Houston Lawn Care Services

Do I really need professional services when my yard looks just fine?
It never helps to invest in making sure it stays that way. What appears to be fine on the surface may not be so fine underneath. You may be assuming that green grass means a healthy lawn, but you may not be able to see what is happening beneath the blades of grass. Insects and fungal growth may be eating away at the grass without themselves being visible. Later, when their effects can be seen, the cost of repairing the damage can be very high.

Should I get rid of my San Augustine grass if all my neighbors have it as well?
No. You just need Exterior Worlds to diversify your yard a bit. There are a number of grasses we can then install to make any Houston lawn look incredible when compared to neighboring yards. In most places throughout the city, San Augustine predominates. The thing about San Augustine that makes it so unique is that it grows just as well in the shade as it does in the sun. If we add Bermuda and Zoysia grass to sunny areas on a selective basis, we can still make any Houston yard look entirely unique in comparison to those around it.


What do exactly to you do to add more grass to a yard?
Exterior Worlds lawn specialists start by tilling the existing soil to help even out its consistency. They then add soil amendments and minor nutrients to help new grasses get started. In almost all instances, existing soil requires new sod laid out neatly in cut blocks, which are then pressed with rollers into existing soil. This creates a new, softer consistency for roots systems to form.

What are some hazards to my yard I should be aware of?
There are both natural hazards and the hazards of human error. Natural hazards include fungi and pests, over watering, under watering, and foot traffic. Many people also try to shave off costs by hiring a yard services company to install new grasses. These companies often prepare the soil incorrectly and fail to build adequate drainage systems into unevenly proportioned elevations.

On the other hand, Exterior Worlds often builds concealed drains into a lawn so as to provide immediate and effective water runoff. Without such drain systems, many yards would flood and grass and garden species would quickly die or fall prey to fungal infections. We also know how to protect a lawn against the many natural hazards that plague it, and we know how to avoid the mistakes made by yard service companies. Advanced botanical training, supervision, and experience all play a role in differentiating our services from those of our competitors who often only cut grass and trim hedges.

How much do your lawn care services cost?
Pay as you go rates will vary based upon the size of your property and the labor involved in the installation and maintenance of both new and existing grasses. The best way to obtain these services cost-effectively is to bundle them into a landscape maintenance contract. This can include such things as regular fertilizing, pest control, watering, mowing and trimming, and replanting. This ensures that your yard will continue to remain vibrant and attractive year round regardless of external climatic conditions.

Houston Tree Planting

What types of trees can you plant?
Houston is a good place to grow almost any type of tree. Our hot and humid climate makes this a good environment for a variety of species that thrive in this part of the world. The most popular species for planting tend to be household names, such as live oak, red oak, water oak, pine, magnolia, cedar, and holly. One of the best things about investing in this service is you can have it done just about anywhere in your yard. The only restrictions on tree planting is we do not want to get too close to the house where roots can damage home foundations, and we do not want to get too near larger trees where sunlight may be blocked by branches.

Is there any limit to the size trees that can you plant in people’s yards?
No. Any size tree can be installed on the property. The methods of transporting and planting of course vary according to tree size, which can be anywhere from 15 gallons to over 300 gallons. Trucks are used to bring them in, with the roots and adequate soil and moisture carefully wrapped around them to ensure their vitality during transport. Cranes and special harnesses are used to lift and lower them into the ground.

Can I do my own tree planting if I am working with saplings?
We do not recommend this. Tree planting is something that you definitely need a landscape design firm to do for you. The hardest thing for a do-it-yourselfer or an amateur to calculate is the proper soil depth for planting. Most people assume that the deeper they dig, the better the tree will grow. This actually impedes root development and also impedes the development of a strong and healthy trunk base.

How do I keep my trees healthy after planting?
Maintaining tree health takes botanical expertise and consistent care that is best handled by a professional landscaper under an annual maintenance contract. Deep root fertilization needs to be done once a year by an expert who knows how to dig around roots without damaging them. Special insect treatments need to be done for scale, bores, beetles, and other pests based upon the time of year and the species of tree being cared for.

How much does this service cost?
It depends on whether we are planting smaller trees that can be hand moved or the very large ones that require truck and crane rentals. Hand moved trees can be planted for anywhere from $300.00 to $2,000.00, and represent a good investment in the aesthetics of a home a person plans to live in for many years to come.

Renting trucks and equipment in Houston adds considerable cost to tree planting labor costs. For larger hollies, cedars, oaks, and magnolias, for example, you may be looking at anywhere from $2,000.00-$18,000.00. This type of investment is reasonable for people who have moved into a relatively new custom home on an uncharacteristically barren lot whose resale value will immediately improve with the addition of trees that make the home look much more established and organically robust.

Houston Arbor

Regardless of the style Houston home is accentuated by old and stately trees, an arbor built by Exterior Worlds can create a similar sense of shelter and protection that one receives when sitting under the shade of an old, great tree. It mimics the effect of overhanging branches, and it gives a three dimensional presence to gardens and hardscapes. Any Houston home, regardless of architectural style, can be complimented in this manner, and outdoor buildings that populate the backyard will appear more differentiated as specifically outdoor elements with such a structure nearby.

A truly impeccably constructed arbor does several things. Not only does it provide the utmost comfort as a place to sit in the shade, but it also provides a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. Residents should be able to sit in its shelter and admire the most distinguishing features of their yard. The structure should also ornament the landscape as part of a larger, specific theme. Houston homeowners can sometimes be very eclectic in their tastes, so custom design is imperative in order to get the structure to work with both traditional designs and derivative styles that require an individual approach.

There should also be some concealed creature comforts built into the arbor as well. Houston gets very hot in the summer can suffers from sporadic blasts of cold, damp air in the early months of the year. Climate control should be built into the structure so its vantage point can be enjoyed regardless of external conditions. Interior lighting and hidden lighting controls should also be installed in places where the homeowner can easily and discreetly adjust the lighting for guests without having to get up.

Houston landscape designers build arbors somewhat differently than do other manufacturers. Exterior Worlds, for instance, develops the structural design for the facility in relationship to home architecture and surrounding landscape design. If the property has a stately, European look and features iron fencing, we may build the structure out of iron in order to reinforce a classic, Old World look. This is can also be done in parts of the yard where dark stone hardscapes are blended into gardens and custom fountains.

More commonly, however, we tend to build wooden arbors out of pressure treated pine. While some of our competitors would argue that cedar is a superior building material, we feel it is both too expensive and features too short of a lifespan to adequately serve the needs of our clients. Pressure-treated pine is much less expensive and lasts a great deal of time longer than cedar.

One of the main reasons so many Houston landscaping clients commission us to build them an arbor is because it can compliment so many adjacent landscaping elements. One of the favorite locations for these remarkable structures is at the far end of a patio directly facing another structure, such as an outdoor fireplace or outdoor kitchen. Or, it can be built adjacent to a pool and spa, providing an alternative seating area for swimmers who want something different than patio chairs to relax in. One other popular location is near a meditation or Zen garden, where a person can relax and look out into carefully sculpted greenery and a tranquil fountain that stills all thought.

Landscape Phasing

This article is for homeowners who are on a budget. It’s for people who have a big property with several big projects in mind. And it is also for anyone who doesn’t know where to start. We’re talking here about landscape phasing.

Landscape phasing turns your landscape into a process. With this approach, Exterior World helps you plan steps to bring on and complete the different elements of your landscape design. Such a long-term plan provides several benefits, primarily financial: you get to spread your big outlay of money over several months. Or even years. (In the interest of full disclosure, it should be pointed out that the total cost usually ends up being more with a phased-in approach due to tearing things up and then putting them back in place. And then doing it again in the next step. However, the relatively small additional cost that is incurred in each phase is easier on some budgets that one big lump sum.)

With landscape phasing, Exterior Worlds will set up a logical order for the implementation plan. We usually recommend starting with the infrastructure. Items on this list would include drainage systems, retaining walls, driveways and other hardscapes. In subsequent steps, we add on layers. Perhaps it means installing an irrigation system and building a deck. Or maybe you want an outdoor fireplace or a garden gazebo. The last step, or top “layer”, consists of putting finishing touches on the lawn and flower beds.

An example of a three-year landscape phasing plan would look like this:

• Phase 1: Install a drainage system. Design and build a custom swimming pool. Design and install preliminary landscape lighting. Plant trees.
• Phase 2: Develop and install an irrigation system. Design and build an outdoor kitchen.
• Phase 3: Build custom wrought iron fence and gates. Final layout of flower beds. Fill in empty spots with bushes and ground cover. Create pathways. Finalize landscape lighting.

A phased-in plan can be designed just for landscape planting. For example, you might want to start with the plantings around the house. The second phase would involve designing the beds along the back fence. A third step could be specialty planting—maybe an herb garden.

Regarding trees and phased-in landscaping, we often suggest to our clients that they plant trees in the first phase. If you plant, say, an eight-foot tree with a five-foot spread in year one, you could have a 20-foot tree with an 18-foot spread in five years. By planting smaller trees early in the process, you save considerably. (Considerably. Go to a nursery and check out the difference between the price of a 30-gallon tree and a 300-gallon tree, if you don’t believe us.) A side benefit is that by letting trees grow and mature within your landscape, you will get a better feel for what needs to go around them at their more mature size—and what doesn’t.

As with everything we do at Exterior Worlds, the plan would be customized for you. To fit your needs and desires. To fit your budget. To fit your time schedule.

Landscape Design Plan

How do I get started with a landscape design plan?
The best garden landscapes begin with an overall plan that addresses your wants and desires, your preferred financial outlay and a sound, regular maintenance program. Your total landscape—the green, growing environment surrounding your home and the attending hardscapes—sets the tone and creates an ambiance. Its purpose is to provide visual, auditory and sensory pleasure for you, your family and your guests. Further, your garden landscaping distinguishes your property from all others—something that is particularly welcomed when it comes time to sell your home.

During the planning phase, you get to dream. What colors and textures do you prefer? Perhaps have a theme in mind, such as a formal landscape design, a Japanese garden, or an English garden design. You want to factor in how you and your family live in the space. Will your garden landscape fit your needs—whether that means a children’s playground or an outdoor room for business entertainment? We remind our clients that good landscape design supports and enhances the architecture of the home. It also does practical things like addressing the way you get on and off the property. It evokes emotion and creates an experience as you approach the home.
A landscape designer or landscape architect can develop an encompassing plan that works with the natural features of your property such as drainage, soil composition, and sun positioning. They will accentuate your view, or, if you don’t have one, they can help create focal points such as outdoor water fountains. In short, these professionals help you maximize your enjoyment of the landscape, while avoiding long-term problems and minimizing any naturally-occurring disadvantages.

What’s the next step?
The installation of your garden landscape is critical and begins with the demolition of existing features you no longer want. As for those you want to keep, Exterior Worlds, advises tree preservation—building barricades around trees you want to preserve so that roots don’t get compacted or severed during construction.

Other aspects of the landscape installation involve installing irrigation systems, drainage systems, and landscape lighting. This phase also includes the building of garden structures, such as outdoor gazebos or garden arches; also other items like gates, retaining walls, pathways and luxury swimming pools. Next comes the planting of trees, shrubbery, groundcover and any seasonal color. The final step consists of mulching and cleanup.

Once the installation is done, can Exterior Worlds help us with maintenance?
Garden landscapes are living entities and thus require ongoing maintenance. From mowing to watering, regular landscape maintenance protects your investment, preserves the quality of the space and enhances your enjoyment of a lush, healthy landscape. Our Houston lawn services entail 52 or 42 visits a year that include regular lawn mowing and trimming, shrub and tree pruning, fertilization and management of pests and diseases.

At Exterior Worlds, our standards go beyond those of our competitors and even of our clients. We do everything for you. You don’t have to micro-manage us or worry about the job getting done and being done right.

Houston Tree Lighting

Exterior Worlds provides tree lighting services that add dimension and mystique to Houston landscapes. This special form of outdoor lighting will enlarge the apparent size of any Houston property at night, and it will contribute an additional layer of illumination that will make other outdoor lighting and landscape features appear more vibrant and multi-dimensional. It is cost effective to operate, and it is installed by Houston’s best experts in landscape lighting who partner with us to provide this very special service that few companies in the country can provide with the level of environmental and human safety that we guarantee.

Why this is a good investment to make
Trees are some of the most unique organisms on the planet. They are found in almost all parts of the world. They produce oxygen that is vital for all other life forms. Some are immensely tall, while others have root systems that go deeper into the ground than their branches climb into the sky.

Tree lighting allows these magnificent pillars of nature to be seen 24 hours per day. A property with illuminated trees appears to have greater depth and dimension. Not only can people better see your trees, but they can also get a better view of your pool, outdoor kitchen, French garden, and custom fountain.

The light that comes down from an illuminated tree falls upon the ground in a circle that looks like a pool of artificial moonlight. Both the color and intensity of this special light are the direct result of a certain type of technology we use to create this effect. Other types of light fixtures will not produce the same effect, and some may harm the trees. It is important to use the right fixture for this task in order to get the maximum benefit out of your investment and to protect the health of your trees.

Technology used
Tree lighting is done with a special kind of fixture known as a mercury vapor lamp. This luminaire is very unique in terms of the color of light it produces. Unlike most fixtures, which produce a white light, the mercury vapor lamp produces a blue-green light that is more complimentary to the color of leaves and bark.

While you can go out and buy a mercury vapor lamp yourself in a hardware store, we strongly recommend against doing this. Retail versions of this fixture type are not as viable as commercial grade equivalents. In order to get the best value for your investment, you need to source your luminaire through a lighting design firm that can obtain premium equipment at dealer prices direct from the manufacturer.

The best lighting specialists in Houston are brought in on the job.
Exterior Worlds happens to be in relationship with one of the oldest and most prestigious outdoor lighting design firms in Houston. One of their main areas of expertise is the installation of tree lighting mercury vapor fixtures. We always subcontract this company to handle the installation of tree lights because installing these fixtures is not as easy as one would assume. There is more involved to placing them than simply running a wire up the trunk of the tree and attaching the light to a branch.

Tree protection guaranteed
The safety of the tree has to be taken into account first. It is a bad idea to use a ladder because ladders can permanently scar trees. Our partner company actually has employees trained in tree climbing. These workers know how to get anywhere in a tree without harming it to install the fixture in a concealed location that will allow you to enjoy the light it produces, but not see the equipment itself. These lighting design experts also make sure that the wires to these lights are similarly concealed and properly grounded to avoid shock hazards in your yard.

The illumination that results contributes decorative value to the landscape, and it helps better illuminate garden pathways, seating areas, custom patios, and arbors that may have been constructed beneath the overhanging branches of the trees. You will better enjoy spending time outside at night, and your neighbors and friends will find your home more unique and appealing as an entertainment destination when you invest in tree lighting by Exterior Worlds.

Luxury Landscape Design

“Luxury” in a luxury landscape design can be communicated in several ways. The sense of luxury is conveyed with softscapes, the combination of plant forms, colors and textures. It also shows in your material choices and the way they contrast to and complement your home. It can also be seen in simple details such as a custom wrought iron design element inserted into a fence. At Exterior Worlds, we strive for lush, but always appropriate, exteriors.

In our design process, the spatial layout is directed by the outdoor usage. We also use the strength of geometric lines to create interesting landscapes. Perhaps, it’s the use a pathway to create a spine across the space. This path thus serves to divide the space and also direct movement from one zone to another.

Other facets of a luxury landscape design for you to consider:

• Lounge areas. These delightful outdoor spaces enlarge your living area. They become another room on your home and give you an opportunity to enjoy the out-of-doors year round. Outdoor rooms are ideal places to build an outdoor fireplace or install another fire element.
• Outdoor kitchens. You know how company likes to hang out in the indoor kitchen? You’ll find that it’s true for the outdoor kitchen, too. Outdoor kitchens are the heart of luxury landscape design. We encourage our clients to think through seating arrangements, including built-in benches. A fundamental design element, lighting also serves a functional purpose. So, in addition to planning accent light, we always plan for plenty of coverage in the prep areas.
• Custom swimming pools. Water, in pools and outdoor water fountains, are magnets—for activities and for viewing pleasure. Exterior Worlds works hard to integrate the pool area with the surroundings by creating smooth transitions with the yard and background sceneries. Spas, waterfalls and slides add to the fun. We’ve even built several waterfalls over some pools. We’ve also designed and built pool water fountains that are…well, very cool. Literally.
• Garden structures. Our clients have found that these garden elements add focal points to their landscape design. Ideas include: garden arches, a wrought iron trellis, garden gazebo, and pergolas. When wired with landscape lighting, they become magical settings at night.
• Worry-free maintenance. “Staycation” is a popular term right now and refers to turning your home into your very own five-star hotel. However, one of the downfalls of this ideal is that, since it’s your home, you never escape the sense of responsibility for it to achieve that carefree vacation feeling. A comprehensive residential maintenance contract with Exterior Worlds addresses that drawback nicely. Let us do the work while you have your at-home vacation.

Exterior Worlds has more than two decades worth of experience in providing luxury landscape design and services to the Houston area. We welcome both new construction and remodeling projects. We also encourage clients to consider landscape phasing—doing different projects in incremental steps over a long period of time—in order to ease the financial impact.

Houston Outdoor Kitchens

Outdoor kitchens, also known as summer kitchens, are becoming increasingly popular throughout the Houston area. While the summers here are truly scorching, summer kitchens can be built as climate controlled structures with fully functional HVAC systems and a host of modern appliances that rival an indoor kitchen. Aesthetically speaking, these are superb structures to add to any landscape. They can be built to respect the architecture of any style home, and they can be integrated into any style of landscaping design as well. Houston families are discovering an increasing value in these investments as a means to curtail the costs of going out and to provide family and friends with a truly superior outdoor living experience.

Outdoor kitchens give Houston residents the full service luxuries of custom interior kitchens. The point is to build a facility that is so complete and fully functional that the homeowner never has to run back inside. Outdoor kitchens have cabinets, drawers, countertops, ovens, and stoves—just like indoor kitchens. Ovens and stoves are fully functional and designed for cooking the finest main courses you would normally prepare indoors. Many Houston homeowners also ask us to install a secondary grill that will allow them to barbecue in the same area that they cook regular meals.All the appliances such as freezers, refrigerators, and icemakers are standard construction for outdoor kitchens. Houston is a hot climate, so cold storage is something we take very seriously. A partner lighting company is brought in to help install these appliances on dedicated circuits. These are special electrical wires that support each appliance independently to ensure it does not overload the surrounding appliances.

Sinks and pipes are normally made from stainless steel in order to protect these areas against corrosion. Countertops can be constructed from any number of materials, although we strongly recommend granite due to its superb aesthetic and its resistance to the elements. Cabinets are typically built out of stainless steel, but wood cabinets can be built by special request if the kitchen is sufficiently sealed off from the elements.

An outdoor kitchen will very quickly become the hub of entertainment in any Houston yard. These outdoor rooms are more than simply food preparation and cooking areas. They also include full seating and dining areas custom-built to the anticipated number of guests expected to attend outdoor events. Custom patio design is normally done to create an amenable, attractive surface area on which to comfortably dine and mingle. Steps are taken in a variety of ways to render the structure insect proof. This way, guests can enjoy the attractions of the outdoors without the annoyances of pests.

Making the structure work with the surroundings is the job of the landscape architect, whose design-build planning also gives equal priority to aesthetics as it does to functionality. Gardens are typically planted either around or adjacent to an outdoor kitchen to give it an extra sense of an outdoor feeling. Both interior and exterior lights are installed in the structure to make it visible and safe and optional lighting control systems can be added to create mood-altering effects by changing the intensity of the light or varying its degree of color rendering. Outdoor kitchens can even be equipped with audio and video systems that allow the best in music and film to be enjoyed over dinner.

Houston Swimming Pool

What can Exterior Worlds tell us about the advantages of a luxury swimming pool?
A luxury swimming pool completes the design of your home because it is a natural extension of your indoor living space. For an upscale home, it is a necessity. When it comes time to sell your home, it is an expected amenity and also distinguishes your property from others.

Additionally, luxury swimming pools are great for entertaining whether your party is for business associates or for the grandchildren and their friends. Pools provide healthful exercise and, in this part of the world, they supply an enjoyable place to cool off during our intense summer months.

A source of lifelong enjoyment, a luxury swimming pool creates a backyard sanctuary or family center and is for those people who want to maximize their leisure time. You will want to work with a landscape architect or landscape designer to ensure that your other exterior spaces, such as an outdoor room, outdoor kitchen or garden structures, integrate well with the swimming pool design.

What design questions do I begin with?
Here are some of the issues you’ll want to discuss before taking the plunge:

• How will you use the pool? Will it be a play pool for children or are you planning to swim laps? For daily use or for entertaining?
• Do you want it heated?
• Do you want add-ons such as diving boards and slides, underwater benches, a sun shelf, a spa, waterfalls and negative edges?
• Where will you store your swimming pool equipment?
• What about a salt system? There are pros and cons to this popular choice. We tell our Exterior World clients to be aware of the surrounding material choices if they select a salt system since salt has a corrosive effect and can negatively impact soft decking materials.
• What about safety? One suggestion we make is with the use of fences. We like to hide pool fences and gates by weaving them among shrubbery. This method makes the pool area safe, up to code and aesthetically pleasing.

What materials are people using these days for pools?
Quality materials include:

• Your first choice is plaster which usually means marcite, Georgia or Canadian marble that has been crushed to a fine powder. It hardens like concrete and seals the pool’s interior. You can upgrade your look with quartz finishes—Diamond Brite™ and 3M™ Colorquartz, to name two—that come in a wide range of colors and textures. Or a different upgrade is exposed aggregate, a tumbled rock that is slightly larger than quartz. Pebble Tec® and River Rok are well-known brands.
• For the color of your plaster, we suggest a neutral palette that provides a timeless look. If you want something more daring, you can choose from a long list of colors, including dramatic black or green.
• The area that immediately surrounds the pool is called coping. Care should be taken to make it non-slippery, so good choices are tile, stone and brick. Your coping material should work well with the colors of your home’s exterior.

Modern Tropical Gardens

Modern tropical garden design is a highly eclectic style based upon the controlled juxtaposition of extremes. On the one hand, we have the starkly manmade element of a contemporary style home, while on the other; we have vegetation whose iconic significance evokes feelings of the wild, the exotic, and the remote. Unlike traditional tropical gardens which emphasize a fluidity of boundary, modern tropical gardens are characterized by lush foliage that is tightly contained within strict geometric boundaries.

To obtain this sense of containment, tropical plant species must be carefully selected to balance both symmetry and proportion with the garden boundary and surrounding terrain. Tropical plants with large leaves are planted in key locations to juxtapose against home architecture and hardscape design. These plants tend to grow upward more than outward, and add vertical expression to the linearity that characterizes modern design. Bamboo and palm trees can also be used to create this effect in tight linear plantings against modern walls.

Due to the fact that modern landscapes typically subordinate the organic to the inorganic, it is very important to make certain that the growth factor of the vegetation does not overshadow the fundamental purposes of modernism. Contemporary themes are always humanistic and dedicated to the elevation of human constructs over that which is perceived to be the untamed primitivism of natural life and forms. Tropical plants can prove very challenging when installed in such a landscape, because in their native habitats they tend to grow rapidly and cover the entirety of the ground.

However, there is another attribute that tropical species possess that makes them ideal for modern landscaping, and that is the ability for many different species to grow to one another without choking each other out. This allows the scale of the garden to be reduced to a size that is appropriate to the scale of the overall property and respectful of home architecture. Of course, plant selection must be very precise here in order to maintain the emphasis on contemporary design.

Because modern architecture relies on stark geometry to convey states of consciousness, tropical plants have to be chosen based upon the natural geometric patterns that constitute their forms. What works near the house may not necessarily work near the fountain and patio in the back. Garden design must follow the patterns of angularity and linearity of adjacent inorganic structures in order to remain true to the intent of contemporary landscaping design.

Typically, modern tropical gardens look obviously scaled down in comparison to more traditional design styles. The reason this is so is to create specific spatial experiences using greenery to enhance stonework, gravel, concrete, and masonry. Many times, planters are even shaped to mimic basic geometric shapes that compliment the lines and curves of walls, walkways, stepping stones, and custom patios. It is not uncommon for us to hire masons to build these structures as circular or rectangular enclosures that rise two or even three feet above the surrounding hardscape.

When modern tropical gardens are customized in this manner, it allows for organic design to play a specific supporting role for each particular landscaping element in the yard. The combination of geometry, custom masonry, and careful selection of plant species allows the landscape architect to create a multitude of organic spatial experiences that work with—never against—the predominately inorganic aesthetic of the modernesque landscape.

Storm Drainage in Houston

We need to get serious about putting in a drainage system on our property and were wondering what Exterior Worlds could tell us about them.
A Houston home landscape design demands a well-thought-out storm drainage system. We not only have to contend with the furies of Mother Nature—Tropical Storm Allison and Hurricane Ike, to name the most recent major storms—but also the Gulf coast’s flat lands and dense soils. It hasn’t helped that years of construction on heavily forested lots have compacted the ground and increased impervious surfaces.Exterior Worlds is glad to see that local ordinances are beginning to follow the model used by the Memorial Villages that requires minimum pipe sizes, flow rates, temporary drainage systems, engineered drainage plans, calculations, topographic maps, and as/built plans. All drainage contractors must have a thorough understanding of these demands before embarking on a drainage project or homeowners may find themselves in a big mess that can cost thousands to rectify.

What are the different parts of a proper storm drainage system?

• Gutter downspout tie-ins. These connections, made of plastic, metal or brass, take water from the gutters to the landscape drainage system.
• Deck drains. Your deck design should be constructed so that water is either sloped toward drains or drained into the landscape beds. You can use decorative drains made of metal, brass or stone.
• French drainage. French drains are small ditches that are filled with undersized rocks or gravel and take water away from saturated soil.
• Catch basins, or yard drains. Catch basins can be placed under downspouts when it is undesirable or not possible to tie into the gutter. Usually a plastic or concrete box, catch basins use a plastic or metal drain grate cover to filter out leaves and other waste debris.
• Channel drains. These long narrow strip drains are used between main structures or at the edge of a patio.
  

How will the storm drainage system affect other parts of my landscape?
Drainage systems need to be integrated into your entire landscape plan. We work with professionals such as landscape designers or landscape architects to develop a whole-system approach so that the nuts and bolts of all systems are out of sight. When that is not possible, the use of decorative drain gates can be used to reduce the negative visual impact.

For purposes of tree preservation, Exterior Worlds also recommends that you hand-dig trenches around trees when installing a yard drainage system. You can also tunnel under tree roots by using compressed air, a method that exposes tree roots without tearing them. Or water can be used to dig deep trenches and expose roots, which also minimizes damage.

One benefit of a storm drainage system is its positive impact on your residential landscape maintenance. It prevents standing water that can cause slippery surfaces, mosquito breeding grounds and drowned landscaping. Further, a proper landscape drainage system moves water off your property, encouraging healthy grass, and allows your maintenance crew to perform their regular lawn service duties.

How to Estimate Landscape Costs

How to Estimate Landscape Costs
Understanding how to estimate landscape costs will go a long way toward improving the quality of life and the investment you have made on your home. As a general principle, it is a good idea to invest 10-20 percent of the home value in landscaping projects. Home value is often maintained or improved by landscaping investment. There are several things to consider when it comes to knowing exactly how to estimate landscaping costs.

Your personal values will shape the forms and the aesthetic impressions of your new property design.
Different homeowners have different sensibilities. They look at like from varying points of view, and seek out forms and experiences that embody those sentiments in a concrete manner. Clients who prefer calm and serenity love fountains and Asian-style gardens suggestive of meditation. People with a festive approach to living want vibrant colors. Nature lovers want structures built around trees in a manner that protects them, and they want outdoor elements, such as natural swimming pools, that closely mimic those found in the wild. People who take pride in the appearance of their house need outdoor structures and hardscapes that will compliment and reflect the design and structure of the home.

Aesthetic preferences also play a major role in how you estimate your landscaping investment.
You may be one of those individuals with a strong preference for organic elements. If so, both traditional and custom garden designs will constitute the bulk of your landscaping master plan. Gardens, flowers, and trees will be developed in proportion to one another and in respect to home architecture. Outdoor lighting will need to be installed so these features can be enjoyed throughout the evening as well as during the day.

On the other hand, you may prefer to have a more decorative landscaping theme with an emphasis on ornament and structure. Custom fountains are popular elements in both traditional and contemporary landscaped design. Outdoor rooms play a big role in ornamenting the landscape as well. They contribute both geometry and function to a yard, and they help unite the organic surroundings with the characteristic features of the home itself.

Entertainment is a third factor in determining your landscape costs.
If you are planning to host any type of events at your home, then the number of guests you anticipate, and the types of events you plan to host will play major contributing roles in how you should ultimately estimate your landscape investment. Formal events will need plenty of seating room and a great deal of amenities to create a quality outdoor living experience. Less formal gatherings need a great deal of pool side space and plenty of room to move around the yard. Such elements as outdoor buildings, pool patios, and special walkways are all designed to accommodate an expected number of guests so that no one ever feels cramped or uncomfortable.

If you have children, or if guests plan to bring children, it is paramount that you put their safety first. Kids tend to want to play by themselves when adults gather, so building safe play areas and structures just for them is one of the chief priorities of our design team. We need to know what your children like so we can accommodate them as much as you. By combining interest levels with high levels of safety, we can ensure peace of mind for parents attending any event at your home.

Lawn And Garden Services

Exterior Worlds’ lawn and garden services begins with a garden’s infrastructure. The soil comes first. We have the botanical science training that allows us to mix soil with fertilizers to arrive at a compound suitable for our particular topography and climate. We often find with new clients that a brand-name fertilizer, something developed for popular plant species, was used. The lawn and gardens are under-performing because the fertilizer doesn’t provide the nutrition required by plants that must withstand our unique climate and soil.

The second step for a high-quality lawn and garden services program is installing an irrigation system. A premier irrigation system uses a combination of controller technology, heads and zones to create a site-specific system for your garden landscape.

The third step we recommend in the infrastructure stage: a drainage system. A well-designed storm drainage system employs proper grading and drainage solutions to pull water away from structures and surfaces.
As for Houston lawn service, the elements of our maintenance program include:

• Mowing and trimming. For March through October, we recommend weekly service and bi-weekly service November through February.
• Chemical treatments. Fertilizer types include fast-release, slow release, winterizer and organic. Fungicides and insecticides tackle insect and fungus infestations, enemies of healthy grass.
• Lawn aeration. Aeration improves compacted and heavily-used turf.
• • Over-seeding with winter grass, also called rye grass. This practice keeps grass green throughout the winter months.
• Dethatching. Thinning out thick grass to ensure vigorous growth.

The components of our garden services include:

• Paying attention to the intent of the original design. Most of our designs use a variety of plant species in order to create a singular garden based on your aesthetic. Styles include: modern landscape design, Japanese garden and English garden design.
• Clipping, pruning and trimming. With our understanding of form and use of best practices for maintaining your plants’ appearances, we think these necessary tasks ensure maximum vitality of your garden.
• Feeding. Flowers should be fertilized every six weeks.
• Weeding and mulching. Weeding is done as needed. Mulch helps the soil retain moisture.

The final piece of lawn and garden services is the maintenance contract. A basic contact should cover lawn mowing, plus all the recommended lawn care as detailed above. Also, you will want your ground cover, shrubs and vines trimmed and trained to maintain an orderly appearance. Your trees require attention, too, items such as trimming small trees and inspecting for disease and insect infestations. Flower beds need regular care, plus any seasonal change-outs that you might want. Finally all surfaces—driveways, sidewalks, ponds, custom swimming pools, patios and outdoor water fountains—should be cleared of debris after each service call.

A beautiful landscape implies a commitment. It involves prep work that begins before a single plant gets put into the soil. It then requires diligence and careful attention to maintain it in such a way that it flourishes into the landscape you originally envisioned.

The complete lawn and garden services from Exterior Worlds can make it happen for you.

If you are interested in any high-quality landscape services, Exterior Worlds has been providing the high-end residential landscape services and garden design services discussed above for the Houston and the surrounding areas including The Memorial Villages, Tanglewood, River Oaks, West University and the greater Houston (Hou), area since 1987. Contact us at 713-827-2255

Wooden Decking Construction in Houston

We want to work a wood deck into our landscape. What does Exterior Worlds think about this idea?
By its nature, wood has a warm texture to it and brings natural beauty to your landscape design. Wood decks invite friends and family out-of-doors, thus expanding your living space.

Wood decks enhance any landscapes, but work particularly well with these garden themes:

• English garden design. The English garden design is the essence of an informal garden and a wooden deck complements that informality. In an English garden, colors and textures in wild profusion draw you in to create a feast for the mind’s eye. Because plants are chosen for a strong mix of color, wood decks make a pleasing backdrop.
• Urban landscaping. An urban yard or garden usually presents difficult challenges, like unsightly utility easements or pint-size spaces that are all straight lines and right angles. The goal with urban landscaping, as with all landscape architecture, is to create spaces in which the home and architectural elements harmoniously integrate with their natural setting. Wooden decks fit neatly into this relationship.

• Japanese garden design. In this tradition, the garden is a microcosm of nature, therefore a deck design using wood fits in perfectly. You can create a conversation between it, the fences and gates, other elements important to a Japanese garden with its underlying philosophy of enclosure. The fence protects us from the outside world, the gate provides the threshold, and the wood decking connects us to our natural selves.

• Modern landscape design. This style, known for it fluid point of view, uses geometric shapes such as those found in the wood planks of a deck. Horizontal and vertical planes create a modern sensibility while colors and plantings evoke a warm, welcoming feel. To enhance the visual feast, water and light are often used, as in artfully-lit outdoor water fountains. It is the juxtaposition of linear and non-linear, soft and hard, free-flowing and restrained that defines modern landscape design.

What are the different woods we should consider?
Pressure-treated pine is the most popular choice for wooden decking in this region. It stands up well to our weather and damp soil.

However, cedar and redwood have natural resins that protect them from weathering and rotting, too. Cedar works well for decks because it possesses dimensional stability and a natural resistance to decay. These woods provide a firm base for many types of stains and paints.

Can Exterior Worlds help us with maintenance and ongoing care?
Moisture and the ultraviolet rays of the sun, something we have in abundance here in the Houston area, are the two biggest enemies of wooden decks. We help our clients address these issues with services included in our landscape maintenance contracts.

For regular cleaning, wood can be cleaned with a special cleaner and, for especially stubborn mildew stains, a small amount of household bleach diluted with water will work.

We suggest that wooden decks be protected every two years or so with a penetrating, clear wood finish or stain. We also check for protruding nail heads and any rotten areas, especially on stairs and railings.

Outdoor Kitchens

Exterior Worlds was contacted by a client with a unique landscaping challenge. Between one wing of their home and their garage, there was pie-shaped area of the yard that had never been used. This area was too large to ignore, but it was also too small to build a structure of any considerable size. At first the challenge was a bit perplexing. What were we to do with such a unique and difficult space? Fortunately, thanks to our in-depth consultation process aimed at finding out as much as possible about the client’s interests, we learned that this couple loved to host dinner parties at their home. We asked them if they would be interested in having an outdoor kitchen built in this spot. To this they heartily agreed, excited at the possibility of combining outdoor entertainment with the very best in culinary experiences.

In order to make the outdoor kitchen both aesthetically sensible and fully functional, we had to make the most of the limited space we had available. Following the example of interior architects, we decided to build the outdoor kitchen along the side wall of the garage. It stretched from the side door all the way to the corner of the garage. A smaller segment was built at a right angle to this, creating both a sense of enclosure around the patio area, and offering additional surface area for use as a wet bar or food storage area. Cabinets and drawers were then installed in both segments, and a granite counter top was added to provide a durable, and also very ornamental, surface area upon which to work.

The intent was to make this outdoor kitchen a completely self-sustaining area that would never require the owners to run back inside to retrieve or prepare anything. A number of high-end appliances that are standard to custom indoor kitchens were installed to make cooking outside convenient and quick. There was a freezer and a refrigerator which could be used to store food for indefinite periods of time, just as indoor models can do. We also installed an ice maker to keep drinks cool on hot summer afternoons. For cooking, we built our clients a stove with a special side burner that they heating up sauces so the homeowners when cooking spaghetti and chili for their guests. To keep smoke from annoying our clients’ neighbors, we also installed an overhead exhaust vent. All of these appliances were designed for electrical operation on dedicated circuits. The only exception to this was a small, gas-powered grill we installed to allow the homeowners to cook hot dogs, hamburgers, and barbecue in the same area they prepared other foods outside.

We then added a travertine patio to the outdoor kitchen, and used the remainder of the space adjacent to it for a few organic touches. To liven up the appearance of the wall, we built a custom iron trellis with suspended plants growing in the middle. This added a nice contrast of green and black to the white backdrop of the white brick wall. The plants were individually lit as well, so at dusk and nightfall they appear to rise out of the wall and create a superb three-dimensional, organic presence. Near the smaller segment of the countertop, we planted a small herb garden and framed it with a lemon tree and an orange tree on either side. This garden not only added a more robust aesthetic to the area, but it also allowed our clients to grow the herbs they normally cooked with and pull them straight from the garden when preparing meals.

We then enclosed the entire garden area and trees with a special fence made from pressure treated pine framed by iron around the edges. This had the effect of enclosing the patio area with a sense of life and growth that gave the outdoor kitchen a much greater sense of life and vitality than many kitchens of similar design builds found indoors.

Houston Landscape Drainage

Why is landscape drainage such a vital part of my landscape?
Houston homeowners contend with heavy soils, low lying areas and torrential rains, thus making a proper drainage system essential. The benefits:

• To protect your home from flooding.
• To properly drain roofs, decks, landscaping and lawn areas to avoid standing water that can cause slippery surfaces, washed-out landscaping and mosquitoes’ breeding grounds.
• To protect the home’s foundation from cracking or uneven shrinkage and swelling.

Please educate me on the intricacies of a yard drainage system.
It begins with defining your watershed, which is the total landscape drainage area of your property and entails its different slopes, rates of run-off, soil porosity and the dividing line between each surface, such as lawn, roofs, and decks. You must understand that your entire property is a watershed, because if you have one area that retains water, simply installing a single catch basin only applies a band-aid to a much larger problem. A drainage expert can identify these different areas with a property watershed analysis and select the appropriate fixtures and size of pipe for your system.

There are three primary landscape drainage applications:

1. Downspout tie-ins. Downspout tie-ins take water from the gutters via an attachment to the larger drainage system. Tie-ins are made of plastic, metal or brass. As an alternative, catch-basins can be placed beneath downspouts where it is undesirable or not possible to use tie-ins. The catch basin then ties into the main drain line to carry water off the property.
2. Deck and patio drains. Deck drains are installed in patios, decks and walks so that water runs toward the drain or drains into garden beds. Made of metal, brass, stone, deck drains are smaller than catch basins and are only intended to drain patio surface areas.
3. Landscape and lawn drains. Landscape and lawn drainage is intended to drain low-lying lawn or landscape areas through an underground perforated pipe or catch basin. Most often, we use a 4” or 6” PVC pipe, installed underground that is perforated with a sock netting to keep out rocks, leaves and soil debris. Typically, drain pipes are buried beneath the ground in soil, gravel or bull rock trenches that follow the house’s foundation.

Landscape drainage maintenance, which we provide to our clients, consists of regular inspection, checking power connections on sump pumps and replacement of any cracked or broken drain covers. We also do cleanout of catch basins and downspouts.

Who should I work with when installing a storm drainage system?
We say—go with the pros. For one thing, local ordinances here in Houston are beginning to follow the model used by the Memorial Villages that requires minimum pipe sizes, flow rates, temporary drainage systems, engineered drainage plans, calculations, topographic maps, and as/built plans. If your drainage contractor embarks on a project without a thorough understanding of these demands, you can find yourself drowning in a big mess that can cost thousands to rectify.

Also the design, location and installation of your system should be seamless with all your landscape improvements, so it makes sense to only use competent subcontractors. Since our beginnings in 1987, we have built good relationships with a list of professional drainage contractors whom we can recommend.

Landscape Maintenance

Our landscape has become more and more sophisticated over the years and we need a landscape maintenance firm that can properly care for it. Can Exterior Worlds help us out?
A beautiful yard says something special about the homeowners and, after spending your hard-earned money on a landscape installation, it now makes sense to protect it and make sure it develops as designed. And that’s where an Exterior Worlds’ landscape maintenance program comes in.

The services listed below are part of any excellent landscape maintenance contract. But Exterior Worlds prides itself on providing extras, such as identifying unexpected diseases and providing an estimate for treatment, and treating all landscape elements—for example, your sculptures and statues, irrigation systems and landscape lighting—with particular respect. We are also mindful of hard surface maintenance: pathways, driveways, patios and outdoor kitchens. Water elements, such as swimming pools and outdoor water fountains, that may accumulate debris during trimming of shrubs or lawn are cleaned as well.

Please give us Exterior World’s philosophy of maintenance.
Landscape maintenance starts with your turf. Houston lawns typically need trimming weekly through the summer and bi-weekly in the winter. We also recommend that lawns be aerated twice a year, although with aeration the more often, the better.
Other key components of our maintenance program:

• Shrubs, Ground Cover and Vines. As part of our thorough landscaping maintenance program, hedges, shrubs and bushes are trimmed regularly to maintain the desired contours. Vines and ground cover are also edged to maintain a neat appearance. This regularly-scheduled maintenance ensures that all elements conform to the original plan of your landscape design.
• Flower Bed Maintenance. We weed flower beds weekly. We also turn the mulch every two weeks so as to keep the exchange of air and water flowing into and out of the soil. To optimize the growth and bloom cycles of seasonal flowers, we regularly prune and fertilize them.
• Tree Maintenance. All small trees are pruned as necessary. As a good practice of landscaping maintenance, we also schedule a deep root fertilization of these trees annually.

What about long-term care? An important step for your landscape’s long-term health is a pro-active fertilization and chemical treatment program. It provides a healthy boost to plants and is also a preventative for diseases and infestations common to our area.

We recommend that lawns be fertilized four times a year. All vines, ground covers and bushes should be on a similar schedule. Roses need to be fertilized in the spring, and then continued every four to six weeks during the growing season. Azaleas and gardenias need fertilization in April and May, and acidified in February.

For Houston lawns, one of the most common diseases is brown patch, or “Rhizoctonia solani.” The solution is a basic maintenance program involving a fungicide and herbicide treatment. For Houston roses, the major enemy is black spot disease, therefore roses need to be sprayed when black spot appears. Finally, we have found that all plants benefit from chemical treatments to protect against various insect infestations.

Hunters Creek Village Landscaping

One of the most desirable neighborhoods in the greater Houston area, Hunters Creek Village is well-known for its upscale homes, wooded lots and comfortable lifestyle. Hunters Creek Village landscaping, which serves as backdrop to these compelling features, has been aided by a city government that completed construction and infrastructure enhancement projects in 2008, including drainage and pavement improvements.

At the individual level, homeowners have taken on Hunters Creek Village landscaping projects of their own. They often begin by installing drainage systems in their yards. After more than 20 years in the landscaping business, Exterior Worlds knows the benefits of a good drainage system. It avoids drowned plants. It prevents standing water that can turn into mosquito breeding ground. It keeps your maintenance crew from stalling out when they show up for their regular lawn service duties.

Standard elements in an Exterior World drainage system include: channel drains, catch basins, and gutter downspouts and tie-ins. These components typically carry water out through the landscape drainage system by way of a PVC main drain line.

We have found that French drains can offer a reasonable solution. Their value can be found in the way they prevent surface and ground water from causing damage to your home’s foundation. French drains are also excellent when we use them behind retaining walls to relieve ground water pressure.

We often find ourselves talking about irrigation systems in the same breath as drainage systems. When you have too much of it or too little—water is a problem. A quality irrigation system can be every bit as important as a quality drainage system and we believe Hunters Creek Village landscaping benefits from both systems. Our clients find that an irrigation system, when properly spaced and laid out, helps them more easily care for their lawn and gardens in the absence of natural rain as has happened in the summer of 2009.

Developing a comprehensive drainage solution can help address your overall watering needs. While draining water off your property may seem like the most direct solution, an alternative is to dig a retention pond. It keeps water on your property to be eventually used by your garden beds, trees and lawn.

We also like to look at the soil as another drainage solution. The Houston area has a thick, clay soil, which, under normal circumstances, is tough to till. Add to that naturally occurring problem the way the soil has been compacted by years of construction and you have a nearly impervious surface. To address this problem, Exterior World recommends regular aeration.

If people have drainage problems around garden beds, we encourage them to consider raising the beds, a process which lifts the plants out of the waterlogged soil. This solution also avoids the problem of drainage pipes interfering with planting or making the soil unnecessarily dry.

Drainage issues can be addressed at several levels and from many angles. As professional drainage contractors, Exterior Worlds wants to work with you to devise solutions that work best for your Hunters Creek Village landscaping.

Since 1987, Exterior Worlds has provided high-end landscape design and services for the greater Houston area.

Custom Outdoor Fireplaces

I’ve been reading a lot about outdoor fireplaces. What can you tell me about them?
Outdoor fireplaces are a perfect outdoor luxury for the Houston climate. Wherever they are positioned—as a stand-alone, part of an outdoor kitchen or in a garden gazebo—are beautiful architectural elements. And they quickly become the central place where everyone gathers. Practically all of our clients want to have one, especially to take advantage of the mild winters we have in this part of the country.

If you are serious about installing an out-of-doors fireplace or fire pit, we suggest you consider the following design issues:

• Consider the views from the house. Are there privacy issues? Where are your focal points? Consider the view from the yard and take advantage of any outlook over a greenbelt, bayou or water way.
• Just as in a house, break up your landscape design into “rooms.” Often the outdoor fire element anchors an outdoor room.
• Large structures, like outdoor fireplaces, tend to alter the flow of traffic, so design accordingly.
• If you have a theme already established, work within that overall landscape intention. Perhaps you’ve selected a modern landscape design or Mediterranean landscape design, two very distinctive residential garden styles. If so, you want the fireplace to be of the same design and material.
• Incorporate the fireplace with other hardscapes. For instance, landscape lighting adds drama. Out-of-doors fireplaces and fire pits are all about ambiance. We recently built a dining area that is situated in front of an outdoor fireplace. Now we’re training a tree limb to grow over the dining table so that when the limb gets big enough, we can wire a chandelier to hang from it.
  

What do I need to know about zoning and permitting?
Most zoning regulations restrict how closely you can construct an out-of-doors fireplace in relation to all other buildings. Most regulate side and rear property line setbacks and have rules regarding slope setbacks and height restrictions. Check with your local authorities because regulations vary from city to city. A landscape architect or landscape designer can help you navigate through the zoning issues.

Tell me about some of the safety issues.
While fire pits and fireplaces enhance any landscape design, they must be used safely. Exterior Worlds advocates these safety measures:

• Always have fire extinguishers on hand.
• Use fire screens to keep logs from rolling out of the fire and limit air-borne soot and cinders from flying about.
• Keep all outdoor furniture safely away from the fire.For wood-burning fireplaces, it is a good safety practice to schedule regular professional chimney cleaning. A good rule of thumb is to base the spacing of the maintenance on the amount of wood you burn. As long as you have no problem with birds’ nest and other debris, you need to get your chimney cleaned after burning two cords of wood—however long it takes.
• If using a fire pit, follow the manufacturer’s directions and obey all city regulations.

Landscape Lighting Design Houston

We enjoy other people’s landscape lighting and are considering installing some in our yards. What benefits should we expect?
Landscape lighting adds a theatrical element to your landscape by enhancing the way light and shadow play together. You can showcase certain aspects, such as beautiful trees and a garden arch, or downplay a less desirable feature by leaving it dark. From a value-added viewpoint, it is a relatively inexpensive way to increase your property’s worth.

It also provides security and safe access—through gates and entryways or across a flagstone patio, for example. Our clients tell us that they love coming home from work after dark and still being able to enjoy the outdoors due to their landscape lights. In other words, the landscape is now a 24-hour pleasure. We call it artistry with lights.

Will you please educate us on the different types of landscape lighting?
There are many types of lighting techniques, each serving a particular purpose:

• Up-lighting: Because up-lighting is dramatic, it is very effective for small trees or trees with interesting shapes. We generally recommend mercury vapor lights when up-lighting trees since incandescents or halogens have a tendency to make trees look dead. Conversely, incandescents work well for uplighting garden arbors and outdoor gazebos.
• Down-lighting: Downlighting casts quirky shadows on the ground, similar to the moon’s effect. We use mercury vapor for this technique because it brings out the greens of plants.
• Feature lighting: If your yard is your stage, then feature lighting is your spotlight. We use it to highlight outdoor water fountains, sculptures and other garden structures. Incandescent bulbs are recommended for feature lighting because of their ability to bring out the colors in building materials like brick, wood and stone.
• Architectural illumination: We use this concept to showcase the architecture of the home. A variety of landscape lights and techniques is used.
• High voltage lighting: Great for lighting extensive lawn areas or large trees, most high voltage lighting uses mercury vapor.
• Low voltage lights: We recommend these lights, usually 12 volts, for pathway lighting and for lighting small items such as urns, address markers and garden sculptures. They are less expensive to install than high voltage since they don’t require conduit.
• Incandescent lights: Incandescents are invaluable in lighting a landscape because they are dimmable, thereby ratcheting up the drama. Using the old fashioned tungsten filament, they bring out the colors in masonry, wood, stucco and other architectural features.

What can Exterior Worlds tell us about the installation process?
Expertise is essential in landscape lighting design, planning and installation. Since you don’t want to see the nuts and bolts of the systems—you just want to see the beautiful effect the landscape lights create—about 50 percent of the technical work has to do with placement. When done poorly, you wind up seeing too much of the fixtures or with glares.

We also recommend mechanical time clocks to our clients. They help cut down on the use of electricity especially for feature lighting, up-lighting and architectural lighting. Another practical device, timers save you from having to remember to turn the lights on and off.

Hedwig Village Landscaping

One of the loveliest communities in Houston, Hedwig Village is prized for its charming lifestyle, good schools, advantageous location and upscale homes. Exterior Worlds has offered high-end landscaping solutions and services for Hedwig Village landscaping for more than 20 years. Working with some of the area’s top-notch landscape architects and landscape designers, our landscape designs are specifically tailored to your needs and desires and to the requirements of your property.

Hedwig Village landscaping offers much potential for landscape garden designs. Exterior Worlds uses the basic design principles of balance, harmony, proportion and scale to create these distinctive gardens:

• English garden design. This seemingly casual approach to gardening is actually quite intentional—a gardening principle guided by the idea of profusion and plenty. English gardens have long been popular in the United States and are especially well-suited for Houston’s semi-tropical climate. In this style, Hedwig Village landscaping could make good use of showy rose gardens and vine-covered garden arbors.
• Modern landscape design. For this look, designers use dramatic geometric shapes to convey a point of view that is elegant and effortless. Cool, gray concrete often creates a backdrop for a beguiling focal point such as a contemporary water fountain.
• Classic landscape design. A type of formal landscape design, this garden style uses linearity to create order. Perhaps a row of trees creates a line for the eye to follow or maybe it’s an inviting gravel path. We suggest that any harshness be toned down with perennials and ground cover.
• Japanese garden design. A concept inherent in Japanese gardening is that the garden is a true retreat. Concurrent with retreat is the idea of enclosure—to be sealed away and protected from the outside world. Thus, we use fences, gates and pathways as important elements in a Japanese garden.
• Mediterranean landscape design. Plantings help create this look and the best gardens use any of the lush flowers and shrubs common to the Mediterranean region. Creeping vines may adorn fences and posts, while vegetable and herb gardens are both aromatic and delightful for cooking. With their pleasing sounds, outdoor water fountains make a welcome statement in this style.
• Low maintenance gardens. With a design for low maintenance, we devise gardens that are basically done in any garden style that you choose. But it comes with a twist: we focus on using materials that reduce your cost of ongoing maintenance, which are, watering, trimming, weeding and mulching. For instance, we would avoid planting hedges with boxwood and dwarf yaupons since they need constant pruning.
• Green gardens. “Green” green gardens refer to landscapes that are ecologically sustainable, productive and prudent. Our suggestions include installing drought-tolerant lawns and augmenting your irrigation systems with a water retention pond. French drains work well, too.

A final touch for your Hedwig Village landscaping: the right landscape lighting. It allows you to showcase beautiful trees, an element that the Memorial Villages are known for, and we recommend it as a relatively inexpensive way to increase your property value. At the same time, it provides security and safe access.

Piney Point Village Landscaping

What was once a stop-over for travelers on the way to and from Stephen F. Austin’s headquarters in San Felipe de Austin, Piney Point Village is now a thriving and prosperous city within a city. Luxurious and vital Piney Point Village landscaping is just one of the reasons people want to live here.

Pecan trees, bald cypress, red maples, sweetgums, magnolias, loblolly pines, willow oaks—these are just a few of the tree species to be found within a Piney Point Village landscaping setting. How apt that, in 1824, John D. Taylor took “Piney Point” as the name of the land grant he received from Stephen F. Austin.

Exterior Worlds can help you with expert care for your trees. For instance, if you’re planting new trees, perhaps due to the damage caused in 2008 by Hurricane Ike, planning for a diversity of species within your landscape is one way to safeguard against disease. One rule of thumb is that no single species should compose more than 10 percent of the total tree population in a given area.
Speaking of hurricanes, tropical storms and monsoon-like rains, drainage systems are another smart way to protect your Piney Point Village landscaping. Exterior Worlds understands the high standards set by the Memorial Villages’ regarding drainage systems. We have become pros at devising systems that fit those guidelines. Also, we work with several landscape architects or landscape designers who can assist in integrating hardscapes and other landscape architecture in and amongst your trees.

Tree preservation is an important issue we advise clients on who are undertaking a construction project. Installing temporary irrigation systems, fencing off the root zone and performing deep-root fertilization are just a few of the procedures that will help your trees better handle the stress.

To protect the health of your trees, we also provide professional mulch installation. Mulching has many benefits: it holds back weeds, grass and other plants that compete for moisture and it helps prevent the soil from cracking and compacting. Our crews are careful to avoid piling mulch up along the trunk, even when it means spreading the mulch by hand, because excess mulch is not healthy for trees.

A pro-active disease prevention plan is another best practice that we recommend. We inspect trees for any infestations, especially pine bark beetles and bore insects that are deadly to trees when trees are stressed from construction or when Houston’s weather turns hot.

Just a short drive from downtown Houston, Piney Point Village is as noted today for its upscale homes and dedicated citizenry as by its many trees. However, most property owners are quite serious about providing quality care to those trees. After all, trees are valuable attributes of one’s property.

Trees can be found everywhere in Piney Point Village. The shade they make is welcome relief from the harsh sun. The green canopy creates a soothing exchange of light and shadow. They provide homes to an extended eco-system. Trees thus become the centerpieces in many Piney Point Village landscaping vistas.

Call Exterior Worlds at 713.827.2255 to discuss the care of your trees and other landscaping matters.

Bunker Hill Village Landscaping

Sitting at the edge of Texas’ Piney Woods eco-system and at an easy drive to downtown Houston, Bunker Hill Village mixes the best of country and city life. While the 1,300 or so homes there are noted for high-end appearances, Bunker Hill Village landscaping lives up to that depiction, too.

In addition to luxurious and sophisticated expectations, Bunker Hill Village landscaping is regulated by a 50+ page document for contractors called “Permits and Construction.” Items covered include fences, tree protection, lot coverage calculations, lot building lines, flood damage prevention, pool construction and allowed working hours.

With that kind of supervision—a diligence that enhances and protects your property value—working with Exterior Worlds can be one of your best decisions when it comes to navigating through Bunker Hill Village landscaping and its regulations. For example:

• Fences. We understand that, while fences are defined as structures that enclose a landscape and protect against intruders, they can also serve as a beautiful accompaniment to your home. The three broad categories of fences are: one—the basic perimeter fence that is mostly functional; two—the well-built fence constructed for longevity and durability; three—fences that, while providing security, also create detail and interest by serving as background for the gardens. In other words, shaping and framing them.
• Tree protection. Valuable attributes of the Memorial Villages landscaping setting, trees must get special care. The regulations understandably want to protect them and the rights of all property owners. Our recommendations regarding tree preservation takes many forms. For an established property, it might entail trimming any dangerous limbs and regular inspections for insect infestations. During a construction phase, it may mean installing a temporary irrigation system.
• Flood damage prevention. The past few years have made flood and water damage a most relevant subject. For homeowners, we think a drainage system on your property is the best preventative and best protection. A qualified drainage contractor such as Exterior Worlds will help you install a proper drainage system and still be up to code regarding the local ordinances.
• Pool construction. Luxury swimming pools are fun, healthy and beautiful. But they must be done right from the very start. It begins with the pool design and continues through ongoing maintenance. As professionals, Exterior Worlds looks at the whole landscape design project and avoids common mistakes, such as setting the pool elevations too low or too high.
• Professionalism. It is a quality better demonstrated than talked about. You see it in the yard where the fencing and gates are always painted and in good repair. Or maybe it is expert pruning so that even the small plants grow in the desired and natural contours. Maybe it’s mulch installation that is done regularly, sometimes even by hand.

Bunker Hill Village landscaping deserves the best. All the time, effort and money you’ve poured into your property is richly on display. Let Exterior Worlds, with our access to and relationships with the best landscape contractors, landscape architects and landscape designers in the area, tailor-make landscape solutions for you.

Call Exterior Worlds at 713-827-2255

Professional Landscape Estimating

Professional landscape estimating involves a number of factors essential to landscape architecture. Materials are among the most important of these factors, as they heavily influence both the aesthetic and functionality of structures and forms. Cost studies have to be conducted to determine in which materials are best suited to build certain structures. If budget is a concern, basic materials will have to be used in order to trim costs.

Some people are willing to pay more to have an opulent or luxurious look. For these clients, landscape estimating has to factor in the customization factors of both the design and construction phases. It takes much more time draw up plans that feature a high level of craftsmanship and ornamentation, and the cost of the materials needed for such sophistication is almost always higher.

One highly variable component of professional landscape estimating is labor costs. Depending on the complexity of structural design, the amount of time needed to complete the project will vary significantly. Larger structures are naturally going to feature more square footage and open vertical space, and this, of course, will directly impact project completion time. Also, certain structures may require the expertise of subcontracted professionals who bring their own labor costs to the table.

It may be necessary at this stage of the landscape estimating process to pause and take a step back. We may need to scale down the size of some of these structures in order to keep costs within client budget. Or, we may need to implement the project in phases so that the client can pay for each stage of the project in an installment plan.

Because so many variables factor into the final price of landscape design, estimating this total accurately would be impossible without first developing a master plan. This is why Exterior Worlds takes so much time in the consultation process to develop every detail of the plan before cost are every finalized. There are two reasons for this. First, laying a detailed schematic in front of the client allows us to see where the project can either be scaled down or completed in phases if the client has a fixed budget to work with. Secondly, it shows our team exactly where additional expertise will be required from subcontracted professionals in specialized disciplines.

There are many different types of subcontractors that can be brought in on any given project. Lighting design professionals are hired to illuminate landscape elements so they can be clearly seen and enjoyed at night. Many hardscapes require specialists in concrete or masonry. Pools are always built by pool contractors hired to construct a design we have already specified in the master landscape plan.

Estimating the costs of subcontractors requires us to add their price for labor and materials to the final invoice. It also involves factoring in the number of subcontract layers that constitute the entire labor force for the project, and the amount of management time we must invest in overseeing multiple specialists to ensure their product is developed in accordance with the scope and vision of our master plan.

Pool and Landscape

A Houston family hired Exterior Worlds as design consultants on a project that involved the installation of a new pool and the construction of an arbor, and outdoor kitchen, and a new landscape drainage and irrigation system. Each of these individual elements was built by contract professionals who came in on this project as partner companies. Each contributor invoiced their part of the project separately, but based on the homeowner’s request, followed the essential elements of our landscape and pool master plan.

The original swimming pool had been built considerably lower than the surrounding landscape and had a step leading down from the patio into the water. Apparently it had been installed to contribute a sense of elegance to the original design. In reality all the steps did was divide functional space in much the same way that a wall does.

We removed these steps and built a new pool at the same elevation as the surrounding landscape. This opened up all four sides of the structure for more patio area, seating, and decorations. We built the coping out of limestone and installed glass tile along the side, under the coping. We built a travertine stone patio around the pool out of travertine blocks. The travertine blocks were cut with Groutless joints that fit together with no space between them. On one side of the pool we built a heated spa with a spillway, underwater lights, and controls that allow the homeowner to regulate water flow, temperature, and lighting levels.

Between the spa and one corner of the pool, we built an arbor out of rough cut pine. We chose rough cut pine because it is much less expensive than cedar, and it lasts 3-5 times as long. We wanted the arbor to be one of the most comfortable and prominent gathering spots on the entire landscape, so we built it with a number of amenities and decorative features that made it more than just a place to sit and talk.

Speakers connected to an indoor audio system were concealed within the structure so that sound seemed to be coming from within the wood. Special lighting and lighting controls were also installed to allow for adjustable visibility and mood-altering effect. A custom stone floor was then built irregular, rectangular stones laid over a slab and fitted together by jointed edges that required no mortar.

To create a feeling of truly comfortable living space beyond the immediate vicinity of the pool, we planted a row of Japanese yew trees behind the arbor and up lit with special landscape lights. This created something of an emerald-colored backdrop that set off the warm tone of the furniture and added an extra layer of illumination to that of the pool and the arbor.

Memorial Villages Landscaping

You can make your Memorial Villages landscaping great—and Exterior Worlds can help you do it. Memorial Villages landscaping is ripe with creative opportunity. You can turn your landscape into a haven—or, in popular lingo, turn it into a staycation vacation spot. You might be thinking of upgrading your property in order to do more entertaining. Or maybe you’re simply tired of the same-ole, same-ole and want to perk up your yards.

For more than 20 years, Exterior Worlds has been transforming Memorial Villages landscaping from the mundane to the memorable. We tailor our landscape solutions specifically to your needs and desires. For example:

• Outdoor kitchens. Outdoor kitchens provide a gathering place that people naturally gravitate to, just as they do inside the house. When planning an outdoor kitchen, we can give you advice regarding integrating it with any other existing structures, including easy access to the indoor kitchen. Lots of electrical outlets should be included in plans for the cooking and dining areas. Summer kitchens also need proper lighting for general and task lighting purposes and accent lighting as well, such as mounted in nearby trees or attached to the grill.
• Custom swimming pools. Pools create a natural extension of your indoor living space. Additionally, luxury swimming pools are great for business entertaining, informal family gatherings and as hang-outs for the kids. Add-on options include underwater benches, a spa, waterfalls, negative edges, and a sun shelf (a specially-built feature for sunning). Exterior Worlds works with expert landscape architect or landscape designer who can turn your dreams for a pool into reality.
• Outdoor rooms. Outdoor rooms also extend your living area. They can be designed so that you don’t have to depend on Houston’s mercurial weather in order to enjoy the outdoors. Examples: screened-in porch, mist system, overhead fans. Perhaps you have under-utilized spaces on the side of your home, an area just waiting to be converted to an outdoor room. Or you can play off other structures on your property such as a detached garage or pool cabana. Pergolas and garden arbors help create lovely spaces and provide a venue to show off your green thumb when they are covered with vines.
• Drainage systems. While not as sexy as the above landscape elements, drainage systems can make the difference between enjoying every square foot of your property and being a prisoner in your own home. A well-designed yard drainage system provides proper grading, which creates positive drainage away from your structures while being respectful of your neighbors’ properties and not draining onto them. In recent years, the Memorial Villages have set the standard in drainage requirements and ordinances, something Exterior Worlds has become expert at complying with and navigating through.

Comprehensive landscape services are our specialty, especially Memorial Villages landscaping. We pride ourselves on our commitment to the customer and to excellence. And this pride in craftsmanship includes everything from custom-made outdoor water fountains to doing mulch installation by hand. Our skilled staff is ready to work with you to develop a singular style of landscape that fits the singular style of your life.

Tanglewood Landscaping

One of Houston’s most prestigious neighborhoods, Tanglewood is a lovely area of Houston covered in majestic oak trees and other wooded areas. More than 1,200 homes in 11 separate subdivisions make up this affluent part of the city.

Lot sizes run from about 8,000 square feet to two-plus acres, creating wonderful opportunities for Tanglewood landscaping. So, what makes for a distinguished landscaping in such a distinguished neighborhood?

At Exterior Worlds, our philosophy is that a regular, meticulously-executed landscape maintenance plan is the best way for you to protect the investment that you’ve made in your Tanglewood landscaping. Luxurious gardens provide a sense of pleasure, a feeling of well-being that is possible whether you’re looking out the window at a playful outdoor water fountain or entertaining guests in a custom outdoor kitchen.

Additionally, gardens can be quite helpful. When it comes time to sell your property, a distinctive and well-maintained landscape makes your home stand out, giving you an edge over other houses in your market.
A Houston landscape service company like Exterior Worlds can make sure your landscape develops as planned. We provide the level of intricate care that a multi-faceted landscape needs and deserves.

Some examples of the professional care that Exterior Worlds provides for Tanglewood landscaping include:

• We only use premium mulches bought from the best vendors in town. We generally mulch twice a year taking the time to install mulch so that there is no unnecessary build-up, even if it requires spreading it by hand. We are careful not to cover the weep-holes in a house’s foundation since mulch in weep-holes gives termites easy entry into your home.
• For utmost vitality of your garden, we think we can best perform the necessary tasks of clipping, pruning and trimming. As professionals, we understand plant form and use best practices for maintaining your plants’ appearances. We also recommend to our clients that flowers be feed and fertilized every six weeks.
• We pay close attention to the intent of the original design. Many of our clients have gardens done in a particular style, such as a Japanese garden, Mediterranean landscape design or modern landscape design. We understand how to care for different garden styles over the long term.

When Tanglewood was conceived in the 1940s, the developer named it Tanglewood after the collection of Greek myths that Nathaniel Hawthorne re-wrote for children. How appropriate that this title was chosen as the name of a neighborhood in a city famous for people who have the freedom and ambition to write their own myths of themselves.

Along those lines, Exterior Worlds recognizes that everyone is unique. Therefore our Tanglewood landscaping services can be customized for your specific needs. If you want a single element added to your landscape design, say, a custom fire and water fountain, we can do that for you. Or you may need only ongoing garden services. Combining our garden services with a pre-existing turf crew is often cost-effective for you. If so, we can customize a maintenance contract just for those garden chores.

Call Exterior Worlds for a private consultation to discuss your landscaping needs.

Tree Preservation

We just bought a tree-covered lot on which to build a new home. What can Exterior Worlds tell us about tree preservation?
We always remind our clients that trees are more delicate than most people realize and, unfortunately, construction kills a lot of them. Because trees are large organisms, it takes a while for them to die. Five years or more can pass before they finally do die and by then your builder is long gone. Their chances for survival are much greater with a little TLC.

What can be done to save the trees we want during construction?
We see three main offenders when it comes to the survival of trees during construction:

• Soil compaction. The main killer of trees during and after construction is soil compaction. The most common, yet overlooked, cause of compaction is foot traffic—in fact, compaction from foot traffic is the main killer of trees on a construction site. Additional soil compaction occurs when construction vehicles drive over the root zone and when construction materials are set down on the roots. If soil is piled onto the root zone that also compacts the soil and suffocates the tree by cutting off the exchange of gases in and out of the soil.
• Root damage. Root damage usually happens when digging for foundations, swimming pools, landscaping, irrigation systems, drainage systems and landscape lighting.
• Soil contamination. Soil contamination is normally due to construction materials, such as paint, turpentine, lime, cement, or acid, leaching into the soil.

What tree preservation method can builders use during construction?
Preconstruction:
One tree-saving action is to fence off the root zone to force traffic and storage away from the trees. Trees also benefit from deep root fertilization prior to construction so that they have as much nutrition as possible during building. If you know a tree’s roots will be cut or damaged due to the construction, have the roots trimmed beforehand. This measure is much less stressful on the trees than having the roots ripped and torn. Paths and bridges made of eco-friendly materials reduce the impact of the construction. Sometimes a temporary irrigation system is installed, especially if construction is expected to go on for a year or so.

Construction:
Hand-digging for utilities, electrical, plumbing and irrigation systems goes a long way in tree preservation efforts. Compressed air can be used to blast the soil away from tree roots. It allows contractors to see the roots and run underground conduits without cutting them. During construction, root barriers can be used to prevent damage due to installing new conduits for hardscapes, such as outdoor water fountains and outdoor kitchens.

How can Exterior Worlds help us after construction?
After construction, we suggest another deep root fertilization to ensure health. We also advise that trees be inspected and treated for insect infestations. Insects can kill really quickly when Houston’s weather turns hot and the trees are stressed from construction. Aeration is another important tool in tree preservation as it promotes root growth and combats compaction.

Modern Garden Design

Modern garden design allows functional elements of landscapes such as walkways, parking areas, and patios to be a part of the landscape as opposed to a typical stand alone element. This is typically seen in contemporary landscapes, which feature very stark geometry and oft abstract ideas. The inorganic predominates in such a yard, with the organic serving to frame or connect significant geometric design elements and outdoor forms. Gardens are minimalist creations, serving a master design plan that promotes human consciousness above the aesthetics of nature and fundamental patterns found therein.

In a contemporary landscape, the modern garden is primarily inorganic in both element and design. Its function is to support manmade structures and home architecture, not showcase natural elements as an aesthetic in their own right. Darker foliage is preferred in these settings because it adds to the sense of stark absolutism inherent in modern landscaping. Boxwoods and mondo grass are typically used in linear plantings than run adjacent to a wall, such as we commonly see in backyard design. Modern garden areas can also be planted inside of hardscapes by removing portions of concrete, blocks, or stone. This has the effect of making nature look contained within modern human paradigms, and forms of nature sculpted to human geometric design.

A modern garden can also function as a perimeter element that adds emphasis to a major contemporary design element. Modern fountains are normally very predominant elements in contemporary landscaping, and adding a circular planting around its base helps strengthen its sense of form. The linear elements of contemporary wall fountains can similarly be magnified with low-profile plantings that emphasize strong lines at the base of the fountain and geometric angles inherent to its design.

Many custom homes feature an eclectic blend of architectural styles and are not purely contemporary or modern styles, per se. A garden here can be more organic and diverse in its design, provided it supports some aspect of the home or yard that requires an added decorative touch. For example, many two-story and three-story custom homes are built with second story patios and rooftop areas that are characterized by a high level of linearity and symmetry. These attributes can be magnified by taking a traditional garden style—such as Italian or Mediterranean—and adapting its form and proportion along more modern lines.

Similarly, more organic lawns will need gardens that add color with flowering plants, and contribute a sense of vibrancy to front and back yards. The degree of color and variety in these gardens will depend entirely upon such factors as the size and proportions of the house, the color of its façade, the materials used to build the home and other outdoor structures, and the number of trees within the yard which by their very presence demand something of a more organic design sensibility as a support element.

Modern garden design ideas such as the ones described in this article can only be developed by licensed landscaping architects who understand the complexities inherent to a very challenging style where organic priorities are almost exclusively determined by inorganic ones, and where garden installation and proportion are predicated on manmade geometry and exterior forms.

Landscape Contractors

Who are landscape contractors and how can they be of service to us and our landscape design?
Landscape contractors take the plans and documents prepared by your landscape designer or landscape architect and put them into action. They organize the workflow and hire the tradesmen and subcontractors. Project management is the skill that proves their worth. We tell our clients that, in general, the more complex the project, the more important it is to have a single experienced professional as manager of your landscaping project.

Does Exterior Worlds think they are worth the additional expense—and if so, why?
Yes! We think residential landscape contractors earn their fee with their construction management skills, which begins with implementing the project’s steps in the correct sequence. The project list may include:

• Landscape installation, including tree preservation or tree removal
• Hardscapes (driveways, sidewalks, retaining walls, gates, fences)
• Outdoor rooms
• Water elements, such as luxury swimming pools and outdoor water fountains
• Landscape lighting
• Drainage systems
• Irrigation systems

Some people mistakenly think that a landscape project is as simple as doing the different parts in some kind of order—put in the patio, then call the outdoor gazebo guys, for example. However, in most landscape projects, one piece of the overall design is rarely installed in its entirety at one time; rather, it is installed in several steps with the subcontractor returning to the project several times before completion of his part. We have managed projects in which a single subcontractor has been called back five times to perform the incremental steps leading up to the completed installation.

Landscape contractors are really worth the money when you want all the spaces and elements to relate to one another. The more complex your design, the more important your landscaping contractor becomes. Exterior Worlds is frank with our clients as to where we can add the most value. If a client only wants a garden arbor installed, we may refer them to an arbor builder. But if they want, say, the arbor wired with landscape lighting and integrated with the patio design—then we can be of service.

When we start the interview process, what questions should we ask?
Here are some of the things you will want to know:

• How long has the firm been in business? Do they know Houston’s particular climate and environment?
• Request references.
• Request proof of insurance for liability and workers' compensation.
• Ask to see their portfolio.
• Does the firm use subcontractors? If so, how long have they been working together?
• Request your bid in writing. It should include the scope of work and estimated completion time.
• Is the contractor professional? Is this someone you want to do business with?

Once the installation is complete, will we still work with the same contractor?
Many general contractors, like Exterior Worlds, provide ongoing landscape maintenance of the projects we install. It creates a long-term partnership from which you benefit because the integrity of the original landscape design will be maintained.

Outdoor Backyard Design Strategies

To a very great extent, outdoor back yard design is shaped in accordance with entertainment needs. Most of our clients are individuals who prefer to host events at their own residence rather than fighting the traffic, road construction, and massive crowds that typify any given Houston weekend event. Consequently, it is top priority in their eyes that our team creates an outdoor living experience that is customized to preferred forms of entertainment, and that offers a sensibility and level of comfort that surpasses public venues.

This requires extensive consultation with the client so that we may learn what specific types of events they intend to host on their premises. It also requires us to get a strong sense of the client’s personal lifestyle and circle of family and friends so we can develop an outdoor back yard landscape that is genuinely representative of the mindset and values of both host and guests in attendance.
Outdoor structures built in the back yard will therefore vary considerably in any given landscaping plan. People with a love for the water are going to want to see more than a swimming pool on the property. Wall fountains and natural pools, and perhaps even a purely decorative koi pond, create special points of interests for guests who typically would drive up to four hours to get to a lake or prime spot on a beach, but now only have to visit a client of Exterior Worlds to have an evening by the water in the comfort of a private setting, and under the ambient glow of custom landscape lighting.

Outdoor structures have to be constructed with two frames of reference simultaneously in mind. The first of these is a sense of what we like to call calm repose. When groups of people begin to form in the back yard, they look for places to stand, sit, or recline so they can comfortably mingle at will. We have to be very mindful of the fact that everyone has a slightly different definition of comfort, so it is seldom that we ever design an outdoor area with one type of amenity. Instead, we develop a back yard with a blend of standing and seating areas in order to provide something comfortable for everyone who steps on premises.

Since events tend to get exciting, it is equally necessary to approach outdoor design from a second frame of reference as well, and that is accommodation of movement to any and all special points of interest in the client’s back yard. It makes little sense to build a natural swimming pool and waterfall at the far end of a property without providing a comfortable and safe means of transit to the pond. This usually means more than simply building a path that leads through trees and shrubbery. Houston can experience very heavy rains that can turn even the most beautiful properties into mud pools. Outdoor design must therefore incorporate sophisticated hardscape solutions, such as custom walkways, and specialized drainage systems that keep the back yard from becoming rain laden and temporarily uninhabitable.

Once outdoor amenities, comfort levels, and safe transit have been established, back yard design takes on a more deliberately aesthetic focus. Since we are creating a living experience in the midst of a natural setting, landscaping architects must devote a considerable amount of time and effort toward integrating manmade elements into their organic surroundings. This includes outdoor buildings such as summer kitchens as well as custom hardscapes such as garden patios. The point is not so much to make these structures appear less manmade, but rather to strategically position them in harmonious relationships with surrounding gardens and trees.

Memorial Villages Landscape Design

What services are offered by Exterior Worlds to the Memorial area?
We started working in the Memorial Villages in 1987 and since then have built a reputation for the highest level of customer service with our all-inclusive landscape solutions. In particular, it is shown by the creative, consistent work delivered by our quality crews and contractors for the discriminating residents who live in Hedwig Village, Piney Point Village, Hunters Creek Village and Bunker Hill Village.

What makes Exterior Worlds unique?
Knowledge of Memorial landscaping needs is a requirement for all designers at Exterior Worlds. That prerequisite along with our 20+ years of experience and good relationships with the best sources of Houston landscaping materials make us an outstanding choice for your landscaping needs. We believe in holding ourselves to the highest standards rather than choosing sub-par materials to increase our profits. It is our way of honoring the impeccable taste of our clients.

Additionally, our crews are the best in the business, especially in meeting the exacting demands of a Memorial landscaping job. They understand the business from a simple color change-out to the most challenging construction projects.

I’ve heard that the Memorial Villages have strict zoning and code requirements. What can you tell me about them?
It is not enough for a Houston landscape designer to have an eye for color and design. They must also have a thorough understanding of local codes and permitting. Exterior Worlds stays up-to-date on these ever-changing procedures, rules, codes and best practices. Our goal is to deliver a superior landscape project that meets all codes and goes as smoothly as possible. Landscape contractors unfamiliar with proper permitting procedures end up costing their customers time and money since non-compliance can bring the work to a complete halt.

If you are undertaking a Memorial landscaping project, here are some of the permitting requirements you need to consider and fulfill:

• Tree removal codes
• Storm drainage
• Lot coverage percentages
• Replacement quotes
• Landscape lighting codes
• Swimming pool regulations
• Fence and gate codes

Drainage problems are evident in any Memorial landscaping undertaking. Does Exterior Worlds have expertise in this area?
The Memorial Villages have set the standard for storm drainage issues with their requirements regarding minimum pipe sizes, flow rates, temporary drainage systems, engineered drainage plans, calculations, topographic maps, and as/built plans. In fact, local ordinances in other parts of the greater Houston metropolitan area have begun to follow their model.

If drainage contractors embark on a project without a thorough understanding of these demands, you may find yourself flooded in a costly mess that can eat up your budget and delay your landscaping project.

Where are you located?
Centrally located near Interstate 10 and the 610 Loop, we can be anywhere in the Memorial Villages within minutes. This location also makes us convenient to our River Oaks, West University and Bellaire customers. Further we can easily service our clients in the outer Houston suburbs such as The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Clear Lake, Kingwood, Carlton Woods and Richmond-Rosenburg in a timely fashion.

Commercial Irrigation Systems

For more than 20 years, Exterior Worlds has installed commercial irrigation systems in the greater Houston area that provide convenience and peace of mind. Sprinkler systems help control the correct amount of water to the various plant materials.

Commercial irrigation systems divide your landscape design into separate zones, usually by grass, beds and color areas, which have different watering needs due to varying plant materials and sunlight conditions. They help maintain the health of your commercial landscaping, whether it’s the time of year for Houston’s infamous monsoon-like rains or we’re in drought conditions.

The typical irrigation system contains a complex system of heads and controller technology that we use to create a site-specific system for your commercial property. Features include:

• Pop-up spray heads that are perfect for smaller spaces such as landscape beds and odd spaces created by sidewalks. These small heads usually produce a fan-shaped spray of water.
• Drip irrigation and bubblers work well for trees and specialty gardens; also containers such as pots, planters and urns.
• Rotors are water heads that work well in expanses of grass. Rotor describes the sprinklers that operate by rotating streams of water back and forth across the landscape.
• Controllers contain sophisticated programming, such as rain sensors and water delay features, that prevents over-watering of your plant material during times of natural rain.
• Timers and time delays let you set an automatic schedule for your property while still allowing you the ability to switch to manual for the unexpected occasions.

In the pre-planning phase, Exterior Worlds works under this supposition: good coverage and plenty of valves equal great control. We believe that proper head spacing within an irrigation system is crucial for proper watering coverage. These calculations and the specific measuring of head locations are the steps that provide even coverage. Most systems available today are divided into circuits, each with its own control valve. Control valves are operated by an electronic controller that turns each circuit on and off according to the schedule you desire.

If your property is in the construction phase, we suggest a proactive tree preservation plan. It may include a temporary irrigation system to water the trees during construction. We also recommend hand-digging around trees to minimize damage to them and their root systems. As with all digging, it is important to call for utility line locations first. If you want to install an irrigation system in an established lawn, trenches should be hand-dug so as not to disturb any lines and wiring, including landscape lighting wiring.

When installing an irrigation system, plans and permits are required by some cities, a process in which our experience really comes to the fore.

Ongoing maintenance is the last critical requirement of commercial irrigation systems. These systems require regular care, such as the replacement of broken heads and stuck valves. Before working with any contractor, Exterior Worlds advises that you understand what kind of commercial landscape maintenance service is offered after the installation.

The bottom line is that commercial irrigation systems save time, money, energy and water.

Houston Lawn Maintenance

What are the special considerations of Houston lawn maintenance?
Once you’ve finished the design and installation of your landscape, then comes the day-in, day-out care of it, its plant material and hardscapes. Because of our climate, Houston lawn maintenance requires year-round attention to maintain the intent of your original design, add any new elements, such as seasonal color, and perform the tasks peculiar to our climate and environment.

As a premier Houston lawn service company, Exterior Worlds recommends that ongoing maintenance begins with your turf—its health, care and looks. Houston yards demand mowing and trimming once a week in the spring and summer months. From November through February, you can do it every other week. Dethatching, the process of removing thatch or excessively thick grass, is an important part of turf maintenance and promotes healthy lawns. It is done by hand or machine.

A great way to keep your yard beautiful throughout the fall and winter months is by seeding the lawn with winter grass. Early to late October is normally the best time to spread it, as dictated by local temperature ranges. It should be noted, however, that rye grass does have some disadvantages. For example, rye grass can compete with the St. Augustine grass for nutrition and space, making it difficult on the St. Augustine when springtime arrives. In particular, this struggle occurs in shady areas where St. Augustine typically has difficulty establishing itself.

We also encourage lawn aeration, sometimes called core aeration. This lawn care practice is recommended for compacted, heavily-used turf and also to help control thatch build-up. Lawn aeration involves the use of a core aerator to remove small soil plugs or cores out of the lawn. A different type of aerator pushes solid spikes or tines into the soil without removing a plug, a procedure known as spiking. Because of Houston’s clay soil, spiking is not as effective as core aeration since spiking can actually contribute to compaction.

We are also big believers in the value of a sensible chemical program. Types of fertilizers we use include organic, semi-organic, slow release, fast release, winterizer, and low salt. Two other important treatments are insecticides and fungicides, which help control the ever-present danger in Houston lawn maintenance care of disease, fungus and insect infestations.

What can Exterior Worlds tell us about water management and irrigation systems?
For deeper water penetration, which gives your plant material stronger root systems and healthier plants, we recommend watering long and less often. It makes your lawn more drought-resistant, plus you save money because you water less.

Investing in an irrigation system can be a time-, money- and energy-saver for your Houston lawn maintenance program. We suggest quarterly inspection of your system since sprinkler systems, like all machines, break down from time to time and need repair. A regularly-scheduled survey prevents the loss of water from undetected leaks, something that is important for the environment and your bank account. Attention to this detail is extremely important on large residential properties and commercial lawn maintenance.

Can Exterior Worlds help us with ongoing maintenance?
Absolutely. Please follow this link which talks about our maintenance contracts.

Houston Pool Design

We are thinking about putting in a swimming pool. What can Exterior Worlds tell us about Houston pool design services?
Exterior Worlds excels at working with a discriminating clientele and all their landscape design needs, including the design and build-out of a pool. A major plus in hiring Exterior Worlds to handle your Houston pool design is the overall vision and concern we would have for your project. In general, pool contractors aren’t concerned with the whole landscape design project and make errors, such as setting the pool elevations too low or too high, and disregarding the home’s architecture.

These days, a luxury swimming pool is a necessity for any upscale home in our area. When it comes time to sell your home, it is an expected amenity. Additionally, the pool and all its components complete the design of the home and extend your living space. Swimming pools are great for entertaining, whether you do casual get-togethers, family gatherings or business entertainment. And best of all—as anyone who has endured our long hot summer season will agree—pools provide a natural place to cool off.

As for the design element, you can choose from any number of interesting shapes, materials and plantings. Whatever suits your tastes and needs—from a dramatic play of water to the simple fun of playing in the water. A water-park for children, a cocktail pool, an Olympic-sized pool or a water work of art are just a few examples of pool designs.

What materials are people using in building a swimming pool?
It is an exciting time in pool design, which has seen an explosion of quality finishes. With plaster, the standard is still marcite, which hardens like concrete and seals the interior of the pool. You can find upgrades in a full spectrum of colors and textures. Popular brand names for a Houston pool design include Diamond Brite™ and 3M™ Colorquartz™.

You can also have fun with the color of the plaster. Manufacturers now offer an array of colors for pool finishes—blues, greens, even black. Of course, a neutral palette is always appropriate and provides a timelessness that avoids a dated look when fashion changes.

Coping is the area that immediately surrounds the pool and blends the pool area into your total landscape architecture. Our clients like tile, stone and brick because of their non-slippery surfaces, something that is essential in a wet area.

By the way, if you have an existing pool that needs updating, you can use these materials for that purpose, too.

What are some of the other choices we’ll be facing when thinking about our Houston pool design?
Just to name a couple:
You might want to look into the salt systems, which have both pros and cons. The main thing to be aware of concerns the surrounding material choices since salt has a corrosive effect and it can cause soft decking materials to deteriorate.

Pools are an excellent place to work in a spa or an outdoor water fountain. You’ll not only enjoy them, but get the benefit of eliminating the maintenance of an additional body of water.

Commercial Ground Maintenance

As a commercial property manager or owner, you are faced with your everyday juggling act of meeting the demands of tenants, providing property security and controlling budgets. Time management is critical. Therefore, you want to find a commercial ground maintenance company who will partner with you in reaching your short-term and long-term goals. It will only make your job easier to work with a provider, such as Exterior Worlds, who honors your time by fulfilling our commitments with little supervision from you.

The benefits of a high quality commercial ground maintenance program, such as we offer, include:

• Protects your financial commitment
• Provides pleasurable surroundings for your customers or your tenants and their customers
• Retains tenants by maintaining inviting and enjoyable greenspaces
• Helps conserve and improve your overall property value

The principal components of our commercial maintenance program involve:

Lawn maintenance services. One of the major aspects of a commercial landscape maintenance program, turf maintenance is more than just mowing the grass. It entails edging, feeding and treating, all activities undertaken to promote vigorous growth. It also includes a complete clean-up so that your tenants can return quickly to enjoying the grounds once the crew leaves.
Annual plantings. Regular rotation of color is an important part of maintaining a positive image in the public eye. The staff of Exterior Worlds possesses skilled knowledge of plant material, color, and texture that creates designs that people will remember. Mulch installation and mulch maintenance prevents erosion and helps the soil retain moisture.

Trimming bushes, hedges and ground covers. As part of our complete commercial ground maintenance program, smaller plants and ground cover are trimmed regularly to the ideal contours. The intention is to ensure that all elements conform to the original landscape design.

Fertilizations and feedings. As a form of insurance for your plants, we provide a scheduled feeding program to ensure the health of acidic, tropical and seasonal color plants. The feeding program may be supplemented by spring and fall aeration of lawn areas.

Chemical treatments. We believe insecticide and herbicide treatments are also critical to the overall health of plants. Regular observation and diagnosis of plant pests and diseases are an important step in an inclusive and proactive commercial ground maintenance program.

Inspection of irrigation system. It is critical to have irrigation systems that work smoothly. Otherwise it can be very costly. Proper maintenance minimizes the chance of copious amounts water pouring out of broken lines and heads. Preventive maintenance has resulted in savings of as much as $5,000 to $10,000 per month for some of our commercial clients.

Tree preservation and care. We also provide top flight care for your trees, which are valuable attributes of your property. To avoid insect infestations, trees need to be inspected regularly. Insects can kill trees, especially if the trees are already stressed due to construction or when Houston’s weather turns hot. Because the Houston summer can be very hard on trees, deep root fertilization is important for healthy trees. Regular aeration also supports root growth.

Whether you want to improve the cost of maintaining your landscape, have a new property that needs service, or want to ramp up an under performing one, call Exterior Worlds at 713-827-2255 to discuss your landscaping needs.

Commercial Drainage Systems

In Houston, storm drainage issues are very serious due to our flat topography, dense clay soils, and heavily-forested lots compacted by years of construction which have increased impenetrable surfaces. These factors have caused more streets and properties to become flooded during the hardest rainfalls. Exterior Worlds understands these challenges that commercial real estate owners face. Our experience translates into devising and installing commercial drainage systems that work for you.

Commercial drainage systems benefit your greenscapes, sidewalks, driveways, planters, retaining walls and foundations. They are also a useful tool on a construction site during the building phase.

Drainage systems also have an overall positive impact on your commercial landscape maintenance program. A proper landscape drainage system is essential for the care of your lawn areas as it carries water off of your property quickly, thus encouraging healthy grass. Because of the timely removal of standing water, they allow your maintenance crew, such as we offer, to perform their regular lawn service duties. Since these systems drain water from low-lying areas, they prevent standing water that encourages mosquito proliferation, drowns your green plant material and causes slippery surfaces that are a danger to your clients.

Along with commercial drainage systems, irrigation systems are the workhorses of your landscape design, helping your plants to thrive and keeping your grounds safe and dry. The design and location of these two systems should be incorporated with the rest of the landscape design and made to work in concert with each other. Landscape designers or landscape architects can develop a big-picture plan so that the hardware of both systems is invisible as much as possible.

Some local restrictions may govern minimum pipe sizes, flow rates, engineered drainage plans, calculations, temporary drainage systems and as/built plans to address the region’s flooding problems. If you hire a drainage contractor who is unfamiliar with these demands, you may find yourself stuck in a murky swamp that can cost thousands to remedy.

When installing commercial drainage systems, we believe it is important to consider tree preservation. Pressurized water or compressed air can be used to dig deep trenches and expose roots, which minimizes damage. Another method is to dig trenches by hand around trees to limit damage to the root systems.

Typical drainage systems for commercial properties may use the following elements:

• Gutter downspout tie-ins. Downspout tie-ins take water from the gutters to the landscape drainage system. Made of plastic, metal or brass.
• Catch basins, or yard drains. Catch basins are situated beneath downspouts when it is undesirable or not possible to tie into the gutter.
• French drainage. Designed to take water away from saturated soil, French drains are small ditches filled with undersized rocks or gravel.
• Channel drains. These strip drains are long and narrow. Used at the edge of sidewalks and parking lots or between structures and pavement.

Exterior Worlds’ goal is to help you achieve your investment objectives by preserving your asset for long-term appreciation. We are large enough to satisfy the most demanding commercial landscaping needs, yet small enough to deliver customized service for each client.

Since 1987, Exterior Worlds has provided high-end commercial and residential landscape design and services for the greater Houston area. Call 713.827.2255 to discuss drainage systems for your property.

Water Wall Fountain

Exterior Worlds custom builds wall fountains for clients seeking to add dimensions, decorative flair, and a serene sensibility to specific outdoor areas devoted to special conversation of moments of contemplation. These custom-built structures are very different from the retail forms sold in home and garden store fronts. They are made from superior-grade materials, and they work as compliments to surrounding landscape elements as well as elements in their own respect.

Wall fountains are built vertically into walls. On an aesthetic level, they add a very unique decorative presence that creates a sense of special space around itself. On a functional level, they work to set aside a portion of the landscape as a place of tranquility and contemplation. Wall fountains are frequently used as terminal points for axial gardens. They are also commonly constructed near morning gardens, private patios, or garden areas based on Eastern forms representative of meditation and inner peace.

Regardless of where they are constructed, wall fountains always play a very significant role in décor. Fountains of any kind add an attraction factor to the landscape. However, when a fountain is built directly into a vertical wall, an extra sense of dimension is created by the expansion of wall space into the interior of a courtyard or landscape. These walls do not have to be brick or stone, either. Technically speaking, the interior of a swimming pool is a wall, and a fountain built into the structure of the pool and illuminated with appropriate light sourcing adds a sense of special luxury and artistic environment to one of the most popular areas of the yard.

Wall fountains are typically veneered with tile, stone, brick, or glass that can be illuminated to stand out at night. The interiors design of these structures is equally sophisticated as well. Unlike generic retail models, they have to be carefully constructed for silent operation. In many respects, they are built much like swimming pools. They must be fitted with filters, auto fills, interior lighting, plaster, tile, and skimmers. Almost all are built around a gunite basin to ensure years of reliable operability. Without exception, pumps are remotely installed in order to ensure silent operation.

Wall fountains can be built to reflect any style of landscaping design. Some are designed to intentionally fill the entire vertical space with a specific geometric theme that mirrors home architecture and general landscaping style. Others are designed to mimic forms of mythological beings, angelic figures, or objects found in nature. These images are normally chosen by the homeowner according to personal tastes, beliefs, or artistic interests.

While we may design these forms with some of the same motifs, images, and symbols as the ones used in retail fountains, we never replicate the generic in our work. In fact, we do not build these fountains as stand-alone elements or add-ons to yards. Our work is custom-built to support general landscaping themes, or to add a special nuance to a specific area of interest or outdoor structure.

Ornamental Gates

Our gates have a bad case of the blahs. What can Exterior Worlds suggest for them?
A pitch-perfect garden entryway can enliven the overall landscape design, especially when it complements the style of your home. Garden gates can be used as focal points, a visual technique that brings the landscape design into focus and gives it definition. By directing the eye and giving it a place to rest, ornamental garden gates can be used to break up an over-sized yard by placing one in the near distance and along the fence line.
Here are some other ideas we’d like to suggest:

• A fresh eye-catching color that demands attention.
• A material that reflects a choice made within the house, such as wrought iron gating that matches the interior’s wrought iron staircase railing.
• Landscape lighting not only provides secure entry, but also makes for an interesting interplay of shadow and light.

What are the best materials to use for gating?
Cedar and redwood are good choices for gating material in Houston’s climate. In particular, cedar is a likely option because it wears well and is resistant to insects—plus, Houston landscape designers like to use it to provide that “Texas” look. Bamboo and rattan are also sturdy enough for this area. Somewhat less expensive than wood, they work really well in a Japanese garden or modern landscape design.

If you like to mix textures, we’d like to offer the idea of using both wood and painted aluminum. Other clients have asked us to custom-build fences around antique garden gates they’ve purchased elsewhere, adding an unexpected element to an ordinary fence. As a security measure, you can always put a one across the driveway. When used in this capacity, they are most often made of iron, aluminum, or wood.

Are there any plants that work particularly well with such decorative entryways?
Plants can make them more inviting. When combined with a garden arbor or other hardscape, the effect can be stunning. Plant suggestions for the Houston area:

• Crossvine is an evergreen that blooms heavily in spring.
• The Mexican flame vine is aptly named with yellow and orange flowers that come out in the fall.
• Butterfly pea puts out blue flowers annually around June.
• Mandevilla and allamanda put out large, fragrant flowers in pink, red, white and yellow.

Are there any design considerations that we should know about?
When we put in fencing and gating, we like to hide them in the landscape as much as possible. You can do it with good landscape design. For example, a fence that cordons off a pool area can be woven among shrubs, making it safe, up to code and aesthetically pleasing.

You also need to take into account Houston’s expansive soil. If your gating comes with a knob, eventually the locking mechanism may not line up properly because the ground has shifted. A garden arch over the gating can serve as a frame that keeps the gating square and plumb with the knob’s receiving plate.

Drainage Systems

We want to educate ourselves before taking the plunge and putting in a drainage system. Can Exterior Worlds help us out?
For more than 20 years, Exterior Worlds has seen our clients through the process of putting in a drainage system. Because we live at only about 40 feet above sea level, not to mention the 21 major bayous in the area and the regular appearance of tropical storms, Houston landscapes require such a system.

Here are the main elements required for landscape drainage:

• Gutter downspout tie-ins. These tie-ins are designed to take water from the gutters to the landscape drains. Made of plastic, metal or brass, they sometimes have a side cleanout with a see-through grate so they can be easily inspected for clogs.
• Catch basins, or yard drains. Catch basins can be placed under downspouts when it is undesirable or not possible to tie into the gutter. Catch basins are usually a plastic or concrete box that uses a plastic or metal drain grate cover to filter out yard debris.
• Deck drains. Your deck design should allow for a slope either toward drains or drain into the landscape beds. Special decorative drain covers, made of metal, brass or stone, can help with the visual impact.
• Channel drains. These drains are long and narrow usually placed between main structures and paving or at the edge of a patio or deck.
• French drainage. French drains are small ditches that are filled with undersized rocks or gravel and are designed to take water away from saturated soil.

What about local regulations and permitting issues?
Local ordinances are beginning to follow the model used by the Memorial Villages that require minimum pipe sizes, temporary drainage systems, engineered drainage plans, flow rates, calculations, as/built plans, and topographic maps.

All of these measures were put in place to protect homes and private property. In so doing, they also help your plant material to flourish into a full and healthy landscape. Your drainage contractor must have a complete understanding of the demands of the local governing body or you, as the homeowner, could wind up in the middle of a very expensive mess.

How will this system affect the rest of our landscape?
Proper drainage positively impacts residential landscape maintenance. By draining water from low-lying areas, it prevents standing water that can cause mosquito breeding grounds, soggy landscaping and slick surfaces. Proper yard drainage is essential for the care of your lawn because it moves water off your property quickly, thus encouraging healthy grass. It also permits your maintenance crew to perform their regular lawn service duties.

During installation of a drainage system, we recommend that trenches be hand-dug around trees to minimize damage to them. Or pressurized water can be used to dig deep trenches around the roots. You can also tunnel under tree roots by using compressed air. These tree preservation methods expose roots so they are not torn.

Drainage and irrigation systems can work in concert with each other. In fact, landscape designers or landscape architects can develop a whole-system approach so that the hardware of both systems is hidden as much as possible.

Modern Water Fountains

Modern architecture and landscaping rely heavily on geometry to convey abstract ideas. The intention is to create a world of thought by combining and morphing basic designs in new patterns that are clearly human in origin. Water fountains in these landscapes must support this intention with a clear departure from their traditionally ornamental appearance. Modern water fountains tend to feature either an emphasis on circular forms or sharp angles that support the eclectic elements of modern home design and suggest an altered reality based purely in the mind of man.

The most important thing to realize about modern water fountains is their absolute importance to contemporary landscaping. They are never used as secondary elements in such a setting. Instead, these fountains are central features to any modern landscape design. They are typically built in front yards to introduce the geometric themes of home architecture. In back yards, they are frequently constructed as central elements of custom patios, being built directly into the concrete, limestone, or stonework itself. Modern landscapers tend to avoid building these fountains too close to vegetation, and deliberately integrate them either directly into hardscapes, or construct them adjacent to hardscapes. Sometimes they are also built on the sides of walls in the framing area between the patio and the garden, although the structure and water itself even in these settings is separate from the organic elements of the design.

It may seem strange to many people that modern landscapers would deliberately avoid separating water from vegetation and instead make it a central feature of hardscape design. In order to understand why this is done, we have to pause for a moment and think about the very nature of modern design. Unlike other forms of design which rely heavily on materials and patterns taken directly from nature, modern landscaping intentionally seeks to depart from nature’s boundaries by establishing forms and patterns that are quite often stark, abstract, or downright shocking to the eye. This is done to emphasize the complexities of human thought processes and the often jumbled emotional states that lie buried within the subconscious mind beneath the surface levels of thought. Water has always been a symbol for spirituality or unconscious emotion, so it makes both practical and aesthetic sense to integrate its presence into a design style whose purpose is an exploration of consciousness itself.

Building these fountains separate and apart from gardens and vegetation further helps to promote the ideal of individuation. What was once a free-flowing and universal symbol that existed without boundaries now appears contained and limited in man-made geometric forms and structures of concrete and glass. Not only is this theme reinforced by the position of the fountain, but also by the material from which it is built. Modern landscapers normally select a material whose texture are exceptionally smooth and deviates from the traditional appearance of stone. Most water fountains designed in this style will consequently look shiny, translucent, or dull, depending on what most appropriately compliments surrounding elements. Lighting is a key element, both within a modern water fountain and around its exterior form. This allows it to be seen at any time, day or night, and further punctuates its significance after sunset, when it is often the most visible element on the property other than the home itself.

Backyard Remodeling

Backyard remodeling is one of the most important services offered by Exterior Worlds to Houston-area clients looking to improve the quality of life now and create a better return on their real estate investment. Backyard remodeling adds value to a home by improving the quality of outdoor life and creating a more balanced and amenable environment conducive to recreation, relaxation, and home entertainment. Scale and aesthetics are the two key determinants to creating a new living experience that is appears more warm and inviting to guests, and that projects a better sense of the homeowner’s personal lifestyle and space.

Backyard remodeling begins with a determination of scale before any new structures are planned or any physical labor is done. A survey is conducted of the entire property. Measurements are taken of the perimeter and of each individual form present. Existing elements are examined in relationship to home architecture, acreage, and the number and size of trees in the back yard. These forms are then mapped out so we can identify which structures must be altered to create balance. The intention here is to make each individual design element work both individually and collectively with the intention and the aesthetic of the back yard as a whole. Design software is essential to this initial phase in the remodeling process, because it allows us to manipulate forms from multiple vantage points until the right mathematical proportions are created that then function as a template for physical design and construction.

While every back yard is unique, and therefore carries with it its own unique set of needs, certain elements are almost always present that require our immediate attention before anything else is done. The swimming pool is perhaps the one thing in any given Houston back yard that almost always requires significant remodeling. Homeowners who contact us have either purchased a home with an existing pool, or they have previously commissioned the construction of a custom or luxury swimming pool as a focal point of home entertainment and recreation. Invariably, we discover that most of these pools, while very well designed as structures in their own right, simply do not look proportionate to the home itself or the surrounding forms of the landscape. In order to establish a new aesthetic for the back yard, we must redesign the pool so that it respects home architecture and more harmoniously blends with the surrounding landscape.

Other back yard elements vary widely in the degree of remodeling work required to generate a better, more proportionate outdoor living space. Existing outdoor buildings may require new roofing in order to bring their height into scale with that of the home and surrounding trees. It may also be necessary to modify the interior floor plans of these buildings to make them more appropriately suited to home entertainment. When it is not feasible to expand the square footage of an outdoor building, we may build a custom patio adjacent to its entrance that extends its interior space into open space. Certain decorative elements, such as fountains, may need to be moved or completely reconstructed to give the backyard a more updated, sophisticated sensibility.

Remodeling existing structures and hardscapes in this manner almost always creates new open space in a back yard that provides new opportunities for entertainment and décor. On larger properties, special elements such as putting greens and natural swimming pools can be added to give adults and children alike new areas of recreation and fun. Some families commission the construction of sports facilities dedicated exclusively to the kids. Ball courts and practice fields can be placed in segregated areas that are safe for children and easily seen by supervising parents. For homeowners looking to entertain large numbers of guests throughout the year, outdoor lounges, outdoor fireplaces, and summer kitchens can be constructed to accommodate specific, anticipated numbers of guests. Proportions, again, are always kept in scale to surrounding features in order to preserve the overall aesthetic of the property.

Trees, gardens, and other organic elements must likewise be proportionally scaled to compliment surrounding architecture and vegetation. This may involve trimming trees to create more balanced vertical and horizontal dimensions, or it may require installing tree lights that expand outdoor entertainment areas with increased visibility and lend an aura of mystique to the back yard. Garden designs have to be shaped around the newly remodeled structures and hardscapes. Tree preservation techniques must be practiced in most of these cases to prevent damage to root systems that may be running just beneath the surface of older walkways, patios, or flower beds. Professional landscape architects are the only people qualified to undertake such environmentally conscious remodeling efforts due to the complexities of these methods and the special equipment needed to protect trees from damage.

Drainage Contractors

We have GOT to put in a drainage system into our landscaping. Is this something that Exterior Worlds can help us with?
For more than 20 years, Exterior Worlds has been helping Houstonians deal with drainage issues, issues made very serious due to our dense clay soils, flat topography, and increased impervious surfaces because of heavily-forested lots being compacted by years of construction. These combined factors have caused more homes and streets to flood during our intense rainfalls.

As a result, local ordinances have begun to use the model currently employed by the Memorial Villages that require minimum pipe sizes, flow rates, engineered drainage plans, temporary drainage systems, topographic maps, calculations, and as/built plans. If a drainage contractor or landscape service company undertakes a drainage project without a complete understanding of these requirements, you as the homeowner can be out-of-pocket substantial sums of money.

The other elements of your landscape architecture, such as luxury swimming pools, garden structures and irrigation systems, should blend seamlessly with the drainage system. So it is best to hire a Houston lawn service company that uses competent drainage contractors to take advantage of this kind of expertise.

What can Exterior Worlds tell us about hiring a drainage contractor?
Here are the items we suggest you discuss with any drainage contractor before hiring them. If you’re working with landscape designers or landscape architects, they can recommend a competent professional:

• Explore their understanding of drainage areas, which is called a watershed.
• Ask about any engineering plans. Some jurisdictions require an engineered landscape drainage plan that includes runoff equations.
• Make sure they handle permitting issues. Many cities require that a drainage plan be submitted to comply with regulations concerning minimum pipe size.
• Discuss the types of drains to be used. Your drainage system may include gutter downspout tie-ins, channel drains, French drains and deck drains.
• Ask about their tree preservation methods. For this essential job, we recommend hand-digging trenches around trees to minimize damage to them. Or they can tunnel under tree roots using compressed air. Alternately, pressurized water can be used to dig deep trenches. All methods expose roots so they are not torn.

Watershed is defined as the total water drainage area with its different slopes, soil porosity, rates of water run-off, and the dividing line between each drainage surface area such as deck, roof, and lawn areas. A drainage expert can conduct a watershed analysis that will identify these different areas and then can make recommendations regarding the appropriate fixtures and pipe size for your particular system.

Once we’ve put in our drainage system, what benefits can we expect?
A proper drainage system keeps your home from flooding, thus the number one benefit is that your property is protected. It also provides protection for your plants and trees, which further enhances your property value. Problems with your home’s foundation are alleviated. The drains in your patio design will carry water away from that area so as to prevent standing water that can cause slippery surfaces and mosquito breeding grounds

Lawn Care Services

In 1987, Exterior Worlds began offering expert lawn care service in Houston. We have since grown to become one of the Gulf Coast region’s premiere high-end landscape design and services firms. We believe that all lawn care service is not created equal. Our lawn care services not only include the list of expected duties, but also many extra chores you might not have considered. The Exterior Worlds’ version of lawn care service also includes an overall intention to provide top-tier care and attention to your landscape design and each element in it.

The typical clients of Exterior Worlds are homeowners who appreciate the return on investment principle as relates to landscaping. They understand the relationship between a beautiful, well-designed, well-maintained residential landscape and property value. They also find worth in the skills and expertise of professional landscapers because they see the financial rewards this proficiency provides to their personal bottom line.

And they also thoroughly enjoy gorgeous, green spaces and luxurious outdoor living.

A lawn maintenance contract with Exterior Worlds includes items such as:
• Regular mowing and trimming. We recommend mowing and trimming weekly during the warm and hot months and going to every other week during the cooler months.
• Chemical treatments. Feeding, fertilization and chemical treatments are other important practices in lawn care service as they provide a boost to vigorous plants and prevent infestations and diseases common to the Houston area.
• Inspection of your drainage system. Your residential landscape maintenance is impacted by the drainage system. By draining water from low-lying areas, it prevents standing water that can cause mosquito breeding grounds, slippery surfaces and soaked landscaping. Proper yard drainage is essential for the care of your turf as it transports water off your property in a timely manner, thus promoting healthy grass and allowing the maintenance crew to perform its regular lawn service duties.
• Inspection of your irrigation system. A fully functioning irrigation system requires ongoing maintenance. Since the system is both mechanical and electronic, it requires regular check-ups, such as the replacement of stuck valves and broken heads. We also monitor the best times and days to water, which change depending on the season and the weather. For this area, we usually recommend to start watering a couple of hours before sunrise, which puts water on the plants and ground just in time for the sun to come up and start generating heat. Any earlier and the water just sits there, giving fungus the opportunity to grow. Any later and you lose a lot of water to evaporation.
• Lawn aeration. This practice is integral to proper lawn care and provides benefits, such as increasing the activity of microorganisms that promote de-thatching, improving water infiltration which helps with drainage and reduces harmful fungi, and increasing the earth worm population. These elements work together in a symbiotic relationship to give you a healthier lawn. Core aeration also reduces the run-off from fertilizer and pesticide—and that helps the environment.

Additionally, Exterior Worlds offers garden services, such as:
• Rose maintenance.
• Dead-heading flowers.
• Professional pruning.
• Professional mulch installation and turning over of mulch.
• Training vines.

Serving the Memorial Villages, Tanglewood, West University, Bellaire and River Oaks. Call us at 713-827-2255 to discuss your landscaping needs.

Contemporary Backyard Design

Contemporary backyards follow the same mentalist and minimalists design principles as contemporary front yards. There is a de-emphasis on Nature itself, with architecture and human design being emphasized as the preeminent elements of the landscape. Contemporary backyards work to both extend the themes of home architecture into the landscape. They also work to reflect the basic geometric designs latent in the aesthetic of the home itself, shaping structures, minimalist plantings, and hardscapes into patterns congruent to homeowner mindset, values, and lifestyles.

Vegetation is maintained at minimalist proportions in a contemporary backyard. This is not to say that these landscapes are completely barren. Quite the opposite is true. Landscapes tend to feature a significant amount of greenery, but the aesthetic of the greenery itself is markedly different from what we typically see in the average backyard. There is a distinctive emphasis on color and a deliberate shaping of form to match human structures. Plants are trimmed to keep them close to the ground to make them look less organic. In most contemporary backyards, this practice creates the impression that Nature is a frame to human development, design, and construction.

Contemporary backyards are very often linked to art and art collecting. The contemporary design itself is very eclectic and admittedly not for everyone. Aficionados of this aesthetic tend to be people with a personal passion for art. Many are professional artists, art collectors, or art consultants themselves who want a home and a landscape that reflects their personal tastes and values. Most of these people prefer to decorate their backyards with abstract sculptures and three-dimensional forms that work to extend their private collections into public space. Outdoor displays of art are also emblematic of profession and personal mindset, and help to further distinguish a particular property as a direct extension of the consciousness of the individual owner.

Perhaps the most noticeable feature in a contemporary backyard is the emphasis on strong forms. While contemporary design is admittedly abstract in many ways, this is not to say that form is abandoned or that objects themselves are unrecognizable. Instead, the intention behind most contemporary art of any kind is to combine basic geometric patterns and morph the conglomerate image into a new form independent of those that exist in Nature itself. This emphasizes human intention and deliberate action as key contributors to the final outcome, and reinforces the ideal of human supremacy over Nature. Nature has to be shaped in a contemporary backyard, not done away with.

This is often done by contrasting one element against another in order to create a sense of sharp deviation between concepts. Human consciousness is multi-dimensional, so combining contrasting design patterns throughout the landscape works to express the complexities of both conscious and unconscious forces within the mind. Strong angular lines and perfect arcs are often used in patio design, custom hardscape construction, and the building of boundary and decorative walls that reflect the form and aesthetic of the home. Gravel is heavily used both as a substitute for lawn grass as well in contemporary backyards, providing of contrasting shades of light and darkness, or even absolutes of black and white. Trees can measure a variety of heights, but the limbs of most trees are deliberately trimmed in order to give them a clearly sculpted shape that better supports the emphasis on human structure and design.

Small Backyard Design

Small backyards are often found in areas of Houston such as the Upper Kirby District and portions of Rice Village, West University, and Bellaire. Homes here may be single story 2 or 3 bedroom dwellings, townhomes, or patio homes. The challenge in landscaping such a small backyard lies in the limited amount of space available to design structures and forms. Outdoor architecture must reflect the size and type of the house that sits on the property. Trees and gardens must be smaller in order to avoid dwarfing the home and consuming what little open space there is. Landscape architects typically have to construct everything on a much smaller scale.

Perspective is the key to creating a complimentary relationship between hardscapes, outdoor rooms, patios, garden design, and home architecture itself. In a small backyard, all landscaping elements are much closer to the house itself and consequently have a much greater visual impact on its aesthetic. Patios tend to be highly customized and are often constructed from very unique materials whose visual appeal will offset their smaller size. Furniture is also smaller as a general rule, and walkways and paths have to be built very narrow in order to make the surrounding yard look much larger than it is. For example, bisecting a small backyard behind a townhome with an 18” wide, winding pathway creates the optimal illusion of a larger yard by dividing a single space into two.

In a similar manner, organic elements must also be scaled down to proportions appropriate to the size of the house and surrounding lot. Certain popular garden designs such as French, Italian, or Mediterranean styles cannot be built in their traditional forms. Custom modifications must be made to these forms and scaled down to proportions suitable to the environment. Small trees must be planted in a backyard with limited open space. Any number of species can be trucked in that will thrive in the Houston climate. These trees can be planted in rows to create organic walls of greenery, or they can be planted individually in key locations and areas of interests.

Decorative walls built along either all or a portion of the property line can also help make a small backyard look much larger than it actually is. While this may seem contradictory to the idea of expanding space, the opposite is true. Small backyards appear dwarfed when one can see beyond them into a larger lot next door. Enclosing the space, and then developing a design within that enclosure, will actually create a visual sense of expansion. Decorative elements can then be added along these walls that transform a typically plain boundary into a decorative art form in and of itself. Planters can be built that will support anything from an herb garden to a rainbow of seasonal flowers. Decorative urns and pottery can adorn corners, and fountains can be built into walls themselves as a means of conserving open space without having to give up one of the most classic and tranquil aspects of backyard design.

Contemporary Front Yard Design

Contemporary front yard design is more subservient to home architecture than other forms of landscaping. Contemporary homes emphasize are often very abstract in design and suggest a stripping down of reality to its most basic geometric and linear components. Front yards around such a house must reflect these patterns of form and movement in order to support the attitude on Mentalism characteristic of all contemporary design and art.

Contemporary front yard design does not concern itself much with the beauty of Nature and outdoor structures. In contemporary front yard landscaping, all elements, including organic ones, must support the proportions and aesthetics of the home. Nature is more of a backdrop to the design build of human engineering and living space. This deliberate emphasizes Man’s unique relationship to Nature as someone who can shape the environment with conceptual forms that have no direct correlation to concrete patterns in Nature. This is why we often see contemporary art take a basic geometric shape, such as a quadrilateral, deliberately distort its dimensions, and then combine it with one or more forms to extend geometry into multi-dimensional space.

The intention in contemporary home architecture is to project such a mindset that is highly individual to the homeowner. Eclecticism is almost mandatory for this type of design build to be successful. Many owners of these homes work in the architectural, design, or fine arts community themselves. Their houses are expressions of both lifestyle and profession. This leaves little room, in most instances, for an exploration of the beauty of Nature as a realm to be enjoyed in its own right. Natural elements that are useful to humanity are reshaped into new forms that reflect aspects of human thought and unconscious forces of emotions. Front yard design in front of such a house will often lack the typical emphasis on foliage we seen in traditional landscapes. Instead functions like an organic frame for an obviously human form that centers the landscape on a sense of evolutionary preeminence.

In this sense, vegetation is completely subservient to human design and often only exists in contemporary front yards as supportive elements for the home, outdoor decorative sculpture, exterior buildings, and modernesque hardscapes, seating areas, and pathways. Gravel, concrete, and rock tend to overshadow even the presence of trees in these landscapes, with gardens, hedges, and special plantings being used only establish linear direction or build perimeters around areas of interest, entertainment, or decoration.

Gardens in contemporary front yards are very minimalist in comparison typical garden design styles. This is not to say that tradition is completely abandoned when we install a garden in front of a contemporary home. However, the traditional styles that emphasize natural beauty must be significantly altered or combined into new patterns in much the same way that home architecture uses the distortion and combination of basic geometry to create new pattern rooted in the abstract realm above and beyond concrete reality.

Landscape Remodeling Contractors

Many people invest in a home with the intention of remodeling it. They want to personalize the architecture and the landscape of their new residence so that it becomes a reflection of their sensibilities, values, and individual lifestyles. There are many remodeling contractors in Houston that offer a variety of services to this end. A large percentage of them focus on redesigning interior space and expanding the square footage of the house. A few, however, like Exterior Worlds, offer landscape remodeling services that involve redeveloping landforms, gardens, and outdoor structures in front and back yards. These contractors focus on creating an outdoor living environment that compliments home architecture, extends amenities into the exterior, and completes the process of personalizing the entirety of the property.

When we are called to a home to discuss a remodeling project, we invariably find that almost all of them have an existing swimming pool in the back yard. Most of these pools were installed by contractors who specialize exclusively in pool design and installation. Our experience has taught us that virtually all Houston pool companies have impressive skills and expertise when it comes to making a pool both aesthetic and functional as a self-contained unit. At the same time, however, we find that swimming pool companies, being specialists in a specific industry, have little awareness of architecture or landscaping forms external to the pool itself. We have found that it serves the homeowner much better if a landscape architect will first design—or in this case, remodel—the swimming pool to scale and geometric appropriate to the proportions and appearance of both the house and surrounding yard. Then, the pool contractor, working with the specifications handed down by the landscape architect, can apply his expertise toward developing a win-win outcome for all parties involved.

Once the pool has been redesigned and remodeled, contractors are then brought in by Exterior Worlds to redesign the surrounding patio and make improvements to hardscape structures throughout the yard. Very few custom swimming pools are installed without some sort of custom or luxury patio. This is because people need seating and lounging areas around the pool so that guests and visitors can comfortably gather and mingle around the water. While this practical function is very important, care must be taken as well to ensure that the aesthetics of the landscape are preserved in the process of remodeling a patio. Hardscape contractors will be commissioned to lay down special forms of concrete, flagstone, or limestone on various properties, depending on what works best for the overall concept of landscape design and entertainment requirements of the homeowner.

Remodeling the patio helps us also helps contractors establish a definitive theme for hardscape redesign and improvement throughout the premises. Larger homes often have two or more patios in addition to the one surrounding the pool. These custom patios can be built to any scale and designed for everything from quiet contemplation by a fountain to hosting large gatherings of people congregated around key points of interests throughout the yard. Homes on large lots in exclusive Houston neighborhoods like certain parts of Memorial, or River Oaks, may want to increase the feeling of privacy by commission our team of contractors to build custom walls around portions of their yards, patios, and even motor courts in the front. These walls can be as ornamental and decorative as they are functional and practical, and can be integrated into custom garden design and landscape lighting themes to create space within space that makes a yard look much larger than it is, and that contributes a sense of mystique to the property when visited at night.

Landscape remodeling contractors also work very hard to improve and redesign existing outdoor structures located in front and back yards. Some of these structures, such as custom fountains and wall fountains, are purely decorative in nature. Others serve specific purposes. Arbors provide seating areas under trees. Outdoor kitchens bring the convenience of the custom kitchen into the exterior space of the home. Outdoor fireplaces add warmth in the winter and decorative lighting in the summer. Some of these structures may already exist on a property but may not have been built to proper scale by previous contractors. It is our mission to ensure that the architectural and geometric forms of these structures always remain in balance with the aesthetic of the home itself and other structures and forms located throughout the surrounding landscape.

Memorial Villages Yard Maintenance

Exterior Worlds offers customized Memorial Villages yard maintenance to its many clients in the area. Memorial Villages yard maintenance is special…because the Memorial Villages are special. Developed as estate-like living within a close drive to downtown Houston and all the city’s amenities, the Memorial Villages offer exclusive neighborhoods with verdant green spaces and genial living.

The Memorial Villages of Spring Valley Village, Hillshire Village, Piney Point Village, Hunter Creek Village, Hedwig Village and Bunker Hill Village typically have oversized properties that required one of a kind landscape services. Some of our customers find that they prefer to use our turn-key services under an ongoing maintenance contract. Others are better served by using only our garden services or our lawn care service. In other words, we tailor our landscape solutions especially to meet your demands.

Exterior Worlds prides itself on our commitment to the customer and to excellence. And regardless of how you use us, we bring professionalism, dedication to detail, and expertise in landscape design and care to each job—each and every time we show up. This consistency has earned us the reputation as one of the finest landscape firms in the area.

The tasks we perform as part of our Memorial Villages yard maintenance services include:

• Professional grooming, pruning and trimming of small plants and flowers.
• Turf mowing and trimming. We recommend weekly service March through October and bi-weekly in the cooler months of November through February.
• Chemical feeding and treatments. Insecticides and fungicides address insect and fungus problems, an ever-present threat to vigorous plants and grass. Types of fertilizers used include organic, slow release, fast release and winterizers.
• Over-seeding with rye grass or winter grass. This practice keeps your grass green and flourishing throughout the winter.
• Lawn aeration. We recommend aeration to improve compacted and heavily-used turf.
• Mulch installation and weeding. Weeding is done as needed. We are meticulous with mulch, including spreading it with our hands when warranted.
• Paying attention to the original landscape design and providing specialized care. Many of our clients use a wide variety of species to create a singular garden based on personal preferences. Styles include: English garden design Japanese garden, and modern landscape design.

With our landscape designs, you see how we use imaginative bursts of color or, if your preference is for a more subtle look, you will find a timeless beauty that attracts accolades and attention. We are known for our luxurious, highly personalized signature designs, a style defined by you, along with our use of lush materials and sophisticated techniques.

One area of our expertise lies in drainage systems. We are authorities on the special codes and regulations that the Memorial Villages enforce to combat flooding. We can maintain the one you already have—or design and install a storm drainage system for you.

Another important aspect of Memorial Villages yard maintenance is tree preservation and ongoing tree care. Trees are one of the features that make the Memorial Villages so special and we know how to care for them so that they thrive.

Since 1987, Exterior Worlds has specialized in high-end landscape design and services for the greater Houston area. In addition to serving the Memorial Villages, we have clients in River Oaks, Tanglewood, West University

Luxury Patios

Luxury patios tend to consist of the highest grade materials and feature design that are highly customized to events and personal lifestyle. Entertainment needs are also a major factor in determining the size, geometry, and aesthetic of most luxury patios. People who prefer to entertain at home want hardscapes that provide both comfort and atmosphere for their guests. They also want these hardscapes to blend well with the organic elements of trees, hedges, and gardens and to compliment the architecture of the home and other exterior structures.

A luxury patio can technically be constructed anywhere in a front or back yard. However, there is little point to investing in such an expense if no other specific point of attraction and amenity is located on or near the patio. In most instances, the more ornate hardscapes tend to be constructed around very specific and high-end entertainment and recreation areas that create a very high quality outdoor living experience.

The most obvious place that you would expect to find a luxury patio is around a carefully planned and constructed custom swimming pool. In most instances, this is the rule, not the exception. Custom swimming pools have to be designed by a landscaping architect who knows how to balance the aesthetic of the pool with that of surrounding landscape elements and the look and sense of style that the home itself projects. Consequently, patios that are built around these pools must be equally customized and work to support the same structures and designs that the pool itself works to compliment.

Another structure around which we tend to construct a luxury patio is an outdoor fireplace that is constructed as a central gathering place for guests at outdoor get-togethers. While it may seem strange to build an outdoor fireplace in a climate as warm as ours, these structures can provide a sense of comfort and refinement year round if they are fitted with special interior lights that mimic firelight during the warmer times of the year. In the winter, of course, these lights can be removed and the structure can work like any interior, wood burning fireplace.

People often want to do more than sit around a pool or fireplace, though. Most Houstonians have an exceptional passion for grilling outdoors (being Texans, this is innate to our local culture.) This passion for outdoor cooking can be expanded and magnified with the addition of a luxury outdoor kitchen and surrounding custom patio. The tradition of grilling can maintain its timeless status side by side with the more sophisticated and traditionally indoor culinary arts. Such a scenario takes the outdoor living experience to an entirely new level that makes the yard an extension of the living space within the home.

As important as activities and events are to the eclectic homeowner, not every point of interest in a luxury landscape is going to have a purely functional purpose in mind. Many areas play a purely aesthetic role in landscape design and draw attention to themselves on the basis of sheer beauty and symmetry. Patios can be built around such areas as water fountains, hedges, and trellises where guests can sit and comfortably enjoy the scenery and relax in special moments of quiet conversation.

If you are considering the addition of one or more luxury patios to your yard, please take the time to research the company you choose very thoroughly. Make sure they have credentials in landscape architecture as well as botany and landscape design. Experience and knowledge in hardscape construction is also a must. Custom patios must be pre-sized in the planning phase to accommodate an expected number of guests, and they must be built with the best materials so they will maintain their aesthetic under the stress of constant human activity and traffic.