layer of plantings was located between the bluestone pool patio pavement and the fieldstone wall. This vegetation would break up the hardscape. The front driveway planting island is located centrally, between the two buildings, anchoring the front entrance with a cottage-garden style array of flowering shrubs and perennials.

Team

Landscape Contractor: Landscope, Inc.
Pool Contractor: Easton Pool & Spa
Fence Contractor: Good Neighbor Fence
General Contractor: JR Construction & Sons, Inc.
Architect: Sherman Associates