Hardscape Plans

The term hardscape refers to any permanent structure on your landscape. Hardscape plans involve construction of both functional and decorative outdoor features. Color and texture are interwoven into many of these forms to compliment architecture and natural flora.

Any material, including stone, metal, bricks, and concrete can be used to build these outdoor elements. If not done properly, they can cost you an enormous amount of money to rebuild. However, if designed and constructed by professional landscape architects, they can increase your home value with a minimal amount of maintenance.

Hardscape plans frequently constitute up to 60-70 percent of a master landscaping plan. Due to the complexity and variety of forms this includes, it is important that you plan assiduously and work with an established landscape design firm such as Exterior Worlds. Our professionals are experts in architecture, irrigation, drainage, garden design, swimming pool remodeling, and outdoor building construction. Thorough knowledge of these many disciplines is necessary to create a truly superior and memorable Houston outdoor living experience for your friends, family, and neighbors.

Hardscape plans should establish the overall theme of the landscape and should be developed first before adding vegetation. It is important to work with an expert organization like Exterior Worlds to ensure that everything is drawn to scale and affords appropriate amounts of space to which to add gardens, flower beds, hedges, and even trees later in the project.

Ideally, hardscape plans should focus on making functional elements that also convey a high-level of aesthetics to the eye of the viewer. This requires a very thorough knowledge of materials in order to achieve the delicate balance between building something durable that works and something that simply looks good.

Even the most common concrete structure like porches and motor courts can be rendered visually appealing with techniques like brushing. Common bricks can take on an entirely new aesthetic when arranged in complex designs such as the running bond pattern that is popular around homes with a rustic look or historical period theme.

Other important functional elements of the hardscape plan include patios and walkways. Both forms are crucial to the success of home entertainment events. Patios provide gathering and seating areas, and walkways provide safe transit at night between outdoor buildings, swimming pools, garden areas, entry gardens, and courtyards.

• Fencing
• Decks
• Outdoor buildings
• Walkways
• Driveways
• Outdoor kitchens
• Retaining walls
• Built-in grill
• Patios
• Walls
• Sports Courts
• Driveways

Again, working with a professional landscaping company with an advanced knowledge of design will ensure that some of the more taken-for-granted elements can be built in a manner that immediately catches the eye and contributes its own unique sense of beauty and proportion to front yard and back yard design features.

Taking the time to communicate with an advanced team of professionals who will hold themselves strictly accountable to the highest standards of materials, design, and construction will ensure that your property value increases and remains an asset to both your lifestyle and your original home investment for many, many years that follow.

Outdoor Lounge Design Houston

By definition, an outdoor lounge is a seating area whose design creates the sense of an outdoor living room without the confines of enclosure. Instead of ceiling, you have open sky or overhanging tree branches. Rather than adjacent wall structures, you are either surrounded partly on one hand by the side of the home and the greenery of gardens and foliage on the other. The strength that outdoor lounge design contributes to the landscape is its unique ability to combine this sense of openness and freedom with a feeling of unspoken separation from more busy and activity-prone areas of the yard.

Outdoor lounge design originally got its name from the furnishings that tend to populate these special seating areas. Typically, couches, chairs, sofas, and papa sans used here are every bit as comfortable and opulent as equivalent furnishings used indoors. This does not mean to say that indoor furniture is an appropriate choice for an outdoor open setting.

Furnishings used here are specially designed to withstand the wear and tear of being outside, but they are made with an equivalent level of fashion sense and colorful appeal to the senses. Exterior Worlds includes furnishings such as this in its outdoor lounge design plans in order to save the client the expense and added trouble of having to go out and find these exceptional items on the open market.

In recent years, we have seen an increasing demand for outdoor lounge design throughout the Houston area. Interest in this unique aspect of landscaping appears to be linked to homeowner concerns about improving the market value of their properties. One of the many things that an outdoor room can do for any given portion of the yard is to increase its useable space up to 10 times. This is very important to homes that have intersecting sections that form something of an “L” shape between areas like the main living room, master bedroom, or a long hallway extending to a separate wing of the house. Leaving such an area just behind the home fallow leaves little more than an unused grassy area that is too small to plant a formal garden or build a custom patio. Such an area is wasted unless something measurably creative and useable can be developed that will turn this empty space into special space that contributes form, function, and added aesthetic to the yard.

The flooring for an outdoor lounge can either be wood or stone, depending on the design of surrounding terrain and the style and nature of home construction. Wooden decks with opulent furnishings are typically more popular when built immediately adjacent to a house, although this is not a hard-fast rule. More Old World style homes or the veritable mansions of River Oaks are more appropriately complimented by some type of custom stone work. Dimensions and geometry are planned in strict accordance with the laws of custom landscaping design: namely, nothing is ever done that does not first and foremost respect the architecture of the home and simultaneously work to unify that architecture with the surrounding elements of Nature.

Houston Outdoor Living

When developing the organic aspects of a Houston outdoor living environment, we focus on creating geometric forms that communicate the energies of Nature without violating the sense of order and system that has been ingrained in human consciousness for the past 10,000 years. This is why we put such a great deal of effort into garden services and tree maintenance. Plants need to be contained within the boundaries of a recognizable form whose style reflects the aesthetic of the landscape proper, and whose geometry and color scheme reflect the architectural style of the home. Tree maintenance protects number of parasites, diseases, so other elements of the landscape such as wooden arbor and shade gardens can be richly enjoyed both as gathering places and purely decorative elements when viewed from afar.

Once organic elements have been thematically developed, the focus of our work normally shifts toward landscape design for entertainment. Swimming pool remodeling often plays a major role in this because of the central position that the pool takes in so many events. More often than not, we find that the swimming pool the client either bought with the home or installed at a previous time does not quite fit the architecture of the home or surrounding landscape architecture. Redesigning a new custom swimming pool is the first step toward creating a more balanced and amenable back yard that creates an immediately noticeable upgrade in Houston outdoor living quality.

Other structures, of course, will be needed beyond the pool to create an environment that is more attractive to the visitor than the interior of the house. Hardscapes are also very important to comfortable Houston outdoor living because they provide areas for people to stand and sit on a solid surface. Think of a patio, walkway, or motor court as an outdoor floor, and you will immediately realize how important something as elementary as stone or concrete suddenly becomes to outdoor landscape design. Without attractive, well-constructed solid surfaces, people are left standing in the grass or the mud on spring and summer evenings—something you don’t want at your next party.

In fact, you do not want your guests to ever feel the need to go inside once they are outside. Outdoor rooms can be built that rival anything a living room or game room has to offer. Not every outdoor room has to have four walls and a ceiling, either. Some may have a fire pit, or be built in a courtyard design as part of a private entry garden. Others may be built alongside of a pool, near a fountain, or next to a natural pond to put activities an arm’s length away from nature.

Certain activities will require more than hardscape and residential landscape lighting. Things such as cooking, dining, playing video games, watching movies, and listening to music will require outdoor buildings such as summer kitchens, game rooms, and fully-functional outdoor living rooms can be built to make every aspect of Houston outdoor living a veritable rival to any conceivable experience you can have inside.

West University Landscaping

When you think of West University landscaping, you think in terms of comfortable and luxurious, refined and sophisticated. For more than two decades, Exterior Worlds has installed custom ornamental iron fencing and wrought iron garden gates, plush outdoor rooms, deluxe outdoor kitchens and interesting plant materials in West University landscaping.

It is a long way from the 1920s when West University, also known by its proper name West University Place and by the shortened West U, was established. In those days, a 100’ x 200’ lot cost about $1,000. The early residents found themselves basically living in a swamp. Their daily challenges included poor drainage, muddy streets and no fire protection.

But from these questionable beginnings, an exemplary city developed. Now sitting in the midst of Houston’s 610 Loop, West University is its own unique city. Upscale homes on tree-lined streets now characterize this community. Residents find West University attractive for its favorable location in relation to cultural attractions, scientific facilities such as the Texas Medical Center, a diverse business community, and educational institutions, including its own highly-regarded school system and Rice University.

Exterior Worlds prides itself on its familiarity with West University’s rules and regulations covering landscape projects. This city code governs all aspects of building, including general permitting, the height and location of structures, tree removal and excavation equipment and usage, a set of rules that protects everyone’s property value. For example, one city ordinance concerns the lot coverage percentage, which is the calculation of the amount of the property that can be covered with impervious materials. This percentage actually manages drainage problems before they occur, a proactive stance that would surely make the first residents of West University very proud.

Over the years, we have found that it is essential for West University residents to hire professional landscapers and contractors who understand these rules and will abide by them. To do otherwise invites delays, budget over-runs, frustrations, fines and upset neighbors.

Additionally, today’s West University homeowners have found that a drainage system is fundamental to their landscape design. This part of the country has two natural conditions to deal with:

• Regular torrential rain that leaves standing water in low-lying areas. These pools of water serve as incubators for that dreaded native inhabitant, the mosquito, and create problems for a house’s foundation.
• Alternating wet and dry periods that turn the region’s clay soil into a nearly-impenetrable surface, further aggravating drainage issues.

For West University landscaping, a well-designed drainage system from Exterior Worlds is your solution.

Tree preservation represents another area of expertise for Exterior Worlds. We employ many techniques, both pre-construction and during construction, to mitigate the damage to any existing trees on a site. Setting up temporary irrigation systems and hand-digging around roots, just to name two.

West U has much to be proud of these days. And West University landscaping communicates that pride and sense of luxury. It is conveyed with classy outdoor accoutrements and simple details, rich material choices and interesting softscapes—lush but always appropriate.

Bellaire Landscaping Houston

“Bellaire” means good air and this phrase paints a good picture of the atmosphere in the special city of Bellaire, a city within the city limits of Houston. Since 1987, Exterior Worlds has contributed to its exceptional ambiance by putting a deft mix of luxury design elements and materials in Bellaire landscaping.

Known for its luxury landscape designs, Bellaire landscaping is a vital part of this community’s attraction. Well-maintained yards with mature trees, luxury swimming pools, outdoor kitchens and plush patio designs are just some of the features found in Bellaire landscaping.

Composed of about 6,000 households, Bellaire is desired for its upscale homes within a short commute to central Houston. Also noteworthy are its active parks and recreational areas and quality schools. It was founded in 1908 on land that was part of the original ranch that belonged to William Marsh Rice, the namesake of Rice University. During the building boom that followed World War II, the city adopted its home rule charter, thereby deciding to remain apart from Houston.

In landscaping matters, tree preservation is taken seriously in Bellaire. We believe trees are valuable assets on your property, good for you and good for the environment. During building and remodeling projects, they need special TLC, such as temporary irrigation systems and judicious digging around root systems.

As is true of the entire Houston area, drainage issues are of concern in Bellaire. Exterior Worlds recommends a properly designed drainage system as a smart investment to our Bellaire clients. It helps combat problems cause by our volatile weather and this region’s clay soil that can become easily compacted.

The City of Bellaire has an extensive set of rules and regulations that govern residential and commercial landscaping. These guidelines include the location of structures and their height, excavation methods and equipment usage, and general permitting. Lot coverage percentage is also regulated by city ordinances. This figure relates to drainage issues and is defined as the ratio of the lot that can be covered with impervious materials. During our years in business, Exterior Worlds has become an expert on all these rules.

As strict as they are, these regulations protect everyone’s property value. For homeowners planning landscaping projects, selecting the right professional landscaper or contractor is a critical aspect of Bellaire landscaping. If you go with someone who is unfamiliar with the rules and regulations, you could end up in a frustrating and costly fix.

One real life example that Exterior Worlds was called on to remedy: a homeowner hired an inexperienced pool contractor to install a pool in the backyard. The contractor didn’t know the regulations about tree preservation and carelessly tore up tree roots. They even used an axe at one point. In compliance with city regulations, inspectors stopped the work. They then required the homeowner to replace a lost tree with a mature tree, something that can cost several thousand dollars depending on the species. Further, they fined the homeowner about $2,500 for noncompliance with city ordinances.

The homeowner ended up hiring Exterior Worlds to fix the damages and complete the work. Frustrating and costly, to say the least.

For high-end landscape design and services in Bellaire and other fine neighborhoods in the Houston area, call Exterior Worlds, 713-827-2255.

Modern Garden Ideas

On one level, all modern garden ideas are based upon a common set of core values. Like other components of modern landscape design, they consist primarily of inorganic elements. Structure is a symbol of conscious thought; plant life symbolizes the energies of life and mind. A tendency to use hardscapes as containment fields for Spartan plantings of vegetation is clearly evident. This works to thematically express the belief that man has mastered the forces of his own mind and is capable of controlling his own destiny.

The geometric patterns that constitute the foundational aspects of modern garden ideas are very basic inn and of themselves. There are four essential forms that can be used in this discipline. Linear lines and structures are very often used to decorate iron fences, stone walls, or the exterior of a home. Quadrilateral constructs are used to extend the architectural themes of outdoor buildings and custom swimming pools designed in rectangular form. Triangular designs can be very effective in introducing abstract sculptures to the eye. Circles represent both feminine form and spirituality and are often found around trees and fountains.

Due to the fact that inorganic elements form the basis of all modern garden ideas, it is necessary to begin the planning phase of every project with a detailed survey of the property. This will help us identify the best locations in which to do our work. These areas will in some way always be tied to some sort of hardscape. Patios, walkways, decorative walls, and even motor courts are all in effect foundations for design. Many of these locations are adjacent to significant structures like the house or an outdoor kitchen. Reconstructing the hardscape with new organic elements adds a new dimension of energy and vitality to the architecture of the structure that subliminally communicates a sense of outdoor living experience so crucial to any kind of landscape architecture, be it contemporary or traditional.

Since the whole point of landscape design is to create this sort of outdoor living experience, is also important that we focus our attention on any decorative focal points and all major areas of activity. In gathering places, modern garden ideas are developed as emblematic expressions of the activities that transpire there. A patio area around a pool, for example, is normally the scene of a great deal of movement. People do not just sit around the pool. They get up and walk around, and most get in the water, or at least put their feet in it. A garden here would feature decorative patterns in the hardscape and careful plantings of vegetation that would reflect movement toward the center of the pool. Whether or not these patterns would feature linear, circular, or rectangular geometry depends entirely on the shape of the pool and the patio itself.

On the other hand, accenting decorative focal points on the landscape requires a slightly different approach. Modern garden ideas here are determined by what works best as a supportive element that brings attention to the decorative element. If it is a statue, vertical elements may be added to the hardscape and vegetation to draw the eye upward to the form. If it is a fountain, a garden will normally function as the aesthetic base of the entire piece, making it appear as if the fountain itself rose up from the amalgam of hardscape and plant material as a blend of fluidity and form. Again, the patterns and materials that are used to construct these adjunct supportive elements are developed in accordance both with the immediate form at hand and an aesthetic awareness of the landscape as an entirety.

Regardless of location or intent, the ultimate success of every design depends on a very careful and deliberate selection of vegetation. Too much organic presence destroys the essence of the design, so an intentionally minimalist approach must be taken. Dark colored vegetation is preferable because it works better with the stark absolutism of stone and hardscape. Trees should be small and isolated, almost as if they were stunted—to indicate the control of human consciousness over the otherwise unlimited growth potential of nature. Color schemes in modern garden ideas should be treated with the same minimalism. Colorful, flowering plants should only be used to the extent that surrounding modern art or contemporary architecture uses color to develop style and theme. Any more than this will risk losing the deliberate tension inherent to modern garden ideas and contemporary landscaping in general.

Residential Landscapers

Our residential landscapers start off every project with a thorough client consultation phase. We believe that impeccable landscape development is predicated on the virtues of expression and reflection. We work to create landscape that embody and reflect homeowner thoughts, feelings, sensibilities and values in a landscape developed into a unified expression of architecture, living systems, and artistic design.

In order to do this, our specialists have to put a lot of time and energy into developing a master landscaping plan for designers and subcontracted partner companies to follow. This keeps everyone from landscape architects to swimming pool contractors and outdoor lighting experts on the same page in order to ensure a unity of design diversity at the end of the day.

In most instances, the starting point is a comprehensive cultivation of the landscape’s many organic elements. Residential landscapers most often start by installing a garden whose style reflects home architecture and homeowner interests. For example, if we are working on a property surrounding a French-style home, we will compliment the house with either a parterre garden or a derivative form of French garden design.

More linear architecture, though, may be better supported by an Italian garden. An Old World formal home or opulent façade may look better if surrounded by a Mediterranean garden with touches of Classical Greek and Roman elements. In any case, the intent of garden design is to create a living mirror that reflects the structure, size, and geometry of the house and helps unify human living space with natural space.

Residential landscapers also plant trees around properties that do not have clear separation from surrounding yards. This gives the homeowner wants a greater sense of privacy and enclosure around their own personal outdoor living space. A tree line like this, consisting of smaller species such as Japanese Yews, can literally create a living wall of greenery in the daytime and illuminated foliage at night. Such a scene provides an impeccable backdrop to gatherings, events, or even personal moments in the back yard regardless of the time of day or night.

Larger trees can be trucked in, planted, and even illuminated with special tree lighting fixtures to fill empty spaces in large yards and create shaded areas where none existed before. This in turn creates vertical organic structure to which we can add a myriad of corresponding inorganic structures that serve intentional purposes. Summer kitchens, wooded arbors, custom hardscapes, and outdoor rooms are just a few of the many things that residential landscapers can add to the world beneath the trees that gives real meaning to our brand, Exterior Worlds.

Outdoor lights can then be installed by an expert team of lighting design experts who partner with our residential landscapers to illuminate the many forms our team of designers creates. Through a blended layering of general and accent lighting, a new world of ambience, mood, and special effect emerges that project establishes the residence as a preeminent example of lifestyle and impeccable taste to friends, family, and neighbors alike.

Antique Ornamental Iron

Landscape designers and landscape architects, builders, interior decorators, collectors and history buffs comb the world for antique ornamental iron pieces to place in a landscape design. At Exterior Worlds, we understand the appeal. These highly prized antique ornamental iron pieces add character and interest to any yard and garden area. They signify gravitas.

Wrought iron gates, antique iron garden furniture, garden architectural elements, wrought iron fencing and antique railings are just a few of the example of antique iron to use in your landscape. Each adds individualistic and unique style to your home or garden area.

We have found that antique ornamental iron, architectural artifacts and other antique hardware work perfectly well in new construction, remodeling projects, or whenever applied as a decorative finishing touch to an outdoor room, outdoor kitchen or courtyard.

Some of our clients have found that they like the design option of building their desired architectural structure (wrought iron wall element, grill for fence insert, chandelier—the list goes on and on) using antique iron elements. Truly, it is a way of ending up with the best of the old and the new.

We have also found that antique ornamental iron can underscore a theme within a garden design. For example, antique iron guard rails might accentuate the area surrounding an outdoor water fountain in a classical landscape design. An English garden design often has a spot for a wrought iron garden arbor or an ornamental gate, as another example.

When buying large pieces like wrought iron garden gates or wrought iron driveway gates, you may find that these architectural antiques require some modification in order to work in their new capacity. If so, we can help arrange the custom fabrication services to remake your purchase to suit your specific design needs.

Over the years, we have seen knowledgeable antique buyers go for the eye-grabbing pieces, such as fencing from Regent’s Park in London or a balcony railing from Buenos Aires. After all, the quality and designs of vintage wrought iron are superior. (Sometimes quirky, too, but always interesting.)

Additionally, we encourage our clients to look at antique iron hardware. Items in this grouping include antique iron latches, antique iron hinges, large door pulls, levers, push plates, letter slots, knobs and door knockers.

So we encourage you—if you are looking for something that is a little off the beaten path, consider architectural antique iron. Just read some of the descriptions of antique iron pieces that are available today and you’ll see why they excite us: A woven wire train station ticket teller cage from the late 1880s with original railway monogram. Antique wrought iron stair railing and newel posts in prairie style. An antique wrought iron railing with acorn finial and post from the Chicago of the 1800s. From a Masonic temple theater, circa 1907, an antique iron ventilation ceiling grate, delicately perforated.

If only these pieces could talk, these sentinels of history—the events they’ve seen, the stories they could tell, the wisdom they carry.

Exterior Worlds, supplying high-end landscape design and services for the greater Houston area. 713-827-2255

Residential Landscape Lighting

Residential landscape lighting is a complex and highly evolved science in its own right tied to architecture, art, and outdoor design much in the same way as our own discipline. Exterior Worlds partners only with the very best and most experienced residential landscape lighting experts in order to create for our clients will provide residents and guests with a truly superior outdoor living experience.

From a functional perspective, residential landscape lighting makes a yard safe to walk through at night. It may surprise you to read this, but the human eye does NOT need a great deal of light to safely navigate through an area. Low-voltage fixtures are many times all we need to install along places such as pathways, flagstone walkways, or small patios around gardens and ponds. This is more cost effective, and with only little bit of lighting is creates just enough light to see by and no blinding glare.

Such a deliberate and careful approach to illuminating landscapes lets the residential landscape lighting designer take what would otherwise be a purely practical function—that of making mobility safe and convenient—and transform it into an aesthetic in and of itself. House lighting fixtures signify the home as the central figure and work to establish the aesthetic tone of the entire property. Garden lights of all types let you see the very smallest of details on the darkest nights. Gathering spots, paths, and seating areas are made visible and accessible from all important locations.

In order to make such a variety forms visible without creating a blinding outdoor glare, residential landscape lighting experts must to treat each subject individually and use a diversity of fixture types to accomplish their objectives. Illuminating a line of boxwoods surrounding a French garden is not the same as lighting an organic wall of yew trees that grow along the property line.

Tree lighting in the center of the yard requires a special type of fixture concealed in overhead branches. Lighting an outdoor building, or even more so the house, requires a combination of fixtures and some very skillful mounting techniques in order to make both form and surface area clearly seen from all angles.

Once the residential landscape lighting designer establishes general visibility, he or she can then focus on accenting the most unique and remarkable landscape elements. This layer of accent light is extremely important to the aesthetic of the property because it designates points of interest that, when viewed in relationship to each another, establishes a thematic linkage of style, tradition, and personal customization.

Architectural keynotes, for instance, can be brought to the forefront with special spotlighting techniques or hidden fixtures that highlight the cultural and stylistic origins of home design. A parterre garden that is installed along intersecting axes can be accented by path lights that bisect the greenery and establish the visual importance of linearity and right angles to French garden design. Custom patios can be better emphasized with any number of energy efficient fixtures that magnify the decorative aspects of stonework and decorative design.

The emotions that visitors will feel under the influence of residential landscape lighting will transfer beyond pure enjoyment to a sense of mood and activity appropriate to different spots, gatherings, and special events. Low-level lighting in entry gardens and outdoor fireplaces helps set the tone for quiet conversation. Fountain lights can create a suspended sense of time for romance and quiet moments. Brighter lights inside custom kitchens, outdoor rooms, and swimming pools create a sense of festivity and high energy.

Call Exterior Worlds now for an evaluation of your property and the many benefits that landscape remodeling and landscape lighting can add to your home value and quality of life.

Custom Ornamental Iron

Fill your landscape with the artistry of custom ornamental iron. Imagine a custom ornamental iron gate, with an authentic antique look, at the entrance to your property. A stairway with decorative wrought iron railing that leads from an upper story balcony. A custom ornamental wall element hanging in your outdoor kitchen. A refurbished antique garden gate that opens onto your luxury swimming pool.

Exterior Worlds has added distinctive and custom ornamental iron elements to yards, gardens, patio designs and driveways in the Houston area since 1987. We have found that it is a finishing touch that personalizes your landscape and makes the space uniquely yours.

With custom iron works, you can choose from templates or create your own design. Our custom design experts can fabricate a range of styles, from genuine antique renderings to more simplistic patterns. The possibilities are varied and exciting for the look of your finished product and range from the ornate styles of Renaissance, Louis XV, Gothic and classic Victorian to the sleek and innovative looks of Art Nouveau, Art Deco and contemporary designs. Our goal is to match the final product to your personal aesthetic.

We do encourage our clients to consider the architectural style of their home when choosing a pattern. Or they may have a garden that follows a particular theme—a Mediterranean landscape design or an English garden design, for example. If so, your custom iron choices should blend seamlessly with any existing style.

The main thing we offer at Exterior Worlds is a choice of artisans and craftsmen who take personal and professional pride in producing work that is true to its artistic history while paying close attention to your specifications.

We want to point out that modern techniques, such as galvanizing and powder-coating, have enhanced decorative iron’s ability to withstand the outdoor elements. And, in addition to elegance, custom ornamental fences and gates also address the issue of security for your property.

Custom wrought iron applications that we’ve installed in our clients’ landscapes include wrought iron fences, wrought iron driveway gates, pool fencing, ornamental iron railings, wrought iron garden gates, trellises, garden arbors, garden arches and wrought iron wall elements.

Special orders of ornamental iron can even mean antique wrought iron. If you’ve bought an antique architectural element, it can be retro-fitted to your specific design need. You can also commission a custom piece using old iron. You can further customize your look with your metal choice. These options include metals such as aluminum, brass, bronze, stainless steel, wrought iron and quality raw materials.

Tailor-made and hand-crafted ornamental iron adds an enhanced air of quality and distinction to the upscale home. With its authentic detail and construction, it creates both security and value. We have found that it takes your property to a new level of curb appeal by providing enduring beauty. Georgia O’Keeffe once defined art as filling space in interesting ways. At Exterior Worlds, we believe this definition works in landscape design as well. Certainly one interesting way to fill an empty landscape is with custom ornamental iron.

Exterior Worlds provides landscape services, including custom iron works, to discriminating clients in the greater Houston area. Call 713-827-2255 for a consultation.

Ornamental Iron Fencing Houston

With an ornamental iron fence, beauty and purpose meld into one form. It is decorative sophistication at its best, a subtle yet strong mark of distinction. An ornamental iron fence can be a remarkable focal point in your landscape design, something that is especially important when it comes time to sell your property and you want to distinguish it from all the others in your market.

At the same time that it shows wherewithal, an ornamental iron fence also is functional. It provides a feeling of safety and security. By protecting your family, it gives you peace of mind. Additionally, it increases your property value with its durable good looks.

Since 1987, Exterior Worlds has built custom wrought iron fences in fine neighborhoods in the greater Houston area. We have put ornamental iron fences along property lines, around custom swimming pools, lining driveways and as part of patio designs. Our clients find that they love the way these fences open up the view to their beautifully landscaped lawn and gardens.

We can custom fabricate ornamental iron in a variety of shapes, styles colors and finishes. Perhaps you saw a design during your travels that you fell in love with or maybe you have a particular color in mind that will complement your home especially well. Let Exterior Worlds customize a fence just for you.

Over the years, we have run across people who assume ornamental iron is expensive and time-consuming to maintain. While this statement can be said of true wrought iron, most modern landscaping products that we call ornamental iron or wrought iron are actually made of a lighter-weight steel. It does not rust like true wrought iron.

Additionally, we can produce a chemically bonded finish by galvanizing and powder coating the metal to make it competitive with aluminum in the longevity category. In other words, we can build you a wrought iron fence that provides the desired look of iron without the maintenance fuss and bother.

Regardless, we would be happy to provide you with one of our turn-key maintenance contracts that includes the upkeep of the fence and gates. We can set up the contract to cover general upkeep of the fence and gates, including painting. You can also have us tend to electrical or technical problems with motorized wrought iron driveway gates, should they occur. Our busy clients find that it is a good use of their time and resources to let us handle the mundane chores such as these.

If you think a wrought iron fence is right for you, one idea to consider is to use ornamental iron in combination with other materials. We have built beautiful fences in which wrought iron is used with stone, brick and wood. One example is wrought iron pickets with brick pillars or stone columns. Another example is to use a stretch of wrought iron along a wooded back lot and then build a wooden privacy fence on the side of your property with neighbors. Castings, such as picket points, can further formalize the look. With these combination fences, you are limited only by your imagination.

Residential Landscape Designer

The residential landscape designer begins his or her work by developing the many organic forms to that comprise the essence of landscape aesthetic. Gardens rank preeminent among these forms. Any number of traditional styles can be planted, or they can be morphed into new custom styles specific to the master plan at hand.

Hedgerows play a significant role in helping create boundaries for outdoor rooms, gathering areas, and play areas. In homes where there is no clear boundary between one property and the next, hedges and plantings of smaller trees also provide privacy in the form of organic walls that shield the residence from outside view.

Tree planting maintenance is also very important to the aesthetic of the yard. Trees are some of the most long-lived and majestic organisms on the planet. They lend both shade and decoration to any yard, and they can be planted at any size in virtually any location far enough from the house proper to put down effective roots.

Once organic patterns have been established in the yard, hardscape structures have to be built to create the foundation of the outdoor living experience. Custom patios are perhaps the most important of these forms, providing surface areas for gathering, seating, and relaxation. Walls help segregate special areas from the remainder of the yard proper, and often help make a property look large in much the same manner than furniture and artwork appears to enlarge an indoor room. Walkways form connecting points between varied elements of divergent interests. Motor courts provide parking for residents and guests and contribute to landscape aesthetic if constructed out of respect for home architecture.

The residential landscape designer has to be very careful to not overdo it when it comes to hardscape design. The point is to create surface areas for human activity that allow human beings to better connect with nature—not overwhelm the environment with concrete and stone. Materials used to create hardscape vary widely per form and master plan model. It is the responsibility of the landscaping expert to select only the appropriate materials that will effectively compliment home architecture and blend harmoniously with gardens, hedges, trees, and flower beds.

Specific living environments can then be built in the form or outdoor rooms and buildings dedicated to particular activities and lifestyle interests. One of our most popular forms is the outdoor summer kitchen. A completely self-contained outdoor cooking facility replete will refrigeration, air conditioning, abundant cabinet space, and adjacent dining areas, an outdoor kitchen allows the host to prepare a meal from start to finish without ever having to run inside for food, supplies, or dinnerware.

Other popular outdoor environments include outdoor fireplaces, entry gardens, courtyards, and arbors. These areas provide comfortable seating for guests to gather, talk, eat, and drink under the stars. The residential landscape designer develops these forms very carefully and deliberately to reflect both the core essence of homeowner lifestyle and to anticipate intended future use of the property.

Water elements are also developed, if nothing else on a conceptual level, by the residential landscape designer. Plans for custom swimming pools are drawn up that will make the pool and surrounding patio more reflective of home architecture and proportional to surrounding organic and inorganic elements. Custom fountains and natural ponds are similarly developed in accordance with overall landscaping theme. Once detailed plans are developed, specialists in pool construction, earthworks, and custom masonry can be subcontracted and supervised under the umbrella of the master landscape plan.

Residential Landscaping

Residential landscaping by Exterior Worlds provides the discriminating Houstonian with an outdoor living environment that functions as a virtual home outside the home and that generate a higher yield property value investment by creating a sustainable environment that can be passed on to future homeowners.

Organic elements constitute the essence of residential landscaping.
Without greenery, landscapes appear sterile and devoid of energy. Even styles like modern landscaping need some natural form to punctuate the abstract designs of the manmade. In more traditional landscape styles, vegetation forms the core essence of the outdoor experience and consists of several important elements.

• Garden design is perhaps the most varied and complex element of residential landscaping. Almost every culture in the world has its own style of gardening that can be duplicated in the Houston area.
• Any one of these styles can be customized to specific properties as a unique, living expression of homeowner taste and a direct compliment to the house and surrounding property.
• Trees of any type or size can be trucked in and planted. Trees give landscapes everything from shade to borders between one lot and the other

Just as organic elements establish the tone of residential landscaping, hardscape design helps give form and function to its design.

• Patios are built to host specific events and accommodate expected numbers of attendees.
• Courtyards help establish varying levels of privacy and conviviality by their size, geometry, and positioning in relationship to the rest of the yard.
• Decorative masonry serves a similar function by making a yard look much bigger than it normally and providing vertical surfaces to which flower beds, smaller fountains, and decorative statuary can be added at will.
• Outdoor buildings of all varieties can then be added to host specific occasions and to pay tribute to home architecture.

The ultimate success of a residential landscaping plan is often determined by the type and variety of water features that are then added to the property.

• Custom swimming pools are constructed to the geometry and sensibility of the house and to create visual linkage between the house and the entirety of the property.
• Pools can very formal, or they can be built to mimic natural ponds like the ones we commonly see in wilderness areas.
• Residential landscaping also work very hard to use water as a decorative feature by building fountains provide everything from focal points for public seating areas to private spots for contemplation, meditation, and repose.

Outdoor lighting plays not only an important role in residential landscaping, but in many senses of the term, a defining one as well.

• Architectural lighting illuminates the house as the preeminent feature on the property and sets the tone for landscape aesthetic.
• Garden lighting allows you to see the most minute of details in the most ornate and formal plantings even on the darkest of nights.
• Underwater lights illuminate pools and fountains from within to create a myriad of special effects that will contribute ambience and mood to outdoor gatherings and special occasions.

Wrought Iron Garden Gate

Exterior Worlds uses a wrought iron garden gate as more than just a security feature or a design device. That’s because it maintains such a strong pull on our imaginations due to its presence in many childhood stories. Iron gates evoke magical places. They call to mind kings and queens and castles.

Just like many of our earliest stories, wrought iron came into its own as an art form sometime in The Middle Ages (which explains the association with tales of secret gardens and getaways). Ever since, blacksmiths, artisans and craftsmen have been twisting and twirling wrought iron into interesting shapes.

Working with the best landscape architects and landscape designers in the area, Exterior World uses wrought iron gates along with other hardscapes. Decorative iron gates work wonderfully as companions to outdoor water fountains and garden structures—garden arbors and outdoor gazebos, to name a few. From the outside, the visitor gets just a glimpse through the iron pickets of what lies on the other side.

The gate can also open onto a pathway that functionally leads your guests into the space. It also serves to visually give the eye a line to follow. By adding a garden arch over the gate, it then becomes a significant entryway. We often make it even more inviting by planting the arch with a colorful vine and adding landscape lighting. The lighting serves two purposes: when it’s dark, it makes for a safe and secure entry, plus it creates an enchanting exchange of light and shadow.

We also like these decorative gates because they improve air circulation within your landscape design. As professional landscapers working in the Houston climate, we are happy to make good use of that functional feature.

Over the years, we have found that wrought iron garden gates work well for our clients as the only wrought iron element in their yard. If clients prefer slightly more prominent uses of iron, we have paired a decorative iron gate with a single wrought iron trellis along a far fence or picked it up with an interesting wrought iron wall element. We have also matched it to other standard uses of wrought iron, such as wrought iron fences and wrought iron driveway gates.

Due to the expense of production, true wrought iron has been consigned to historic preservation projects and is rarely produced today. Most of the landscape products that we call wrought iron, including wrought iron garden gates, are actually made from a material called mild steel.

However, today’s wrought iron gates continue to be functional as security elements especially when equipped with the appropriate hardware and technology. We encourage our clients to review their many options in this area, including electronic keypads, keyless locks and keyed locks.

Wrought iron garden gates serve all these utilitarian and aesthetic purposes. But, due to their iconic place in the human imagination, they can be more. They are the stuff of legends and fairy tales and bedtime stories. They can also simply convey warmth and hospitality to guests, friends and family.

Wrought Iron Designs

Wrought iron designs signify a dynamic relationship with nature, one that references the four cardinal elements of earth, air, fire and water. It is beauty wrapped in architectural elements. And that is why Exterior Worlds recommends wrought iron to our clients.

In the construction process, possibilities for wrought iron design are based on a linear structure. It starts with building a sturdy and stable framework that is then filled with decorative artistry. By highlighting the technical aspects, the blacksmith stresses the material’s strength and, at the same time, validates the design aesthetic.

Thus, the typical working outline for the blacksmith-artisan includes the functional and aesthetic aspects, any economic considerations, construction methods that provide durability, solidness and rigidity, and the final dimensions.

We use wrought iron within the landscape lexicon to create easy transitions into exterior spaces such as using an ornamental iron railing across a multi-level courtyard. With a wrought iron fence, wrought iron gate or a fence around a luxury swimming pool, we can emphasize flexible living zones. Additionally, we have found that wrought iron can vary the experience as when we use it in an outdoor gazebo or as a wrought iron trellis that divides an outdoor kitchen from a grassy area. Sometimes it can be a simple focal point. A wrought iron wall element hung on a fence is an elegant addition to the landscape. A single antique ornamental iron object d’art is equally effective.

Wrought iron can accentuate your intention within a themed landscape. A Castilian cathedral grille, French gothic door-knockers, or elaborate iron lanterns from England in a formal landscape design, for example. We also encourage our clients to match their choice of wrought iron design to the architecture of their home.

In general, we think you are well served when you choose an ornamental iron design style that is natural to the region—which is perfect for Houston and our semi-tropical climate that so closely resembles the Mediterranean. Wrought iron recalls the ancient cultures that grew up along the Mediterranean—the Phoenicians, Arabs, Romans, Greeks, Moors and Carthaginians.

When the earliest settlers of the New World arrived on these shores, they brought the skill and artistry of wrought iron with them. It continued to flourish in the U.S. With the wrought iron designs of the Art Deco period in the 1920s and 1930s, Americans had their own outlook and muses. Specifically, they drew inspiration from the geometries of Native American art forms—for example, the stark and poetic pottery of the Hopi tribes, the intricate beadwork of the Sioux and the storied blankets of the Navajo.

Other American art deco artists were stimulated by regionalism—Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie style are two of the more well-known examples. Local flora and fauna were also spotlighted. In the Deep South, you can find magnolias and pelicans in art deco designs.

All that is to say—the beauty of wrought iron has captivated us for centuries. It conveys a sense of soul. It connects us to our history.

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

Residential Landscape Architect

Residential landscape architects really are true architects in every sense of the word. They know theory and home design and have been trained in working with the basic geometric forms that are common to both the natural world and manmade worlds. This knowledge enables them designer to better organic forms with home architecture and construct outdoor structures that compliment the house and blend harmoniously with organic elements. This knowledge is gained through extensive formal study and years of field experience.

Knowing the essentials of home building enables residential landscape architects to create complimentary forms and outdoor buildings throughout the entirety of the lot. Patios, hardscapes, entry gardens, ornamental walls, custom fountains, outdoor kitchens, and custom swimming pools are built with respect to home architecture in mind. By making the house the focal point of the landscape, professional outdoor designers unify the natural with the man-made and transform the outdoors into an outdoor living experience.

Residential landscape architects also pursue formal education in botany and plant biology. After all, vegetation is the foundation of almost every landscaping style (with the possible exceptions of contemporary and modern designs). It is therefore essential that landscapers know what plants, flowers, shrubs, and tree species will best support the outdoor theme being developed.

These experts must understand which plant species will best grow in Houston landscape environment and which species will grow best together. This knowledge goes beyond flowering plants and shrubbery and includes a thorough knowledge of trees and tree preservation techniques. Trees give the landscape vertical dimension and provide shade for outdoor gathering spots. All of these elements have to be blended together into a living system that will compliment and work toward enhancing homeowner lifestyle and entertainment requirements.

Home landscape design is so sophisticate that outdoor lighting is essential to its completion. There is no point to professional landscape design if the forms created cannot be seen after sunset. Outdoor lighting lets you enjoy your garden, pool and patio, or outdoor building at any time of night regardless of natural lighting levels.

Residential landscape architects do not have to be technical experts in every form of light fixture, but they do have to know the essentials of both the equipment and its use to effectively work with lighting experts brought in to support the landscape design with outdoor lighting solutions. Such joint expertise is necessary to ensure that all technology employed to illuminate a particular property remains true to the ultimate design theme at hand.

Just as lighting is a key visible element of landscape design, the infrastructure of any such design is just as vital to its ultimate success. We are specifically speaking here of irrigation and drainage networks which have to built custom to the specific organic and inorganic elements of the specific property at hand. Residential landscape architects must build water management systems that accomplish two things to make the homeowner’s investment viable and secure. They must maintain the vitality of vegetation in order to keep the yard green and colorful. Secondly, they must see to it that when heavy rains shrike Houston unexpectedly and suddenly, the drains in the yard will move excess water off the property at a faster rate that it accumulates.

These irrigation and drainage systems not only have to work, but they also have to work behind the scenes in order to prevent raw mechanics from diminishing aesthetics. The construction of these systems requires the residential landscape architect study engineering theory and basic water management techniques in order to build effective irrigation and drainage networks.

Call Exterior Worlds now to learn more about this dynamic and important asset you can invest in when you work with a professional landscape design firm that adds value to your property and lifestyle.

Outdoor Gazebo

I want to give my landscape some “pop”—any suggestions?
One idea is a garden structure such as an outdoor gazebo, something we at Exterior Worlds have been building for years. First of all, gazebos are beautiful to look at. Kids love them and, with their young imaginations, can turn a gazebo into a castle, a fortress or a stage. But, because of their versatility, they can be quite functional. You can outfit them with built-in benches and screen them in to provide an artist get-away. Or you can create another entertainment center by installing a fire pit or outdoor fireplace.

What are the best construction materials to use for an outdoor gazebo?
You have a wide range of construction materials for an outdoor gazebo. Over the years, we have used treated wood, which is one of the most traditional choices. It looks good whether painted or stained and sealed. If you have an English garden design, a white, wooden gazebo makes an impactful visual statement. You can combine it with other landscape elements like a trellis, garden arbor or garden arches, covered in honeysuckle or climbing roses. A substantial material like stone or brick makes a lovely gazebo, especially in a Japanese garden. You can further enhance the look by choosing a pagoda roof style (a smaller roof on top of a larger one).

Wrought iron, metal, or painted aluminum are all durable material choices, especially here in Houston with our challenging Gulf Coast weather. We have also had good luck with Hardiplank™, a fiber cement plank product made by the James Hardie Company. It is resistant to our varying temperatures and humidity levels because it is made of stone, quartz, sand and fiber.

Who can help me build an outdoor gazebo?
A competent landscape designer or landscape architect will work all the elements of your landscape into a seamless whole. They will walk you through your design decisions such as the shape you want for your gazebo—octagonal, square, oval and rectangular. You can also add flair to a gazebo with the roof style you choose: a curved upsweep or pagoda-style, steep or flat, open lattice or wooden shakes. Your architect or designer will also help you coordinate these choices with the architecture of your home and what works best with it. We have a list of such professionals with whom we have longstanding relationships.

The different sections of a major landscape design and installation need to be interwoven, very similar to how a dance is choreographed. We try to be frank with our clients as to where we can be most valuable. If a customer only wants a simple garden structure, we may refer them to one of our artisan contractors. But if they want, say, a gazebo wired for lighting and integrated into the irrigation system and drainage system—that’s another matter. The more sophisticated the design, the more important a partner like Exterior Worlds becomes. In these cases, we become a necessity, not a luxury.

Small Garden Design

I’ve got the tiniest yard, but want to do something special with it. Help!
The overall design philosophy at Exterior Worlds states that the objective of any great landscape design, including small garden designs, is to create a space that is in relationship with your home and its surroundings. The essence of good landscape architecture is that your garden must functionally work together in every aspect and, at the same time, reveal your personal tastes and lifestyle.

As with all landscape design, the small garden design begins and ends with thoughtful, intelligent planning. Landscape designers or landscape architects can bring expertise and experience to this process. And always keep in mind: small does not mean limited. A small garden can still carry a big wallop.

What are the unique problems of a small garden design?
If you’ve recently remodeled your home, you may have changed its elevation or added a new room or otherwise reduced the size of your backyard and thus changed the spatial relationship of the house to the landscape. Perhaps your zero-lot line runs smack into the imposing three-story wall of a neighbor’s townhouse. Maybe your property is undersized and defined by boring straight lines. In other words: a small yard, but a big challenge.

Start by cataloging your assets and liabilities. For instance, list the large, immobile factors, such as a long fence-line, a stand of bamboo or an air-conditioning unit, and decide how you would categorize them—plus or minus. In this way, you test what is feasible for your site, with the ultimate goal of clarifying your landscape design options.

What are some of the architectural elements to put into my small garden design?

• Hardscapes. Pathways and gates can be used to help define a small space, break it up or create interest. Your deck design or patio design can increase your living space with an outdoor room. Material selections, such as patio pavers or gravel pathways, add texture, thus making the space more appealing.
• Luxury swimming pools or outdoor water fountains. Water features provide movement and pleasant sounds that increase your pleasure, whatever the size of your yard. Swimming pools can be custom-made to fit into small gardens and yards. We have, in fact, many clients who have created works of art with their smaller pools.
• Garden structures. Consider the use of a garden arch, pergola, rose pillar, trellis or antique architectural element such as a marble urn or stone bench.
• Irrigation systems and drainage systems. Our clients find that these systems save them money, time and worry. Sprinkler systems distribute water to plants during our long, hot summers and drainage systems carry away excess water when we get our famous downpours.
• Landscape lighting. If you’re looking for a touch of drama in a small yard, landscape lighting is your answer. In addition to the beauty it creates, our clients tell us that they enjoy being able to come home after dark and still enjoy their outdoor environment, courtesy of the landscape lighting design.

Ornamental Iron in Houston

Exterior Worlds recommends ornamental iron, also called wrought iron, for our clients who want a timeless beauty in their landscape design. Ornamental iron displays both strength and delicacy in its many and varied uses. Its elegant details—whether in hypnotic geometric shapes, fanciful medieval renditions or scrolling and sensuous movement—convey a sense of history and a timeless beauty, authenticity and strength.

We think iron pieces work in almost any landscape, but because of its historic roots, especially in European history, wrought iron goes particularly well with gardens that have a certain theme, such Mediterranean landscape design, classic landscape design, formal landscape design and English garden design. Ornamental iron emerged as a decorative art about 1,000 years ago and certain iron pieces, styles and forms continue to give a nod to those early roots. Examples include:

• From Italy and Tuscany. Elaborate iron lanterns from Florence. Torch holders in the shape of winged gargoyles in Milan. Tuscan wrought ironwork in rectilinear shapes clearly derives from Mediterranean antecedents while maintaining an air of elegance. Truly, it is the Italian way.
• From Spain. The major regions of Spain each put their own imprint on wrought iron. In Catalan—the balcony railings and distinctive gothic door-knockers. From the Castilian area—window screens and cathedral grilles. The Andalusia region, also called “Europe’s Orient” is fascinating for its contrasts. Moorish and Christian cultures lived side by side there, producing fabulous ornamental iron art.
• From France. In Paris, the wrought iron art nouveau entrances to the Metro are the second most famous wrought iron structure there. You can also find plenty of examples of more functional pieces, such as guardrails, balustrades and grillwork. Plus plenty of samples in the Louis styles—XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI.
• From England. Nearly as famous for its gardens as for its kingdom, England has contributed a wealth of style and charm to the landscaping vernacular. Items include antique tree surrounds, scrolled benches and wrought iron garden arches.

Inspired decorative flourishes, finely detailed artistry, painstaking designs—these phrases well describe the various wrought iron pieces that Exterior Worlds has either integrated into clients’ landscapes or seen used to good effect. Various applications and motifs include:

• Structures and other architectural features: outdoor water fountains, outdoor gazebos, doors, banisters, handrails, screens, door panels, window grilles, balustrades, balconies, running friezes, copings and finials, pilasters, column capitals, balcony supports.
• Functional ornamentation: Gate ornaments, wrought iron garden gates and wrought iron fences, landscape lighting fixtures, door knockers, door handles, hinges, andirons and fireplace tools, curtain rods, wrought iron flower boxes and planters, gratings, benches, partitions, outdoor tables, wrought iron driveway gates.
• Accents and accessories: Antique wrought iron rosettes, gargoyles, clothes hooks, signs, sculptures, mirror-frames.

Today we may use mild steel instead of true wrought iron in our landscape products. We may use electric welding rather than a fire and anvil. But, still. Ornamental iron is wondrous. Heat transforms metal rods into spirals and rosettes, trefoils and quatrefoils, songbirds and dragons. The bar bends and the circle appears.

Exterior Worlds has provided high-end landscape design and services for the greater Houston area since 1987. 713-827-2255. www.exteriorworlds.com.

Home Landscape Designs

Home landscape designs by Exterior Worlds turn yards into outdoor living space. Functional structures and elements are developed with an aesthetic that is representative of homeowner interest, lifestyle, and entertainment preferences. Public space is developed according to events that the homeowner plans to host in the future, with care being given to the numbers of anticipated guests and their preferences for amenities and activities. Special areas are also set aside and developed exclusively for the enjoyment of the homeowner and any children they may have.

In order to create a home landscape design that people will want to visit as a preferred weekend destination, we have to first create a focal point for the entire aesthetic of the design . Without exception, this is always the house. As the central hub of lifestyle, and as the most prominent feature on the landscape, the house establishes the tone of the aesthetic and many contextual elements of landscape design. This is not to say that we develop the yard into an exact mirror image of the home, but rather create a complimentary visual that reflects key elements of home architecture and style in the many special environments that we created in both the front and back yard.

Open areas of the yard are often developed exclusively as decorative elements. Fountains, gardens, hedgerows, and flower beds remind us that while structure constitutes the form of home landscape designs, Nature still defines its essence and power. Enclosed areas are then developed that create environment through separation in a variety of forms.

Typically any area that is enclosed and separated from the remainder of the yard is called an outdoor room. Unlike indoor rooms, outdoor rooms do not have to have four walls and a ceiling. Any natural or manmade partition that separates all or even part of an area is enough to set aside space for specific purposes or events.

Sometimes we create nothing more than an open space for children to use as a private play area. In other cases, we may build a small wall around a garden and construct a custom patio with outdoor lighting to give guests a place to sit and talk. Hedges can be used to separate sports courts from more aesthetic elements and without diminishing the theme of the home landscape design. More advanced outdoor rooms, such as outdoor fireplaces and summer kitchens, quickly become the focal points of larger gatherings and celebration.

These environments are always highly customized to reflect both the home and surrounding landscape designs. No two outdoor rooms are identical, and no home landscaping design is ever generic. Each environment, regardless of size or material build, is always reflective of both the home and the property as a whole.

Landscape Designer Or Landscape Architect

What is the value of hiring landscape designers and landscape architects?
A competent landscape designer or landscape architect walks you through the entire landscape project, from development to design to installation. Using fundamental design principles, they take the vision in your head and make it real. In short, the best landscape designers and landscape architects can deliver a landscape design solution that flourishes in the Houston climate over the long term.

They can add value whether your project is a simple design that only encompasses landscape planting or is a complex technical undertaking. A true pro will reflect your unique style, as opposed to an off-the-shelf landscaping design program. Therefore, always ask to see a portfolio and visit the website to determine if the firm under consideration has a style you appreciate and is one that complements your home and lifestyle.

Additionally, we also recommend that you hire a landscaping design company that does project management and landscape maintenance as well as the design work. In other words, you want someone who not only has great ideas, but also knows the local contractors and their methods of construction, availability and best use of materials, overall cost and budget development, and can then maintain the finished product.

What is the first step in working with such professionals?
The initial consultation with landscape designers and landscape architects usually begins with a walk around your property. It hopefully becomes a two-way, free-flowing discussion covering your wants, needs and desires, including your likes and dislikes. We encourage our clients to be as specific as possible. After these meetings, the professional develops a program of uses that organizes areas by their relationship to one another.

What comes next?
Your design professionals use their findings to come up with a conceptual design that conveys the different elements, such as swimming pools and other hardscapes, drainage systems, lawn areas, and plantings. This phase winnows out the wish list items that are possible and those that are not. A cost study is usually developed at this point, too.

What about permits and regulations?
It is important to remember that each city has its own unique requirements for landscape plan approvals. Usually the permitting package is submitted to a committee board for approval or rejection. For this reason, it is important to hire a landscaping company that is experienced in these areas, one who knows what vital information to include and what unnecessary information to omit. Having a knowledgeable professional working for you helps you win approval as quickly as possible.

What can Exterior Worlds tell us about the implementation phase?
Once you have agreed on the overall design intent, sizes of use areas, general material selections and their applications, you are ready to begin the landscaping construction phase. Here landscape designers and landscape architects use their drawings and documentation that detail the existing site survey, elevation plan, tree disposition and tree preservation plan, demolition plan, swimming pool layout plan, irrigation systems, outdoor kitchens and outdoor water fountains, landscape planting plan, landscape lighting plan, and construction details and turn your visions into actualities.

Houston Outdoor Patio

One of the most powerful effects that a Houston outdoor patio creates in a landscape is to draw people toward intended points of interest, comfort, and entertainment. Such a structure can be constructed anywhere in your front or back yard that you wish to use as a gathering area. Swimming pools, custom fountains, gardens, arbors, and even open spaces under lighted trees will be transformed into special outdoor living environments where comfort and aesthetics create a sense of special space within space that intensifies the impact of natural elements and outdoor architecture.

To achieve this effect you will need to work with a landscape designer who is able to create relationships between highly divergent landscaping elements and present a unified aesthetic at the end of the day. A Houston outdoor patio is a key component to this process because it is able to physically connect to any element in a yard and create a focal point that is both functional and aesthetic. The few examples that follow illustrate this point.

• Houston is hot, so adding an outdoor patio will always help improve the experience around the pool. It does more than give your guests a place to sit and recline beside the water. It extends into the landscape and touches any number of surrounding elements. Aesthetic elements such as gardens and fountains will be made to appear closer to the swimming pool and part of its ultimate design. Functional elements near the pool such as outdoor kitchens can be more conveniently accessed from a connecting hardscape. Guests who come to your home can access all points of relevance from the comfort of a special seating area that has been constructed with unity and mobility built into its design.

• The pool is only one area around which a Houston family can add an outdoor patio. Another location that always charms visitors is an entry garden. People tend to feel very at ease when surrounded by greenery and flowers. With the right kind of outdoor lighting, seating area within a garden takes on the persona of a natural room that encourages conversation and socialization in relaxed environment. This can go a long way toward detoxifying the emotions of the multiple stress factors that challenge the Houston professional on a daily basis.

• If you value privacy, but want to enjoy it in an outdoor setting in special area set aside only for yourself and your spouse, you can create a reading or meditation area around a fountain or Zen garden just for the two of you. In Houston, such outdoor patios can be built just large enough for two people, and segregated from the entirety of the yard by steps, a wrought iron fence, or a hedge.

Such environments as the ones described above serve to illustrate that there really is no limit as to where we can construct these versatile and highly practical structures. Location is not the defining factor here, but rather, complimentary design. Any hardscape that you have added to the natural greenery of your yard has to be built of materials that harmonize with organic elements. Special materials such as stone and cast stone make a seating area look like part of the natural world. Pavers are less organic but can be laid down with amazingly intricate patterns that reflect the growth patterns of vegetation.

The only exception to this is in modern and contemporary landscapes where manmade elements deliberately dominate the natural. However, these environments as well must be carefully constructed to express abstract themes and work together with architecture in the same manner that custom Houston outdoor patios work with organic designs in more traditional landscaping themes. Concrete works best in these environments and offers a world of design opportunity when stained, colored, or textured for deliberate effect.

Houston Landscape Services

We want to hire a Houston landscape service company, like Exterior Worlds. How do we begin the process?
As a premier Houston landscape services company, Exterior Worlds provides a full range of services including consultation, design services, installation and ongoing maintenance. If you are interested in any of these landscape services, Exterior Worlds of Houston has more than 20 years of experience providing these services to the greater Houston area.

In general, Houston landscape service companies specialize in one or more areas while subcontracting out other landscape elements such as irrigation systems, drainage systems, patio design and deck design, luxury swimming pools, outdoor water fountains, garden structures, and landscape lighting. In choosing a Houston landscape service firm, you need a high degree of good understanding, two-way communication and comfort level with them.

When beginning a new landscape design, you start with an initial discovery meeting. Here you discuss overall intent, landscape elements, permitting issues, design approach and aesthetic. The next step usually includes landscape designs, planting plans and budget considerations.

In providing landscape services, Exterior Worlds works diligently and patiently to help you determine the scope of your project, the project phasing, scheduling, coordination, selection of all materials and final budget.

What happens during the installation phase?
During the installation phase, the landscape service provider usually includes all plant material, hardscape, irrigation, drainage and lighting installation in their contract. In a typical project, the landscape irrigation and lighting contractors start first, followed by the installation of other hardscapes. Then comes the planting of all shrubs, groundcover and seasonal color. The irrigation and lighting contractors return for adjustments. Final mulch and cleanup commence, and then the installation is complete.

Tree preservation is critical during construction. Preconstruction activities may include protective tree fencing, temporary drainage, borer applications on sensitive trees, and elevated walks to protect tree roots. A change in grade impacts mature trees, so make sure your landscape service provider is well versed in this expertise.

As mentioned earlier, many landscape service companies act as the general contractor and oversee the entire installation. The fee for these services is usually charged as a percentage of the total project’s cost. While some homeowners want to act as general contractor to save money, our experience tells us that it can lead to real problems. Confusion results from misunderstandings of trade terminology, scheduling and coordination, unique requirements due to selection of materials, installation techniques, material availability and construction methods employed.

What can we expect regarding ongoing maintenance?
To insure that your landscape investment develops into a mature and beautiful outdoor environment, you want a landscape service firm that also handles maintenance. Exterior World’s maintenance contracts include mowing of all lawn areas, proper trimming of plant material, and a chemical program to insure plant health. The feeding program may also include spring and fall aeration of lawn areas with the application of fall rye grass. Regular inspection and diagnosis of plant pests and diseases are the last part of a proactive maintenance program. We also provide continual inspection of the irrigation controller, heads, and seasonal watering times since water management is the foundation of plant health.

Houston Landscaping Businesses

What services do landscaping businesses provide?
Landscaping businesses like Exterior Worlds provide landscape services such as consultation, design, installation, project management and ongoing maintenance. Usually, companies in our field specialize in one or more areas, like outdoor water fountains, luxury swimming pools, outdoor kitchens, outdoor fireplaces, and landscape lighting and then subcontract out related areas of expertise.

How do I begin working with a landscaping business?
A qualified professional should work diligently to help you define the scope of your outdoor project, coordinating, material selections, construction methods, and project cost. The process typically begins with an initial interview where you discuss your overall goals, aesthetics, design intent and budget. In the next meeting, they present their designs and conceptual plans, permitting documents and cost estimates.

After you have approved the design, the landscaping business begins the installation phase. At Exterior Worlds, we act as the general contractor and oversee the entire project installation, including any drainage systems and irrigation systems. Our fees vary from project to project, but normally are charged as a percentage of the total cost of the project.

What happens during installation?
Landscape contractors will then get to work putting in all the elements of the approved plan as specified in their contract. Once the hardscapes are installed, such as paths, retaining walls, and garden structures, the planting of shrubs, groundcover, and seasonal color is completed. After this step, mulching and cleanup commence. Often, the irrigation and lighting subcontractors then return for final adjustments and the installation is complete.

During installation, we emphasize tree preservation. The foresight to understand the impact of changing grades on mature trees is critical, so make sure your landscape service company is well versed in this area of expertise. Meticulous pre-construction activities include protective tree fencing, borer applications on sensitive trees, temporary drainage and elevated walks to protect tree roots.

What if I want to be my own general contractor?
While some homeowners want to act as general contractors in order to save money, it is often counter-productive and ultimately more expensive. Confusion can arise from the misunderstanding of trade terminology, scheduling and coordination. Additionally, subcontractors generally respond much better to a seasoned general contractor who understands the work to be performed and with whom they have a good relationship based on past experience.

What about ongoing maintenance?
Landscape maintenance is one of the most important ongoing services we provide to insure that your investment develops into your desired outdoor environment. The services of Exterior Worlds include mowing of all lawn areas and proper trimming of plant material. We also have a regular feeding program that boosts the health of tropical, acidic and seasonal color plants, as well as spring and fall aeration of lawn areas. We continuously inspect any irrigation controller, heads, and seasonal watering times since proper watering is the foundation for good lawn, shrub and tree health. Regular observation and diagnosis of plant pests and diseases are the last part of our complete and proactive maintenance program.

Houston Lawn Services

Exterior Worlds calls itself a landscape service company. What services do you offer for lawns?
Your landscape design program, including the lawn, begins with the design process followed by installation. Then comes the weekly care of and tending to that landscape, making sure everything conforms to the overall design intent—with plenty of room to make changes along the way.

Because of our climate, Houston lawn service is a year-round issue and one that has special needs because of our particular climate. Houston lawns require mowing and trimming weekly from March through October. From November through February, you can get by with every other week, unless you have other considerations, such as trees that shed their leaves. Exterior Worlds can customize a residential landscape maintenance contract to suit your needs.

Over-seeding your yard with winter grass is one way to keep your lawn beautiful during our cold months. It is best done in early to late October. The big disadvantage of this practice is that the winter grass competes with the St. Augustine grass for space and nutrition and that may have a negative impact on the St. Augustine in the spring.

A regular fertilization program is a wise idea. Fertilizers we have used include organic, semi-organic, fast release, slow release, winterizer and low salt. Two other important treatments in Houston lawn service care are insecticides and fungicides, which control disease and insect infestations.

Should we invest in an irrigation system? If so, what are the best practices?
Our clients have found that an irrigation system is really worth the money—it provides good value for the financial outlay. But if you spend the money, you also need to schedule quarterly inspections of the system since, being mechanical, it will break down occasionally. Attention to this detail is extremely important on large properties. Undetected leaks can be very costly—on your monthly budget and on the environment.

As for good watering techniques, we suggest that you water in longer spans of time, but for less time. This combination promotes deeper water penetration, which gives your plant material stronger root systems and healthier plants. Plus, because you water less, you save money. Another advantage is that it helps create a more drought-resistant lawn. In other words, your Houston lawn service program requires proper water management.

As part of a Houston lawn service program, how does Exterior Worlds promote the long-term health of the grass in my landscape?
One recommended lawn care practice for compacted and heavily-used turf is lawn aeration. Lawn aeration involves removing small soil plugs or cores out of the lawn by a tool called a core aerator. You may have heard of another type of aeration called spiking. With it, solid spikes or tines are driven into the soil without removing a plug. It is not as effective as core aeration because, with Houston’s thick, gumbo-like soil, spiking can actually contribute to compaction.

We also suggest regular dethatching, which is the process of removing thatch or excessively thick grass with machine or by hand, because it promotes healthy lawns. Lawn aeration also helps control thatch build-up, which is another reason to do it.

Residential Landscape Maintenance

Professional residential landscape maintenance ensures that your yard will look green and colorful regardless of the time of year. It will also keep your yard free of the many negative forces that will destroy plant life and damage the aesthetic of the property. Maintenance contracts lock labor rates into an affordable, predictable budget and ensure timely and consistent services on a regular basis.

Flower beds make a yard look like springtime regardless of the time of year.
Annual color maintenance is the rotation of different flowering species so that no matter what time of year it is, your flower bed will look lively and colorful. This is best done by trained experts who know what types of plants will flower at specific times of the year, and what types of flowers will grow better in the shade versus the sunlight.

Lawns are greener and neater when cared for under a residential landscape maintenance contract.
Mowing and edging the grass are the two fundamental basics of your lawn care program. During the warmer months, you should have this should be done on a weekly basis. Beginning in October and February, you should have it done bi-weekly. While onsite, we will also check your lawn for a number of diseases that plague grasses and treat them accordingly if discovered.

Professional aeration of soil is an extremely important aspect of residential landscape maintenance.
Houston soil is much like clay in its thickness and constituency. Over time, it gets pressed and compacted, which creates a barrier to root growth. Aeration removes cores of soil from the lawn that are approximately one-half inch to three-quarter inches in diameter. This both softens the soil and lets in much needed air and water, which roots need just like we do for optimal growth and health.

A residential landscape maintenance contract will take care of your irrigation and drainage systems.
Irrigation and drainage systems are usually custom built in a yard. Any repairs to these systems or cleaning that needs to be done is best performed by the professionals who installed them.

Residential landscape maintenance keeps all of your vegetation fertilized the way it needs to be, when it needs to be.
Grasses, gardens, and flowers need to be fertilized periodically in order to remain healthy and vibrant. Lawns, ground cover, vines, and shrubbery must be fertilized once every three months. Certain types of flowers, such as gardenias an azaleas, need fertilizing in April and May. Roses must be fertilized every four weeks beginning in the spring and continuing throughout the growing season.

A residential maintenance contract includes systematic and safe pest and disease control.
It is essential that you protect all vegetation against insects, fungi, and plant diseases. Each species of plant, grass, shrub, tree, and vine has its own specific vulnerabilities that must be addressed on an individual basis. What works for roses will not work for shrubs and grass. An advanced knowledge of botany is required to counteract the many different threats to plant life, and to systematically treat each species proactively without putting adjacent species at risk of the wrong chemicals or treatment methods.

One of the greatest threats to your lawn is a fungal disease called “brown patch.” To counteract it, we will perform routine fungicide treatment. Roses will be treated for black spot disease, and virtually everything in your yard, at one time or another needs a good spraying of the right kind of insecticide.

Tree preservation is one of the more unique benefits our plans offer.
We would all like to think that trees will take care of themselves because they do such a good job of it in Nature. This is an exaggerated perspective. In the forest, we do not notice how many trees actually suffer from disease and injury. In our yards, however, we can spot a dying or damaged tree almost instantly.

Retaining walls

We have some places in our yard with a fairly decent slope. We’ve tried plants there to keep the soil in place, but it hasn’t worked. Does Exterior Worlds have a solution for us?
Retaining walls can be built to hold soil in place and away from your house, driveway, luxury swimming pool or other landscaped areas. Constructed of varying height and length, these barriers can be built to appear as if an integral part of your landscape design.

A hardscape exhibiting both form and function, a retaining wall in your landscape garden design solves problems, adds interest and helps define the space. These barriers address drainage issues, can help you reclaim previously unusable or underutilized zones, and, with some of today’s attractive products, can look beautiful while doing so. They can also visually divide your yard into manageable areas, thus giving the eye a focal point. You can even put them to further work by constructing them with built-in bench seating.

What are the design elements we should consider?
You will want to address three broad areas:

• Design. The wall’s purpose, as well as the topography of the land, will determine placement, height and length. Be cognizant of integrating your wall into other features of your landscape, such as the patio design, pathways, pool design, garden beds and ponds.
• Style. You will want to coordinate it with your home and landscape architecture. Some styles ideas: the sharp and spare lines of concrete work well in a modern landscape design, or the enduring presence of stone works beautifully in a Mediterranean landscape design.
• Material choice. Usually brick, pavers, stone, concrete, steel or wood. As with all material selections, be sure to coordinate it with your home’s exterior. Also you will want to factor in any homeowners’ association guidelines.

Who can help us with such a project?
A retaining wall attempts to master erosion and gravity, two of the most powerful forces on the planet. In the Gulf Coast area, the most common problems with these walls have to do with stability, with water drainage being the biggest factor. We encourage our clients to hire expert engineers, contractors and builders when they need such a partition built. Most regulating bodies require that a certified engineer either build or inspect these structures when they go over a certain height or when they are built close to a structure or driveway. Landscape designers and landscape architects can help you with these issues and the permitting process.

At Exterior Worlds, our full service solution with retaining walls is most important when integrating them into your yard drainage system. Since the biggest enemy is water, you’ve got to have good drainage behind the wall. Another concern we address is tree preservation, as it is with any of our building projects. You want to be sure that tree roots aren’t damaged in any way. What Exterior Worlds brings to the table in this area is our ability to take into account all aspects of your landscape, including such things as grade changes and different surfaces.

Landscape Remodeling

Exterior Worlds takes an extensive and systematic approach to landscape remodeling because our experience has taught us that home values significantly increase when the surrounding yard looks like a unified reflection of the house. When potential buyers come to look at the house, they will also be looking at the yard to see if they will enjoy living outside as much as they do inside.

It is here that a home sale can often be either made or broken, because nothing looks worse than incongruent landscape features that may have been constructed well as structures and elements within themselves, but offer little sense of relationship to one another and therefore lack harmony in the eyes of the viewer.

Landscape remodeling requires carefully redesign of outdoor structures both functional and aesthetic. It must be approached with a mindset of balance and proportion that ultimately points all elements back to the home as the preeminent feature on the lot. Outdoor buildings often require significant renovation. Swimming pools and patios almost always require reconstruction in order to appear truly proportional and complimentary to the house and surrounding landscape.

In these areas, we can offer much help to Houston homeowners who are looking to significantly raise property values and ensure the highest possible return on investment. While this is seldom done low cost, we do have ways of making this work within the budget of any client. This is called Landscape Phasing and involves developing a master plan for the project first, then completing portions of the plan incrementally according to the available funding that the homeowner has to invest in each part of the project.

Some examples of what we do in a phased landscape remodeling follow:

• We redesign the swimming pool. More than likely the pool works fine as an element in its own right, but was not constructed aesthetically appropriate or sized proportional to the landscape. We can redesign the look and functionality of a pool and bring our own pool contractors in to handle the reconstruction under our close supervision.
• Outdoor buildings were likewise probably built just like the pool. They work well within themselves but do little if anything to complement home architecture or home value. Exterior Worlds will remodel every building on the landscape to correct this problem and lend the entire property more of a sense of true outdoor living space.
• We can add new features like summer kitchens, outdoor rooms, outdoor fire places, custom patios, and entry gardens.
• We practice careful tree preservation techniques and make certain to work around all subsurface utility lines and conduits.
  

Again, we must stress that this does not have to be done all at once. Each phase of our landscape remodeling plan can be performed separately from the rest, and it can be invoiced at a price point that is well within the comfortable budget of our client. The total investment is well worth it when one considers the intrinsic return on investment that each phase of the project brings to home and property resale value.

Wrought Iron Gates

Gates represent an important part of any fence and need to be considered from their functional and aesthetic aspects. At Exterior Worlds, we think a wrought iron gate, outfitted with the proper lock and hardware, serves both purposes well. Sometimes, even stunningly well.

The beauty of wrought iron gates has been known for centuries. Wrought iron entered the decorative arts in The Middle Ages and, with technological improvements, is as popular today as ever. Specific to gates, we think the use of wrought iron does two things for the Houston landscape designer: it gives us an opportunity to improve air circulation—no small thing in our climate—and it allows the passerby an intriguing glimpse of what lies beyond.

For these reasons and more, Exterior Worlds has installed wrought iron gates, wrought iron fences and wrought iron driveway gates in Houston and the surrounding communities for more than two decades.

From a utilitarian perspective, security must be addressed when discussing gates. If your garden gate gives access to your property, you need to consider some kind of lock. You can choose from several options, including keyed locks, electronic keypads or keyless locks, each with its own pros and cons.

Keyed locks are very secure and you have control over the distribution of the key. However, it means carrying another key. It also means that everyone who has a key—and presumably needs ready access to the area—must keep up with their key.

Electronic keypads mean no one has to carry around or keep up with a key. But these high-tech locks do require electricity, so if the power goes out—say, during hurricane season—you need to arrange for back-up power or you have to use another access point.

Keyless locks have several advantages: no key to keep up with, no wiring or battery, no programming. The disadvantage is that everyone who uses the gate has to remember the code sequence. And when the code is changed, you have to remember to make sure everyone has the new one.

Another safety consideration for gates: the ones in the fence around your custom swimming pool. Everyone from the city code department to the American Academy of Pediatrics to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers encourages homeowners to fence off the pool area for the safety of children.

At Exterior Worlds, we think these pool fences and gates can be decorative touches to your landscape design. However, if your visual aesthetic finds that they clutter the landscape, we can weave them into the bushes, hedges and garden beds that surround the pool, thus providing unobtrusive security.

Another structural consideration for gates is the use of in-fills, the panels we use for odd-shaped or over-large openings. When made of the same wrought iron design as the gate, infills create a seamless look.

Both sturdy and elegant, a wrought iron gate gives you a chance to add a motif to your property. In the true sense of combining form and function, it provides secured access—and thus, peace of mind—while acting as an inviting sentry to guests, friends and family.

Sprinkler Systems

Why is an irrigation system so important to my landscape?
An irrigation system helps you direct the correct amount of water to your plant materials. The benefit to you is convenience and peace of mind. Just as important, these systems help maintain the health of your garden landscape. During dry spells, sprinkler systems provide a substitute for natural rain, helping you save water, money, energy and time.

What are the parts that make up an irrigation system?
A proper sprinkler system uses a combination of heads, zones and controller technology to create a system unique to your landscape design.

• Most systems use three different types of sprinklers: 1) Rotors are water heads that operate by rotating streams of water back and forth over the landscape. They work well in large areas like lawns. 2) Pop-up spray heads produce a fan-shaped pattern of water designed for smaller or irregular spaces such as landscape beds. 3) Drip irrigation and bubblers produce smaller streams of water and are suitable for trees, rose gardens, pots, urns and planters.
• With zones, you can separate your landscape into the different areas, such as lawn and beds, that require varying watering conditions due to the difference in plants and sunlight conditions. Zones also address the problem existing in most residential systems caused by the water pressure not being great enough to water an entire lawn at one time.
• The controllers used today are usually computerized and come with different programs. Rain sensors and water delay options prevent over-watering during rainy times.

What can Exterior Worlds tell us about the installation process?
Proper head spacing, something that shows the true quality of your system, is crucial for even watering coverage. Spacing is determined by the calculation and specific measuring of head locations.

If you’re installing a system into an established lawn, it is critical to hand-dig trenches so as not to disturb any lines and wiring, including landscape lighting wiring. It is also important to call for utility line locations. Otherwise, it can be expensive to repair any resulting damage.

If you’re building a new home, a tree preservation plan may include a temporary irrigation system to water the trees during construction. It will help minimize long-term damage to your trees.

Before installing a sprinkler system, permits are required by some cities. Your landscape designer or landscape architect must be fluent in this process.

Once our system is installed, what do we need to know about maintaining it?
You will want to monitor the times and days of watering, which will change depending on the season and the weather. In Houston, the best time to water is usually between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., which puts water on the plants and ground before the sun comes up and starts putting out heat.

Since the sprinkler system is both mechanical and electronic, ongoing maintenance is another critical aspect. You can expect the regular replacement of broken heads and stuck valves. Before working with any landscape contractor, we advise our clients to understand the kind of landscape maintenance service they offer after the installation.

Modern Courtyard Design

Modern courtyard design elevates human consciousness over natural forces. It emphasizes thought over feeling but does not completely ignore feeing. Abstract ideas are treated with equal value to the more commonly understood concrete forms of daily empirical reality.

Modern courtyard design works on one level by creating visual tension and interest with alternating contrast and symmetry. The perimeter will often be designed as a standard or derivative geometric shape, and then decorated within with opposing or complimentary geometric patterns.

For instance, a square modern courtyard can be designed with a patio that is punctuated by expanding concentric circles and radiating lines. A circular atrium can be contrasted by a diamond pattern or square block pattern on the patio surface. A patio of any type also can be segmented into alternating areas for seating and plantings.

The above illustrations show how modern courtyard design relies heavily on minimalism to achieve its ends. Simplicity is the key to key to achieving creative success. Taking only basic geometric shapes, curves, and linear lines with sharp angles, we can distort or extend these patterns into an infinite variety of shapes or expanding lines of movement.

Radii are used a great deal in modern hardscapes because they force the eye to first travel inward to their originating point, then move outward again. This back and forth movement unconsciously suggests the infinite contained within finite space.

Another element of minimalism that is key to modern courtyard design is the selecting the appropriate number and species of plants. Colorful flowers do not work well in these settings because they are too suggestive of traditional gardens and Nature itself. Shrubs with dark green leaves and white or purple blooms constitute the extent of color decoration in the majority of modern courtyard design.

Virtually any type of hedge, shrub, or small tree that fits this description will work, provided the amount of organic material never overpowers the human element. It is essential that natural elements be used only to support man-made patterns, never the other way around. As a general rule, vegetation should total no more than 30-40 percent of the space here. The rest should be inorganic and geometrical.

Aside from these few basic principles, there are little restrictions way a modern courtyard can be designed. Much like modern art, it is a highly subjective style that allows for tremendous client input and creative freedom on the part of the landscape professional.

Because of the innate diversity for which it allows, the modern courtyard is one of the most popular forms of hardscape design and common in a wide variety of settings. It is equally popular in commercial, academic, municipal, and residential environments. Depending on the setting, it is most commonly used as a break area, reading area, or private space for personal conversation.

Rose Garden Houston

Professionals begin the installation of a rose garden by changing the nature of the soil. Houston soil is very black and clay-like, and has been colloquially known as gumbo dirt for decades. This type of soil is alkaline by nature. Our team prepares a mixture of loam, sand, and organic material that shifts toward the acidic, which is optimal for rose growth.

We prefer to install gardens in January or February, when bushes are dormant and can be transported with fewer traumas to the plants. We prefer to plant in the sun when at all possible because too much shade limits the growth potential of bushes and can also alter the size and color of the blooms.

Once the garden has been planted, landscape design professionals will revisited it to investigate potential threats to rose health and address any such problems found within the garden. Houston has a very humid climate that is hot a significant portion of the year. This is unfortunately ideal weather for black spot, a fungal rose disease that weakens the leaves and stunts growth of the bushy. Under a maintenance contract, preventative spraying can be done for your garden and continued regularly throughout the hottest and most humid times of the year.

Professionals will also check the garden for red spider mites and aphids. These insects feed on rose sap and damage the growth of the plant. A number of insecticides exist that effectively kill these insects. Exterior Worlds can do this for you as part of your maintenance agreement so neither you nor your family will have to bother with exposure to insecticide.

A rose garden is best pruned in February and early spring. This removes dead wood and gets rid of unsightly twigs, and it maintains the form and size of the bush. Many people do not know that repeat climbers and once bloomers require different cycles of pruning. Letting your Houston landscape company do this for you avoids the costly mistake of trimming a bush prematurely or past due and damaging the aesthetic of your garden.

Fertilization of your rose garden is equally important. The most common mistake people make is to over fertilize. Directions on commercial fertilizers should never be creatively followed, but rather, always literally followed. There are also special foods made just for roses. However, it is best to let this be handled by a maintenance agreement as well.

Exterior Worlds mixes together special compost that is optimal for rose growth and can begin a spring feeding program that lasts 4-6 weeks during the growing season. Our botanical experts know what will work best in the Houston climate and just how much to use to produce a beautiful and lush presentation that will last throughout the summer and the fall.

Rose garden maintenance contracts can be written that itemize all of these services and incorporate them into a regular cycle of care and maintenance. The typical cycle is weekly, where we will visit onsite to spray, trim, and fertilize the roses.

Wrought Iron Wall Elements

The beauty of wrought iron is always in fashion. It is a strong and long-lasting material that works in any environment, but particularly so in outdoor gardens and patios when it is used as a wrought iron wall element. At Exterior Worlds, we have hung metal rosettes, scrolls, friezes, pediments, valances, squares, rectangles, circles and grilles as wall elements. Also, wrought iron plaques in any number of fantastical and realistic facades. Our clients find that, from a maintenance point of view, they can’t get an easier piece of art to take care of. All they have to do is sit back and enjoy it.

As for placement ideas, we have used such wrought iron wall elements as iron shelf brackets and candle sconces. We’ve placed iron artwork over exterior doors and windows, above an outdoor fireplace or on fences. We have inserted an iron grille into a fence, which is particularly effective because it creates a breezeway and still keeps the fence secured.

If wrought iron is used in other areas of the landscape, such as a wrought iron driveway gate, wrought iron trellis or wrought iron garden gate, we always integrate the motifs. While it isn’t necessary to match completely, neither do you want to create visual clashes.

If you are in the market for a wrought iron wall accent piece in your landscape design, here are some considerations to think about before purchasing and before installing:
• When shopping, look for accent iron pieces that inspire you.
• Correlate the size of the decorative iron piece with the size of the wall. Large iron wall decor puts dimension, depth, and detail into the space while a single, small accent piece may get lost on a large wall.
• If you have a large wall or fence, a single large piece makes a stronger statement than several small ones. It also keeps down the visual clutter and brings the eye sharply to your focal point.
• Alternatively, you may enjoy collecting smaller iron pieces and hanging them in an outdoor space gives you an opportunity to showcase your personal taste. If appropriate, try placing contrasting shapes and textures together.
• Review the material choices already in the design of your space and make sure your intended wall décor works with them.

We have found that wrought iron wall elements accentuate certain themed landscape designs. For instance, they underscore a Mediterranean landscape design, since, typically, that style’s ambiance embraces a rustic feeling. Wrought iron accents key off nicely against the earthy patinas and colors found in the Mediterranean regions such as natural wood, terracotta, and earthy colors, including amber, copper, wine, melon, flaxen and sage.

Wrought iron wall pieces add élan to the formal landscape design, as well. French designs figure prominently in the wrought iron vocabulary and the right pieces will evoke a French chateau’s garden. Wrought iron in Spanish designs is also readily available if your home has a Moorish or Spanish architecture.

By providing architectural detail, wrought iron wall elements can put the finishing touch on your outdoor room, patio design or outdoor kitchen.

Call Exterior Worlds at 713-827-2255 for landscaping expertise, suggestions and service.

Houston Lawn Care

Life is too busy and unpredictable for the working Houstonian to take care of his or her landscape consistently. A professional service agreement will see to it that every element of the yard is properly attended to with the right amount of attention, proper tools and materials, and in the right order and season it should be done. Houston lawn care is best managed under a comprehensive landscape maintenance contract that will make sure that all elements of grass health and growth are ensured throughout the year.

One of the more neglected aspects of Houston lawn care is inspecting the yard to see if the right types of grasses have been installed in the correct locations. San Augustine grass grows very well in both sunny areas and shade. However, when it turns brown, it looks unsightly. With a landscaping and maintenance plan, Zoisa grass and Bermuda grass can be installed to diversify the sunny areas of a yard and distinguish it from neighboring homes.

Water can also be a rather tricky aspect of Houston lawn care. Not everyone knows when and how to water a yard properly. Care must be taken not to overwater certain areas, or water the yard when the sun has already become too hot. Many Houston residents have now resorted to the convenience of automated sprinkler systems that allow them to program times of day and night so the system takes care of it for them. It is not always easy to know what time of day works best based on the season of the year, and it is also very hard with some sprinkler systems to deliver different amounts of water to different areas that have been planted with atypical, yet very attractive, grass species.

This is why we strongly recommend having Exterior Worlds install a professional irrigation system and drainage system that will handle all aspects of not only Houston lawn, but garden care as well. Our irrigation systems are fully automated and much more advanced than retail sprinkler systems because they are custom designed for a specific property and as part of a master landscaping plan. These systems will selectively water different parts of the yard at optimal times of day, and they will deliver just the right amount of water to the particular grass species that is growing in that zone.

Another very important thing to remember in Houston lawn care is the proper use of fertilizer. This is another area where people get themselves into trouble without a maintenance contract. Too much fertilizer will harm the grass, and too little will be ineffective. If different grass species are growing in the yard, or if grass health is less than optimal, it is best to outsource this to professional landscapers with degrees in botanical science. Our team knows what types of fertilizer will work and what types will not work with different grass species, and they know how to create their own compost mixtures, when necessary, to make certain that each yard zone gets proper treatment and the best chances at growth.

Something else that many people in Houston never even think about when it comes to Houston lawn care is aeration. The soil in our part of the world is a thick, clay-like mixture that quickly compacts and squeezes out the oxygen. Plant roots need oxygen to grow, so this will stunt the development of grass if pockets of air are not reintroduced into the soil. Aeration restores soil oxygen content, but it is time consuming and sometimes very grueling work. Exterior Worlds can handle this for you and make certain soil oxygen content is at optimal levels before we leave your home.

Call today to setup a free consultation to look over your property and develop both a master landscaping design and supportive landscape maintenance contract to preserve the value of your home and property investment in today’s problematic marketplace.

Houston Texas Gardens

A Houston garden by Exterior Worlds does a lot for your property. It reflects your home architecture first and foremost. It complements the canopy of tree branches and leaves with a carefully developed geometric patterns of organic vitality. Outdoor buildings and hardscapes look a lot better too with a garden growing with shrubs and flowering plants growing around them. The presence of life linked to construction helps unite the manmade with the natural in any front or back yard.

Such statements may seem like bold claims to a confident do-it-yourselfer or someone who is characteristically skeptical. However, please keep in mind that we are talking about more than flower beds and hedges when we talk about a professionally designed Houston garden. More than a mere decoration in the front or back yard, it most often is the foundational element of the master plan of the professional landscaper.

In order to make a Houston garden look truly proportional to everything else in the yard, professionals often have to do some pretty advanced mathematically calculations and rely on sophisticated computer design software. Without these methods and tools, even landscaper developers would be unable to fulfill their own ambitions.

Professional service companies can also provide you with a higher grade of materials than you can obtain on your own. Commercial entities like Exterior Worlds have better access to plants, fertilizers, and irrigation construction materials than do retail stores and typical online channels. A garden that is planted with better quality plant material, soil mixtures, and fertilizer will immediately show its value on the first morning following installation.

Two other crucial elements of any healthy Houston garden--irrigation and drainage—absolutely have to be done by a professional landscaper. Unpredictability seems to be the nature of the weather in Houston, so all garden design must take into account the need to deliver water to plants when rain is scarce, and to drain excess water in times of heavy rains, seasonal storms, and occasionally floods.

A landscape maintenance contract is an added value that every one of our Houston garden clients should look toward investing in. Insects and fungi can destroy a multitude of plants and flowers, particularly roses, and have to be controlled with regular insecticide and fungicide treatments best left in the hands of experts. Also, soil must be aerated properly on occasions, and different types of plants need different types and measures of fertilizer that are best mixed and delivered by professionals.

As far as the actual design of your Houston garden goes there are many from which you can choose. These include French, Italian, Mediterranean, Japanese Water, Contemporary, Modern, and Zen designs—all of which create unique aesthetic expressions in their own respect and provide specific complimentary presence to the many other landscaping elements our team can develop in your front and back yards.

Quality Drainage Systems

Tropical Storm Frances, 1998. Tropical Storm Allison, 2001. Hurricane Ike 2008. Plus, uncounted and unnamed thunderstorms that sweep in without warning and dump five to six inches of rain in a single afternoon.

Houston has a drainage problem and it’s a little scary when you look at a list that contains some of the reasons why. If for no other reason than these naturally occurring and unpredictable weather patterns, you need a quality drainage system. It protects your property, your home and your family.

Exterior Worlds installs quality drainage systems that are all-encompassing. We address all drainage issues on your property including proper grading, the engineering analysis that creates positive drainage away from structures. Our properly-designed drainage systems also take into account your neighbors’ lots so that your drainage doesn’t create problems for them.

We believe that the right number of drains is an important element of a quality drain system. By using enough drains, we are able to keep your landscape as flat as possible. With too few drains, surfaces have to be sharply pitched so that they flow into the few drains that are installed. Look at a Wal-Mart parking lot and you’ll see what we’re talking about.

Our drainage solutions are site-specific. For drainage problems around garden beds, one solution that we have found works well is to raise the beds, which lifts your plants out of the soggy soil. Sometimes we find that the problem is the soil. Houston’s clay soil is famous for being hard to cultivate and that’s before years of construction have compacted it. Our Houston lawn service crew helps that condition with a regular aeration program.

Drainage systems should have little negative visual impact. We integrate downspouts and gutters with the architecture of your house. If we have to use deck drains, we use specially-designed covers, usually made of metal, brass or stone, that blend with the look of your patio or deck design. We fill French drains and channel drains with appropriate decorative gravel or stones. As part of your landscape’s infrastructure, the drain system should work beneath the surface and without you having to make note of it.

Speaking of no negative impact, we are adamant that our quality drainage systems be installed with no harm to trees. Unfortunately, we are called in from time to time to correct the problem of stressed trees after a drainage contactor has damaged the root systems. We think tree preservation begins before you move an inch of dirt. Trees are too valuable to your property and too expensive to replace to treat this issue any other way.

Our crews also work hard to avoid harm to all vegetation in your landscape design. Our goal is for your lawn to be back to normal in two to three weeks after the installation. We think that’s one of the defining qualities of a top-notch job—that the grass shows no disrupting lines where the pipe was laid within a relatively short period of time.

Protect your valuables—life and property—with a quality drainage system from Exterior Worlds. And let it rain!

Wrought Iron Fencing

Wrought iron fences are used by homeowners who want to express the belief that their design sensibility is not limited just to the house. By using the expressive vocabulary found in wrought iron, they acknowledge that their living environment extends beyond the inner walls of the home, out through the windows and into the landscape design.

For more than 20 years, Exterior Worlds has worked with such clients to build wrought iron fences that are entirely functional and aesthetically pleasing. We find landscape solutions and tailor them especially to meet your needs and desires. Our services are defined by sophisticated style and sumptuous materials, especially so with fences. We strive for superior quality in a superior landscape design.

We sometimes find people who love iron fences but think they can’t use them because of the lack of privacy they afford. One solution we suggest—to obtain privacy and still use wrought iron fencing—is to combine an iron fence with a green border of plants.

Shrubbery is the obvious candidate for plantings along the iron fence line and one we often use. We select shrubs that will attain the desired height and width while thriving in the amount of sunlight the planted area will receive. For those clients who have a formal garden design or who just prefer a more formal look, we might suggest hedges. With a regularly scheduled pruning program, a hedge can be turned into a virtual privacy fence. Hedges also let you control the height you want them to grow to. They do come with a trade-off, though—additional maintenance. The alternative is to let us create a design for low maintenance for you and plant shrubs in a loose border style; that is, letting the bushes grow in their natural state with minimum care.

Most of the landscaping products that we now call wrought iron, such as a wrought iron gate and wrought iron trellis, are actually made of a material called mild steel. The term “wrought iron” is still used, however, because these items have the appearance of wrought iron or were formerly made of wrought iron. Today, true wrought iron is produced on a small scale and, because of the production expense, is reserved mainly for the authentic and historic projects.

Mild steel, a type of carbon steel that is relatively inexpensive to produce and has excellent malleability, offers full freedom of design. You can find the rarified figurations of the Renaissance, the sinuous designs of Art Nouveau and the always compelling geometric patterns. We encourage a discerning eye when choosing the design for your wrought iron fence. Cherubs from the Baroque period would jar the senses in a Japanese garden, for example.

The beauty of a wrought iron fence is that it takes a utilitarian structure and turns it into an expression of distinctiveness. The definition of a fence—an enclosure that creates an adequate barrier around a yard or other such expanse of land for the purposes of security—is expanded and the fence becomes an outdoor art form.

Call Exterior Worlds at 713-827-2255 to discuss fine elements in your landscape.

Wrought Iron Driveway Gate

A wrought iron driveway gate puts an impressive finishing touch onto your property. It says something about substantiality and sustainability.

For more than two decades, Exterior Worlds has been helping clients in the Houston area with wrought iron driveway gates in their landscape design. We suggest this type of gate for aesthetic reasons and for its practical uses.

Wrought iron entered the decorative arts in The Middle Ages and still flourishes today. In the early modern era, iron was used for industrial purposes, like water and steam pipes, warships and railways, and nuts, bolts and horseshoes, all items that illustrate its inherent strength. For today’s landscaping products, a form of iron called mild steel is most often used. It is less expensive to produce, but still retains its strength and malleability.

Inspired decorative flourishes still remain, too. While these days we may use a different form of steel and electric welding, you still get the essence of real wrought iron. It is as if you can still see the yellow and red incandescence of the fire in the metal. Heat transforms a rod into a spiral or rosette, trefoil or quatrefoil, songbird or deer. The modern artisan forges these classic and contemporary forms to adorn any surroundings. They sculpt the steel, with heat, talent, and dexterity.

For wrought iron driveway gates, Exterior Worlds has suggested a wide range of iron objects, including flowers, grape clusters, leaves, and geometric patterns. There are marvelous twists, scrolls, folds and filigrees not normally expected from hard material. These finely detailed, elaborate motifs add panache to your landscape design.

On the practical side, there are other considerations for wrought iron driveway gates:
• Access control—gates can be configured to open automatically or upon command. Sensors and other devices such as automatic gate openers, remote controls and code entry keypads can be set up to allow the gate to open with the command given from the car. These devices can be coordinated to work with your garage door opener.

• Double swing or sliding gates—gates can be adapted for different circumstances. For openings of more than 14-feet long or if the opening is on an incline, for example.

• Ongoing maintenance—as a full service landscape company, Exterior Worlds can handle a long list of outside-the-home services that upscale homes require. These home garden services include the repair of automatic gates. We also handle fence installation, repair and maintenance, including painting of fences and gates. Our clients find that it is a better use of their time to be in the office working rather than meeting with contractors, coordinating schedules and handling disputes. They make one call to us and we handle everything else.

In a related landscape topic, we also do gates and fences for custom swimming pools. Just as with driveway gates, the great tradition of using decorative arts, such as ornamental iron railings and antique ornamental iron elements, turns even the most ordinary fencing around a pool into a noteworthy feature of your landscape design.

Wrought Iron Trellises

Wrought iron trellises can be made into a dizzying variety of styles and shapes. Simple lines, repeating patterns, ornate flourishes, symmetrical grids, trefoils, fleur-de-lis, and realistic elements like leaves or woodland creatures are just some of the wonderful designs you will find. Part of the landscaping vocabulary called garden structures, a sub-group that includes garden arbors, garden arches and outdoor gazebos, Exterior Worlds has installed wrought iron trellises in Houston area landscapes for more than two decades.

A wrought iron trellis gives the eye a focal point—and thus a resting place—when viewing the landscape as a whole. At the same time, it creates an accessory accent in your landscape design. We most often recommend that wrought iron trellises be paired with plants, usually a vine. It gives these plants an attractive and acceptable place to climb to a higher plane. We have also placed them in an open area to provide elevation and relieve any monotony.

When selecting a material type for a trellis in Houston, an important consideration is its durability. Since it is outdoors, it must withstand the rigors of our weather, from the summer’s simmering heat to the occasional freeze. Even if it is placed in a covered area, it still has to be able to take our humidity. Among the fine materials we have used, galvanized and powder coated metal is a good choice for our climate. It may initially be a little more expensive than plain metal, but we think that, over the long term, you’ll be happier with it because it lasts longer and is easier to maintain.

We have used a trellis in many home landscape designs, even themed ones. For example, with its emphasis on lush, hardy vegetation and casual entertainment areas, a Mediterranean landscape design is ready-made for trellises. With the right style, we have found that a trellis even works in a modern landscape design. And an English garden design almost requires one!

Exterior World has found that a trellis is especially effective visually when combined with a wrought iron fence or wrought iron gates in the same motif. It is a way of uniting the landscape. Trellises also pair nicely with outdoor water fountains. Our clients find that the combination of hard iron, soft green, moving water and soothing sound is mesmerizing. We have also added a trellis to good effect in patio designs. Up against a blank wall, it provides just the right softening touch of greenery. We have had similar luck in using them in formal and informal outdoor rooms.

Besides the pleasing aesthetics that a trellis provides, we like them for their practical uses as well. We have made a trellis into an airy and lively room divider to separate different zones in a back yard. In the same way, we have created the illusion of a transition area between an outdoor kitchen and a luxury swimming pool. We have also put them to work as an attractive screen to hide unsightly elements in a yard, such as a utility easement or air-conditioning unit.

Exterior Worlds, your place for custom landscape solutions. 713-827-2255.

Wrought iron

Exterior World uses decorative iron for both purely aesthetic reasons and for beautifully functional ones. It is a welcome additive to any landscape design. We help our clients choose from a wide-ranging variety of artistic motifs—from the ornate patterns of the Renaissance to the supple and twisting Art Nouveau innovations. Often painstakingly designed, decorative iron expresses your individuality.

Wrought iron made its way into the artistic realm sometime in The Middle Ages. By the time Samuel Yellin, the artisan who became a symbol of American ironwork, arrived in Philadelphia in 1906, the world had long since fallen in love with iron’s capacity to adorn and embellish. But in describing his lifelong passion for wrought iron, Yellin captures the essence of its appeal for all of us. He said, “I love iron. It is the stuff of which the frame of the earth is made. And you can make it say anything you will. It eloquently responds to the hand, at the bidding of the imagination. When I go to bed at night, I can hardly sleep because my mind is aswarm with all the visions of gates and grilles and locks and keys I want to do. I verily believe I shall take my hammer with me when I go to the gate of heaven. If I am denied admission, I shall fashion my own key.” This Polish-born blacksmith’s work was eventually commissioned across the U.S. and can be found in nearly 40 states.

For decorative purposes, iron has few limitations on its design possibilities. Just to name a few of our uses for it: garden arbors and garden gazebos; accent pieces on doors, such as locks, knobs, hinges and door knockers; outdoor water fountains; a custom-made ornamental iron chandelier in an outdoor kitchen; garden arches and gates; column accents; finials, friezes and copings.

In its functional usage, decorative iron is most often used for security and privacy. For instance, we find that it makes a strong statement when used as a grill insert in a fence, balcony railing, an impressive front door, ornamental iron fences, driveway gates or window balconies. In fact, there are some design experts who say that, because it is a strong material, it works best where it displays its inherent strength. The beauty of iron, however, is that by adding impressive details, such as organic spirals or playful gargoyles, what is often overlooked suddenly becomes a show-stopper.

Whatever the purpose, we always encourage our clients to integrate the design of their decorative iron with the rest of their material choices. An arbor in a French pattern from the Baroque period doesn’t work well with a Federal style house, for example.

For accuracy purposes, true wrought iron is only made in limited amounts today and primarily for historic preservation undertakings. Most “iron” landscaping products currently in use are actually made from carbon steel, which possesses the advantage of being easy to manipulate and relatively inexpensive to produce.

The original label still applies, though. The hundred or so landscape items that we call wrought iron still retain the original look handed down to us nearly 1,500 years ago.

Exterior Worlds has provided high-end landscaping solutions for the greater Houston area since 1987.