How Exterior Worlds Updates Houston Landscape Elements

Both softscape and hardscape elements of the Houston landscape will need updating from time to time. The cycles of updating, of course, differ significantly.

When do people normally want to update their landscape?
A landscape is normally upgraded when the ownership of a property changes hands.

What elements need updating after a period of time?
Plantings need to be update more often than hardscapes because of tree growth. Trees have a tendency to expand. As they do so, shade increases. Plants that require sunlight will suffer if too much shade begins to overshadow them.

As such micro-environments within the Houston landscape shifts, new strategies of garden maintenance must be implemented. Either we have to introduce shade-resistant species in order to adapt to new lighting conditions, or we have to replant gardens in new areas using designs that are customized to specific landscaping zones, areas of interest, or themes latent within residential landscape architecture.

When do you update patios and sidewalks?
Hardscapes need updating less frequently. For elements such as swimming pools, fountains, and patios, the inorganic matrix of these forms tends to be more enduring in length than organic life in general. However, these things too have a lifespan, which, while longer in length, ultimately runs its course and ends in the same deterioration we all ultimately face.

This is not intended to sound gloomy. It is only intended to point out the need that even the most “mainstay” elements of any given Houston landscape will ultimately need to be upgraded at some point in time.

How does Exterior Worlds do this in a way that increases property value?
We evaluate the project and compare the needed improvements with the potential return on investment. Many times the return isn’t the issues. Rather, it is just good judgment that is needed to determined the proper level on investment for a Houston landscape renovation.

We do feel is very important to discuss the capital improvements and potential associated cost / over the return. Most client aren’t concern about return on the investment but must always be a point that should be discussed anytime we are making major changes to a property.

Is there anything that is always updated no matter what?
Pools and drainage networks are almost always remodeled to some extent, if not completely renovated. Swimming pools are focal points of interest and deserve the most sophisticated and deserve special attention in any residential landscape design project.

Good drainage is a mandatory element that we can never afford to ignore. Because the Houston landscape is so flat, garden species and outdoor architecture are significantly at risk of flood damage if strategies for water runoff are not conceptualized and successfully constructed.

Mapping underground plumbing and electrical conduits prior to implementing any of these upgrades is also a very important part of what we do. Damage to any of these systems creates more headache and expense for homeowners and for us—something we certainly do not want to face if at all possible.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Houston Soil?

What is the constituency of Houston soil?
The constituency of the soil in the Houston landscape is unique. It is composed of mostly clay. As such, it offers the landscapers some very unique opportunities for lawn and garden designs. In some ways, even, it makes the landscape designer’s job all the more easy.

How does this make the landscaper’s job easy?
The soil in the Houston landscape makes our job easier in the sense that we do not have to deal with rocks in the soil the way landscapers do in other parts of the country. For instance, installing a pipe or preparing a garden in Austin will often call for the landscape architect to literally have to saw through rock.

Does the Houston soil present any disadvantage to the garden designer?
In a world of duality, of course there are always disadvantages along with advantages. In our terrain, there is always a need to break up the clay dirt in yards and till it with the right soil mixtures. This is because, to be completely honest with our readership, Houston is not the best place to plant a garden without professional assistance and specific expertise in botany available only through firms with trained landscaping professionals.

The clay soil is too compact for plant roots to easily expand through the soil. This makes it difficult to grow. The soil also doesn’t drain very well, which can cause plants to drown.

Can anything be done to overcome these problems?
This is not a difficult thing at all for an experienced Houston landscape design firm such as Exterior Worlds to accomplish. However, do-it-yourselfers often fail to break the soil up sufficiently and/or over fertilize it with the wrong compounds.

What starts out as a beautiful gardening soon withers and dies, requiring us to rework the soil until it is ready for more professional garden design that will endure the elements and contribute enduring beauty to the Houston landscape.

How is this type of soil good for tree growth?
If we are talking about exotic tree species, honestly, this is not the best soil to plant in. Trees from other parts of the world are not used to having to spread root systems through clay-based soil and often end up being stunted in their growth cycles when transplanted to this environment.

In some respects, however, this can be advantageous in certain forms of landscape architecture. For example, when we are working to make a small yard look larger than it actually is, smaller tree growth actually work in favor of enlarging an otherwise diminutive lot.

Also, we can always mix the soil with other soil types to accommodate non-native species. Or, even better, we can simply work with trees like Magnolias, Oak, and Pine which already proliferate the Houston landscape and have evolved over time to thrive in this particular climate and soil content.

How well does this soil type work for outdoor architecture?
"Stabilized" clay provides good support for footing and piers which are required for almost all outdoor structures. These are especially needed in custom swimming pool construction. Because clay is an expansive soil, it absorbs water and expands in a way that can raise or lower a pool. We have to install piers under the pool that go deeper into the earth—into the stabilized clay itself—to keep the pool stable.

Cocktail Pool

What are cocktail pools?
A cocktail pool, by definition, is a small and shallow pool that allows people to walk around the entire bottom. This creates the feeling of being in something of a tropical bar, waist deep in water, where hors d’oeuvres and drinks can be enjoyed in a wet suit in the sun, in the shade, or under the stars and lights of an illuminated aquatic environment.

How does a cocktail pool differ from other pool styles?
It is not so much a difference in style than it is a degree of size. There are a number of design styles that Exterior Worlds can integrate into a Houston landscape master plan. Typically all of these styles have spas within them, and they are built specifically for adults. If a client family has children, we create other environments for the children.

The obvious reason for this is to separate activities which often involve alcohol from immediate contact with children. For more information on how we can accommodate both children and adults in our landscape design services, click here or talk to one of our design specialists.

Who typically wants this kind of pool?
Most often, clients who live on lots of limited size that lack sufficient area to install a larger custom swimming pool.

Do you normally build these water elements near the home or in the back of the yard?
They are normally constructed near the home so guests can come and go from the rear of the home as they please, and so hosts can serve drinks from a convenient bar or serving area.

What are the most popular patio styles you build around these features?
The style of patio varies according to home architecture and landscape theme. The size of the patio will be targeted specifically at the anticipated number of guests that will hosts expect to attend back yard events.

We do not want the patio to fill too much space in the back yard, but at the same time, we never want to construct a surface which in the long run proves insufficient to accommodate the numbers that eventually find their way to the cocktail pool.

What home architecture does it best support?
Due to the expertise of our firm in custom swimming pool design, cocktail pools can be built to support any type of home architectural style.

What organic support/garden design is used around it?
We use plant materials to create a feeling of enclosure around the patio. This gives guests a greater feeling of privacy in the typically smaller yards we tend to build these pools in.

Is these structures ever built near outdoor rooms or kitchens?
Yes. In fact, building them near outdoor kitchens is a great way to separate the eating from the drinking, yet still have both close at hand. Also, some guests of the host may want to have a good time without alcohol. Creating two entertainment zones side by side in this manner gives people choices as well as the convenience of having either choice they make right there, close at hand.

Does this ever have spas, waterfalls, water jets?
Cocktail pools can and do almost always include a spa to give that special feeling of exotic warmth we all tend to associate with tropical locales or vacation getaways. We can also build these pools with swim jets that allow people to swim in place much like a runner runs in place on a treadmill.

How to Make a Small Yard Appear Large

When do you need to make a small yard look big?
In many parts of the Houston landscape, you find places where beautiful and very stately homes are situated on relatively small tracts of land. These small yards often appear disproportionate to the magnitude of the home. In order to correct this, we have to develop ways of making small yards look big so that residential landscape design becomes a truer reflection of residential architecture.

How do you use garden design to do this?
Special garden design is one element we can add to the Houston landscape that will make almost any small yard look large.

Some techniques for doing this include using small plants or dwarf species. Small hedges like boxwoods can be used to line gardens and boundary areas between gardens and hardscapes. Even small trees like dwarf yaupons can be trimmed narrow and short and used to either soften the view of adjacent Houston landscapes or create zones of special interest within a landscape master plan.

All of this works to make the relative space seem larger than it really is. More importantly, it also prevents plants from taking over an entire area and making it look small. Using plants that are low to the ground, and even hedges and trees with very small leaves, all has the ultimate effect of enlarging the space within the yard.

Interestingly as well, plants with darker green, non-reflective leaves are much better for this than plants with brightly colored leaves.

Can altering hardscape make a small yard appear larger in relationship to the surrounding Houston landscape?
It certainly can. One very simple way to do this is to design pathways that are smaller than one might expect. For example, a path only 12” to 18” across is still large enough to comfortably walk down, but narrow enough to make everything around it look larger.

Sometimes, too, hardscapes and gardens can be designed in such as way as to trick the eye by getting smaller or narrower as they progress away from the main house. This creates a heightened sense of perspective that significantly magnifies how large the yard appears to look.

How do you construct outdoor buildings?
Outdoor buildings can also make a smaller yard look larger than it actually is by constructing these buildings with smaller profiles and working from reduced scales.

What special or ornamental features are used?
Mirrors, steel posts, or other reflective elements can be added to a garden. This not only magnifies the garden, but it captures other elements of the surrounding Houston landscape and helps magnify the proportion of the relationship.

Are there any other special landscaping designs that can be used to magnify yard size?
Murals can be added to greatly increase the feel of a narrow space.

What neighborhoods do you most have to do this in?
The neighborhoods that most need this service tend to be the more family-oriented or cozy parts of the city. We commonly do such work in West University Place, Bellaire, Southside Place, Stable Wood, and The Heights.

What do we mean, by definition, when we say softening the view?

We mean that we soften the view of other structures, buildings, and homes, with plant material, bamboo, shrubs, and other kinds of plants. It also involves training trees and shrubs into forms that lend organic sense to the Houston landscape and separation between homes and businesses

What neighborhoods in Houston are so crowded that they need this service?
Typically, we are talking about Upper Kirby, Bellaire, West U, Southside Place, and Rice Village. All of these areas have magnificent homes but very small lots.

How can clients benefit from this style of landscaping?
It helps them feel they are in more private space and more open space at once. It is private in that other elements of the Houston landscape are obscured from view. It is more open because with a new sense of enclosure, a smaller yard looks larger.

What structures must be built to create a softer view?
We normally create visual barriers out of some sort of organic wall. This does not need to be a total barrier, just a partial barrier.

What specific types of hardscapes, including patios and walkways, work well here?
Gravel is a great material to soften connection between ground covers and hardscapes. We do not want concrete everywhere. Sometimes, we may even plant in gravel to blur distinction and merge inorganic and organic elements. The standard depth we aim for is about 10 inches of gravel in a bed, then plant trees within that gravel to create a natural screen from the surrounding Houston landscape

Are there ways to alter hardscapes to make them appear “softer”?

Other types of vegetation can be planted in gravel just like smaller trees can. With concrete patios, you can leave cutouts and plant tropical plants, flowers, trees, or bushes in the cutouts.

What softscape elements are needed to soften the view of the Houston landscape in a crowded neighborhood?
It is always a good idea to line borders of hardscapes with grass and boxwoods. Small hedges and grasses no taller than hip high can often be all you need to soften harsh exterior of neighboring homes and buildings.

Does outdoor lighting play a role in this process, and how?
Lighting is integral to the aesthetic of the Houston landscape. One of the great thing about light is you do not have to light anything that you do not want emphasized. At night, all that you need to do to control the eye is to up light or feature light such elements as planters, screen walls, architectural walls.

Outdoor lighting also gives you control of the view of garden.

What water features, including pools, are most common in these projects?
Small swimming pools and reflecting pools are very popular in tightly knit Houston neighborhoods. Custom fountains and all fountains help to break up sounds of traffic, commercial life, neighbors.

Creating areas of special interest through grading the flat Houston landscape

What is grading?
By definition, the grade of the Houston landscape is the elevation or slope of the land. When we say “grading in landscaping,” we are adjusting that elevation by sloping one place to another.

How important is grading in residential landscape design?
It is one of the most important elements of landscape design, although few people who actually enjoy a Houston landscape from a ground-level, experiential perspective.

Water runoff is one of the main functions. Drainage is always a real challenging because over 90% of the Houston landscape is completely flat. Everywhere we build something, we have to contend with getting excess water away from sensitive plants and outdoor architectural structures.

How difficult is changing a grade?
A grade is at once both deceptive and critical to everything, and it works much differently in a yard than it does in the surface area beneath the foundation of a house. For a house, you need a flat plane upon which to build a stable foundation. In a yard, you need a certain level of slope and elevation.

However, saying this is one thing, doing it is another. You cannot simply go behind a home and change the elevation of the entire yard because you will harm or kill trees. Special zones of interest have to be mapped out in the landscape master plan, then graded according to intended use and desired aesthetic form.

What are some examples of what you mean by grading for intended use or desired aesthetic form?
You may have to raise the grade. You want to break up different rooms at different elevations.

How do you do this in landscape that already has been developed to a great extent with pools, outdoor buildings, and pre-existing gardens?
In one Houston landscape project we did, the pool was graded down, and the patio was left high. In effect, we were using the original grade of the pool and enhancing it, rather than forcing a new grade that might have damaged surrounding hardscapes, garden designs, and trees.

This enabled us to not only do some much-needed remodeling on the pool, but it also resulted in a better focal point for gatherings. People seated or standing around the patio could now overlook the pool.

Another project involved creating an area of interest around an outdoor room. What we did here was raise the grade in the rest of back yard, so you had to step down into the back yard to feel an emotional sense of special space. Without this shift, it would not have that feeling of interest.

This was also done in a very subtle way. The grade drop was only about 16 inches. Rather than having 2 8 inch steps, we made 4 four inch steps down the walkway. Four gives you a real sense of lowering elevation, which on a Houston landscape is just enough to create a real sense of emotion and interest.

How do you do this in the front yard?
You may grade the land up and leave the driveway at a lower elevation to partially obscure vehicles that are parked in front of the home.

How do you do this in the back yard?
Pool patios need good drainage without visible slope. We have to pitch the patio all in one direction toward the garden, but we have to mask the slope so people do not feel it when they walk over the patio, nor do they notice it when standing on its surface.

High End Modern Landscapes

High end modern landscapes can be developed around both residential and commercial environments. What makes these landscapes so sophisticated is their deliberate use of geometric forms, high-grade materials, and particularity in plant species selection to create an ultra-modern presence around a building or a home. Whereas modern landscape design seeks to support architecture from a complimentary perspective, high end contemporary landscapes almost act as mirrors to the home or building and transform the entire landscape into something of a structure in its own right.

The commercial clients that we work for in various industries often need a specific type of exterior presence to establish the sense and sensibility of what they represent. Art galleries, museums, colleges, and modern buildings represent just some of the commercial arenas in which this exceptional style adds value and attraction factor.

Most of our work to date, however, has been in the residential arena. Exterior World builds high end modern landscapes mostly in residential environments throughout Houston neighborhoods such as Tanglewood, Royal Oaks, Hedwig Village, Memorial, and River Oaks. Any contemporary or modern home can be made to look virtually brand new with a high end contemporary landscape that extends its geometric uniqueness into open space. Clients looking to add property value to their home investment should consider this as one excellent means to this end.
High-grade materials and sophisticated forms are essential to the success of high-end modern landscapes. Water features play a significant, if not predominant role, in many of our designs. Reflecting pools and negative edge pools can be built on both commercial and residential landscapes. These highly geometric water features create dimension and movement wherever they are added. Stainless steel structures can be installed to magnify the reflectivity of the water. Glass can be used to create windows into special points of interest or prismatically bend light into water. Special concrete forms and gravel patterns layer the landscape with a blend of natural stonework and planned, deliberate hardscape.

Indeed, the use of paving is very important to the overall aesthetic of any high end contemporary landscape. Paving creates large spaces dedicated to alternating patterns of stasis and transition. Patios and walkways can be built at slightly different elevation to convey a sense of journey. Steps can be constructed to mimic the exact rhythm of a natural footstep so guests hardly know they are walking up or down stairs. Small architectural walls can then be built along these walkways to connote special importance and a sense of controlled, focus movement. Arches can also be built where patios meet walkways to create a sense of entrance into either an open space or a special space set apart for specific uses.

Vegetation is typically kept to a minimum in high end contemporary landscape design. The old literary adage “less as more” is the modern landscape developer’s motto as well. While we do not want the landscape to look sterile, we want to create the sense that Nature as a force that supports the apex of man’s evolution, not as a realm that grows randomly on its own and stands to possibly compete with human structure. Vegetation that is very tall and can grow in compact spaces is typically preferred over lush foliage. Species of low-growth trees and bamboo can be installed in the tightest of spots to add rich, organic presence to any scene. Ground cover that is dark, and special grasses that grow well in shaded areas and graveled areas, are preferred to hardier species that tend to spread.

Sprinkler Systems & Irrigation Systems

If you are planning an upgrade to your property—perhaps a backyard remodeling project—you should seriously consider a sprinkler system from Exterior Worlds. You will absolutely enjoy a high-grade system that is properly designed, installed and maintained. It will help you have a lush, green Houston landscape design and, when it comes time to sell your home, the system will do nothing but enhance your lot.

A lawn sprinkler system installed by Exterior Worlds helps you protect the money you put into your landscaping in the most basic way: it delivers the proper amount of water at the proper time with the minimum of effort. Further, these watering systems are a fundamental part of xeriscaping because they deliver the necessary water using the best conservation practices.

An additional benefit of today’s advanced automatic sprinkler systems is that they are equipped with moisture sensors and shut-off devices that will routinely adjust the system during rainy days. This feature lets you take advantage of the best kind of water—the kind you don’t have to pay for.

Another advantage of our irrigation systems is that they allow us to divide your luxury landscape into zones. This watering technique contributes to healthy plants because it delivers the correct amount of water, depending on plant species and sun conditions. For example, with unique irrigation zones, the grass can be watered separately and more often than shrubbery, groundcover and trees.

We achieve this outcome aided by different sprinkler heads and systems. One good example is a drip irrigation system, which is an efficient subsystem, usually within a larger system, that applies water directly to the roots using a low volume drip. There are many advantages to this watering method, chief among them the reduction of water loss due to runoff and evaporation. Additionally, for Houston rose gardens, it delivers water to the roots without soaking the flower material.

Once we get your system installed, we can monitor the proper times of day to water as part of an ongoing maintenance contract. In Houston, the best watering hours are generally before the sun comes up and when temperatures are cool. Say, between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. Mid-day watering is usually less effective because of the wind and the heat from the sun. Watering in the evening or at night leaves plants wet overnight, which is an invitation for fungus to grow.

We can also regularly inspect the sprinkler heads in your system to ensure that they stay properly adjusted to avoid watering sidewalks and driveways. Experts agree that sprinkler heads should spray large droplets of water and not a fine mist to minimize loss of water due to wind drift and evaporation.

In addition, we can do routine inspections of the entire system. In this way, we discover problems and malfunctions as soon as possible. One torn line or clogged head can do damage to your landscape and your water bill.

Technological advancements have made the sprinkler systems of today cost-efficient, time-efficient and good investments in your landscape master plan. They do, indeed, make your life better.

Exterior Worlds has provided landscaping services, such as irrigation system installations and maintenance, to upscale neighborhoods in Houston since 1987. Call 713-827-2255 for a consultation.

Houston Area Landscaping

Houston Area Landscaping Services by Exterior Worlds have been improving the Houston Landscape for the past 20 years. Our landscape design professionals focus on helping people who have always had vision of a landscape that speaks uniquely to who they are, but who lack the resources, materials, time, and skills to build that landscape on their own.

Our experts do more than garden and lawn maintenance like many of the companies that advertise themselves as landscaping outfits. Our employees are degreed professionals with training in botany, irrigation science, construction, and outdoor lighting techniques.

These multi-specialists often devote up to seven years of their lives in undergraduate and graduate school in order to master the skills necessary to create truly luxury landscape designs. They realize that there is a lot more to Houston area landscaping than planting colorful gardens and developing innovative softscape designs.

True luxury living is created when homeowner fantasy becomes outdoor landscape architectural reality.

Only then can we claim that we have truly developed a unique and highly personalized residential landscape design.

This process begins with designers sitting down with Exterior Worlds clients and helping them to articulate ideas that come in the form of visualizations and epiphanies. Sometimes such ideas may come from something as elementary as a picture cut out from a magazine.

In other instances, people may have originally seen something online that looked like a workable do-it-yourself project—only to realize at second glance that if they hire us to do it, they can have an even more magnificent outcome that will transform the entire aesthetic of their front yard and back yard, and also add value to their home itself in the long run.

The intention behind such a systematic approach to consultation is to make Houston area landscaping highly personalized to the homeowner and appropriate to the individual neighborhood in which the home is located. We want the home to stand out in the neighborhood as a premier example of what that neighborhood is known for, but we never want the property we work in to clash with surrounding themes in a harsh or contradictory way.

In a part of town like West University Place, for example, Houston area landscaping may take on the dimensions of creating special sanctuaries such as morning gardens in quiet corners of the yard. We may also use a skillful selection of plant material in order to create a very clear boundary between one home and another, but organic at the same time in a way that makes the two properties look aesthetically balanced when viewed from the street.

In a neighborhood like Bellaire, on the other hand, we may focus extensively on building a custom swimming pool surrounded by an elaborate custom patio, an outdoor kitchen that compliments the home, and an arbor to compliment the stately trees that Bellaire is famous for throughout the Houston area.

Houston Area Landscaping in Tanglewood and River Oaks is always going to speak of discriminating high quality and refined taste, whether it be in garden designs, courtyards, entry gardens, or even graded motor courts that allow parked cars to actually blend a bit into the landscape.

Similar strategies and aesthetic qualities are also applicable to all other Houston area neighborhoods services by the landscaping designers of Exterior Worlds.

How do your Concealed Irrigation Systems Contribute to the Houston Landscape?

How would you define the term, unique irrigation as opposed to irrigation?
We define an irrigation system as unique when it is designed in such a way as to maximize control over the Houston landscape.

What are the key elements to designing such a system?
There are two things that must be addressed any time we build such a system. The first is dividing the property into sections, known in landscape design as zones that will allow us to deliver specific amounts to water to specific areas of the yard and to a variety of divergent plant species.

The second key component is concealment. In order to preserve the aesthetic of the Houston landscape, we must build our water delivery system in such a way that the casual eye never notices its physical presence or feels disturbed by its carefully timed operation.

Why would a Houston home need irrigation to begin with?
This is a very good question that is asked by almost every client that comes to us. Many people assume that with all the heavy rains that naturally fall on the Houston landscape that a yard would never need professionally designed irrigation.

This is not the case. Natural rain water does not fall in controlled amounts or predictable cycles. As wet as some times of year may be, other times of year are very dry. We need to control the amount of water that each plant species gets, and this requires a sophisticate system of timing and delivery.

What areas of the yard need irrigation the most?
Lawn areas are always in need of controlled water delivery. Grasses that lie in the shade need additional water to offset the lack of sunlight. Also, grasses that border flower beds and gardens may end up competing for water with garden plants. Irrigating these areas prevents this competitive situation from arising.

Sloped areas also need irrigation because natural rain water will tend to run off their surfaces very quickly. While they do not occur that frequently in the Houston landscape, they are often developed by professionals in order to add nuance and interest.

How do you conceal irrigation?
Irrigation systems are virtually all underground. We can even mitigate the visible risers, which are so often used to reduce the cost of installation.

How do you control irrigation automatically?
We used a time system/ control box. They are best mounted outside where service people can get to them.
How do you allow homeowners to control it manually?
The control has option for manual operation.

What home do not need an irrigation system?
We do not need irrigation in a yard all drought resistant plants.

What components comprise an irrigation system?
A typical system will be made of pipes, spray heads, control timer, rain sensor, PVB (pressure vacuum breaker) which is a city code to prevent contaminated water from the Houston landscape from entering the drinking water.

Outdoor Fireplace Design

The fireplace has long been a symbol of intimacy, warmth, and domestic harmony. Fireplaces are very ancient and have existed in homes of all types in most cultures for millennia. Now, with outdoor fireplace design, you can enjoy one of the most treasured amenities of classic home interiors as a key element to the pursuit of quality outdoor living.

Outdoor fireplace design offers more aesthetic diversity than its indoor equivalent. This is because the firebox and chimney are built independently of a large, primary wall. A fireplace that is built outside normally is not a part of a wall of any real size. The firebox and chimney rise up from the ground as unique architectural elements.

By this we do not mean that all outside fireplaces are stand-alone landscape elements. Much to the contrary, outdoor fireplace design is a major part of many custom hardscape themes. As outdoor rooms such as entertainment rooms and outdoor kitchens become increasing popular, a fireplace is a common center point for the back wall of any such structure.

Such a wall, however, is typically very different from the wall within a home. The wall inside a house must support the roof and adjacent walls. Outdoor rooms, however, are usually built as open-air structures that do not need the same structural supports that houses require. Because of this, the rear wall of a summer kitchen living room area can actually be designed around the aesthetic of the outdoor fireplace design, rather than the other way around.

The landscape architect consequently enjoys a tremendous creative freedom that allows him or her to match fireplace aesthetic to the exterior architecture of the home and compliment the geometry of softscape elements.

Other hardscape designs that often include outdoor fireplace design are courtyards and entry gardens. Both of these elements often use a lighted fountain as a central focal point of design. However, many Exterior World clients want fountains built in other places, and for this courtyard or entry garden would rather have the charm and warmth of a fireplace instead.

Such patio-fireplace hardscapes again offer tremendous latitude for design freedom provided a few basic principles are observed. Home architecture has to be respected in every form and size. We never want to build a chimney that is taller than the house or a firebox that completely eclipses the entirety of the house.

We have to make certain that regardless of whether or not we build with brick, stone, or decorative concrete that we remain consistent with other materials used to build other structures on the landscape. Certain elements complement one another very well, while other elements simply do not work all that well with some residential architectural designs or landscape design themes.

Outdoor Living Designs

What is outdoor living?
Outdoor living designs by Exterior Worlds bring the inside world of the home into the outdoor realms of social opportunity and natural wonder. Conversation and relaxation are always to be found somewhere in an Exterior Worlds landscape master plan. Mobility is essential so people can move from point to point freely and escape the feeling that often accompanies being confined within four walls of a room. Special activities such as dining can also be integrated into a landscape design so that creature comforts and luxury transform the outdoor world into a world of refined Houston outdoor living.

How does it differ from indoor living?
Outdoor living designs differ from interior design in a number of respects. To begin with, they are far more organic in terms of sense. Even in the more modern landscape designs where vegetation is minimized and contained within geometry and abstract forms, living presences are still more common in the world outside the house than they are inside the house. Other, more traditional landscape designs are even more abundant in life force. The green elements of French, Italian, English, and Mediterranean gardens punctuate areas of growth and vitality that form the organic softscape constructs of superior landscape design.

Outdoor living designs are also more open than indoor equivalents and therefore give you far more. There is always a view of the sky, the many different elements occurring throughout the yard, and the trees, hedges, flowers, and grasses of the lawn. Even when residing in the enclosure of a so-called outdoor room, you are far less confined than you are inside a typical house. Outdoor rooms normally have at least one wall open to the rest of the landscape, and some do not even have walls per se at all. What we call a wall in such as structure can be a row of boxwoods or special planter with year-round blooming flowers. With outdoor structures, geometric focus is the intent more so than surrounding and complete enclosure.

What landscape elements are necessary to create differentiation?
To make outdoor living designs interesting and engaging, we have to break up the monotony of too much of any one thing. We avoid devoting too much of any one section of the yard to any one form. Instead, we like to build patios near gardens, and outdoor buildings under trees. We prefer courtyards to be integrated into entry gardens, and ornaments like statues and fountains to occupy otherwise empty space to provide unique focal points along transit areas that link the various gathering places that are designed around homeowner lifestyle and preferred activities.

How do we maintain comfort?
Comfort is a relative term when it come to outdoor living designs. The biggest complaint that Houstonians voice is the searing heat and humidity we experience for most of the year. There are a variety of ways we can compensate for this, including ceiling fans, AC in outdoor buildings, and outdoor fireplaces that can provide heat during cold and damp winter months.

Fine furnishings can be place d in both indoor and outdoor rooms regardless, and transit areas can be built to mimic the rhythm of the human footstep. Forms can be built around activities and personal preferences. For example, small seating areas can be built in a circle around a disappearing fountain or lighted garden area to create a sense of privacy and isolation for a few select guests chosen to be removed from the jostle of the crowd.

Outdoor Patio Design

Why do people build patios in the first place?
Outdoor patio design is motivated by two things: function and artistry. People hire professional landscaping companies to build patios in order to host events and support activities that pertain to Houston outdoor living. They also want these patios to contribute a sense of artistry and design to the property as a whole. They want beauty added to the organic elements of their yards beyond the simple level of lawn and garden forms.

What function do play in the landscape?
The functionality of outdoor patio design is always predicated on the activities that will be transpiring on that patio. People use a patio either for sitting or standing. Designers use the patio as a foundation element. Many landscaping styles require integrating softscape with hardscape elements. It is important to strike a sense of balance between utility and aesthetics in order to preserve the sense of unity between divergent, albeit complimentary, landscape forms.

How many patios should the average home have?
There is no way to determine this without looking at the home, the yard, and the lifestyle of the owners. Patios are normally built around areas of interest where people will be gathering. Some are built to host special occasion events. Others are intended to be private areas used only by the homeowners themselves. The shape and size of a patio depends greatly on surrounding aesthetics. Home architecture and landscape design themes must be complimented by the materials used and the geometry of the patio itself. There are a number of examples of how Exterior Worlds uses surrounding architecture and landscape aesthetics in our case histories section, which you can visit here.

Where do we build patios?
Considering how activity and aesthetics are really the heart and soul of outdoor patio design, there are few places where a patio cannot be built. The one exception to this is any area adjacent to the home itself. We do everything we can to avoid linking a vertical wall of a house to the horizontal plane of a patio. It simply does not serve the aesthetics of either architecture or residential landscape design to create perpendicular inorganic structures of this nature. It is too much for the eye to bear.

Instead, we always look to surround an outdoor patio design with greenery or ornamentation of some sort. Even in entry gardens which lie to the side of a home in the space between the house and the property line, we build custom fountains, install planters with flowers, or create linear gardens. This creates the sense that the patio, no matter how large its size, is surrounded by an organic presence.

This is very important to preserving the beauty of a yard. Since hardscapes can take up to 80% of the landscape in many yards, surrounding an outdoor patio with even a little bit of vegetation creates the sense that Nature is always present, alive, and well in the inorganic world of human structures.

What materials are used to build patios?
Many people think that high-end landscape design would only be done with special stonework. This is not necessarily true. Concrete can be a very cost-effective and highly aesthetic material for outdoor patio design. This is because there are so many ways to make something as plane as concrete look highly decorative. (Please remember too that the Romans invented concrete and many of the famous ruins that people visit to this day are not built from stone, but rather from concrete.)

Brushing and staining concrete add texture and color to its surface. Proprietary masonry techniques can also be used by landscape architects to create blocks of concrete that look identical to stones. The effect is the same, but the cost is significantly less.

For people who do want to invest in stone patio design, the colors and sizes of stone must be selected based upon the garden design that surrounds the area and the color and style of the house that preeminently rises up from the landscape. Two of the more popular stones used are limestone and flagstone, although there are an infinite variety of more unique and even obscure stone types that can be used at will to build any custom patio necessary for a design element or special occasion.

How to patios contribute to outdoor landscape aesthetics?
Outdoor patio design is important to every form of landscaping. Because hardscapes take up to 80% of a yard in some landscape master plans, it is essential to build structures that will harmonize with softscape elements rather than overwhelming them. Patios are ideal for this because they are built as horizontal planes even or parallel to the ground itself.

This implies a structural design that engages Nature on the level of equivalence rather than from a position of dominance. With such a structure we can do many things to introduce manmade elements into a landscape design that will provide all sorts of human creature comforts and simultaneously work to differentiate organic points of interests as unique areas of natural beauty. Careful positioning of patios helps draw attention to special plantings of trees and flowers, garden design, lawn elements and hedgerows.

Outdoor Garden Design

Outdoor garden design is one of the most important pieces to creating a truly superb Houston landscape.
One thing to keep in mind when discussing your new Houston landscape with your professional design team is that you do not have to limit yourself to only one garden.

There can be many different gardens installed in both your front and back yards, and there are many different roles these gardens can play. A few of these new forms will ultimately occupy positions of central importance and significance. Others will work in a deliberately supportive fashion to accentuate specific structures and landscape elements.

Perhaps the most significant supporting role of this type could arguably be the aesthetic contribution it makes toward accenting home architecture. With the right vegetation and form, home architecture can be extended beyond its inorganic boundaries and given organic expression and added dimension. The actual style of the garden will be based upon the intended tone of the landscape in general and on the necessary forms and colors required to support surrounding architecture.

Many architectural designs have a specific cultural origin or reference a specific historical period.
Many outdoor garden designs also reference specifics of historicity and culture. For example, there are French, Italian, and Mediterranean styles. These specific garden types help establish the visual motif of the home as the predominating thematic component to the landscape. A French home supported by French garden design becomes a French landscape.

Other outdoor garden designs may not be intended to support architecture. English gardens reflect the order and symmetry of the British rural countryside. Knot gardens turn backyards into reflections of Celtic and Renaissance embroidery, making the landscape itself into a fabric of utility where herbs and spices can be grown as well as used for decoration. Zen gardens create quite retreats for meditation and reading in the private corners of the yard. Shade gardens help center growth and activity in areas beneath stately trees.

Outdoor garden design can occupy a more central role in residential landscape design. In front yard landscaping, it can lead the way to the front door of the house, establish boundaries between a home and neighboring residences, and create dimension in the open areas of the lawn. In backyard landscapes, gardens can center divergent elements on a common focal point.

In contemporary landscape design, the modern outdoor garden is used to create pockets of organic presence in a landscape of geometry and inorganic hardscape structures. In other forms of professional landscape design, the organic presence is much stronger than it is in contemporary landscaping. Outdoor garden design is even more important to these developments because it accentuates the vitality and diversity of vegetation and provides the much needed sense of vitality that is so vital to differentiating the amenities of outdoor living from the comforts and enclosures of indoor lifestyle pursuits.

Outdoor Living Space

The intent of outdoor living space is to extend the definition of home beyond the boundaries of the house proper into the open areas beyond the walls and into the hardscapes and softscape beyond.

Outdoor rooms are a very important part to the creation of this whole thing we call outdoor living space. An outdoor room is not necessarily four walls and a ceiling. It can be anything from a courtyard surrounded by small architectural walls, or it can even be a patio ringed by clipped hedges. The important thing is the furniture. Furniture defines both décor and supports activity, so choosing the right style and pieces of furniture is a major factor in creating the right look and feel of outdoor living space.

Space management is always a big driver of cost and design when developing outdoor living space in a landscape master plan. The type of occasion hosted and the anticipated number of guests are two major criteria for determining outdoor living space. For example, we recently designed an outdoor summer kitchen that featured a living room and fireplace adjacent to the kitchen. Space was an issue in this project, like it is in so many others.

We had to really talk a great deal with the homeowner to determine if this was going to be a room primarily used for cooking and dining, or primarily for seating. The homeowner really wanted more of an outdoor living room and outdoor fireplace design. A fully functioning kitchen was needed here in order to prepare meals, but the main attraction was the living room setup. We helped consolidated the two requirements much like many indoor custom kitchens where the kitchen and dining areas are really one floor plan adjoined to the living room. With the right living room furnishings, our outdoor living space mimics a home interior very closely.

Transition spaces are also very essential to the ultimate success of outdoor living space design. It is simply not feasible to create points of interest throughout a landscape without also creating a motivation to move from point to point. Transition areas can be very many different things. Walkways and pathways are obvious transition areas. Other areas include stairs and special custom hardscapes. The form is established by the emotions you are looking to create.

For example, to put people at ease, you have to make everything on the landscape extremely comfortable. When we design stairs, for example, we build all steps to be 5-5 ½ inches high. This mimics the natural gate of people walking across the ground. They hardly ever notice they are climbing up or down the stairs. It lends a nice feeling to any occasion. Such natural ease turns outdoor living space into a comfort zone that rivals home interiors, and gives guests time to admire structural elements such as pools, gardens, fountains, and tree lines.

Outdoor Landscape Design

Outdoor landscape design relies on more than one garden to create a realm of organic diversity in both the front and back yard. The function of a particular garden will often determine its style and location in the yard. If the garden is purely ornamental, it will often reflect the architectural style of the home as a historical, cultural, or thematic adjunct to exterior design. If it is a gathering spot that caters to specific types of events, its décor will reflect the activities that occur within the location. Care must be taken here to balance the amount of vegetation with the space needed to comfortably host a specific, anticipated number of guests.

Outdoor Fireplace Design
There is a tremendous creative freedom for the landscape designer who is in charge of building outdoor fireplaces. Because so many of these structures are stand alone landscape features, they can be built in any number of designs that interior wall design would not allow. Even when they are constructed as part of a wall in an outdoor room, outdoor fireplaces often feature uniquely shaped fireplaces and chimneys. This is because outdoor walls are normally built around the fireplace, rather than the fireplace being built into the wall as a secondary part of its structure.

Outdoor Living Design
Outdoor landscape design depends greatly on what professional landscapers refer to as a living design plan of outdoor space. This deals specifically with space management for activities. Forms can only be developed after we have first determined what people will be doing in their yards and how many guests they plan on inviting to their various events. The whole point here is to create support structures and room elements that support events from a veiled, practical perspective. Everything should look attractive and decorative, yet also fulfill a very functional role that is concealed under the surface of its beauty.

Outdoor Living Space
Living Space in outdoor landscape design is something of the inverse of outdoor living design. This deals with the development of specific areas, forms, rooms, and transitional spaces within the front and back yards. The key to success in this very complex aspect of residential landscape design is the generation of appropriate emotions in the various parts of the yard where people will be either standing, moving around, or sitting.

Outdoor Patio Design
Patio design is one of the most important components of outdoor landscape design. It is rare to find a homeowner that does not want some sort of patio in his or her back yard. Most, in fact, want several patios built throughout the landscape. Homes on larger lots go so far as to build small patios in the front yard as well.

While many companies offer basic patio construction services, our work is rather unique. Unless the homeowner absolutely insists to the contrary, we avoid building a patio right next to the exterior wall of the house. We want the hardscape to be pushed back from the home just far enough that green space can fill the area between. Even a few feet of organic presence of this sort can create a feeling of warmth and vitality in a setting that would otherwise be cold, brittle, and too rigid if the wall of the house simply made a sharp right angle to a patio below.

Space Matters
Space management and function are two major concerns that every landscape architect must always balance when undertaking outdoor patio design. No matter how large a yard is, there are only so many square feet to reasonably use for custom hardscape work. We do not want to build a patio too large or too small. The nature of the events that will transpire on its surface, along with the projected number of guests, provide our design team with vital information on setting the dimensions before the stones are laid or the concrete is poured.

Commercial Landscape Lighting

The commercial landscape lighting systems that are designed and installed by Exterior Worlds provide our clients with beautiful nighttime settings, plus added security for their employees and patrons. In this way, commercial landscape lighting becomes a win-win for them. Additionally, our clients have found that aesthetically appealing lighting heightens the appeal of their property to regular and prospective customers, long-time and soon-to-be tenants, and purchasers and investors.

As part of our focus on the commercial landscape design segment of our business, we offer commercial landscape lighting and professional nighttime illumination to upscale restaurants, stores, developments, hotels, resorts, schools, museums and commercial properties. We also provide these services to custom homes and high-end residential neighborhoods. This invaluable and painstakingly rendered service is tailor-made to meet the specifics of your site. We, in fact, pride ourselves on the ability to highlight advantageous features and downplay unsightly ones.

We pay close attention to architectural lighting so that buildings are lit in such a way as to draw attention to the facility, an essential feature for restaurants, clubs and other businesses that operate at night. Our clients find that this type of subtle advertising—at all times, artful and sophisticated—results in increased nighttime revenue.

Since 1987, Exterior Worlds has stressed “quality” in everything we do and we extend this emphasis into the realm of landscape lighting by using high quality designers, electricians and products. With the lighting design, we work diligently to completely hide or, at the very least, camouflage the hardware, so that the beauty of the illumination is not destroyed by seeing the nuts and bolts of the system. As for our skilled workers, we only employ the best and most knowledgeable in the region, relationships our long years in the industry have allowed us to develop. In the area of products, our goal is to stay abreast of the latest technological trends, so that we can advise you on the best long-life and energy efficient products.

Of special interest to country clubs, golf courses and owners of properties with natural water features: because of our business focus on high-end landscape design and services, we have a special affinity for lighting greenscapes, lawns and water. Our professionally designed exterior illumination can create an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind experience for your members, clients and guests.

In addition to lighting expertise, Exterior Worlds also offers commercial drainage system and commercial ground maintenance. Our attention to detail can be seen from complex engineering feats such as a drainage system all the way to productive and precise mulch installation. We also offer landscape phasing—working out a long-term plan in which to implement the various phases of your landscape in conjunction with your cash flow.

Show off your landscape architecture—the grounds and gardens, the pathways and byways, the custom outdoor water fountains, outdoor sculpture and art, garden structures, outdoor gazebos and garden arbors. Play up their prominence in an enchanting evening landscape by letting Exterior Worlds custom-design a commercial landscape lighting system for you that will provide years of trouble-free pleasure.

Custom Hardscapes

In the vernacular of landscaping, hardscapes are the permanent elements built in your yards that serve both a decorative and functional purpose. As the name implies, custom hardscapes are ones that are tailor-made for you and your location. A few examples of custom hardscapes include luxury patios, garden pergolas, swimming pool construction, and other water features such as a disappearing fountain or koi pond.

At Exterior Worlds, we have used a long list of materials to build these outdoor elements—stone, brick, metals and concrete, just to name a few. We use these materials based on their texture, form and color, adding interest and variety to the overall design. We also are very cognizant of what complements the architecture of your home and the existing flora.

The process of planning and building hardscapes follows a fairly standard timeline:

• First, we believe hardscape plans begin with you, your family and what you want. For instance, do you intend to use it for formal entertaining or will it be a quiet sanctuary in which you can retreat from the pressures of the outside world? Perhaps you have a theme in mind, such as a Tuscan or English garden, or own an outdoor sculpture you want to feature.
• The next step requires hiring professionals, such as Exterior Worlds, to help with the planning, designing and building. We work hard to ensure that your plans fit the style of your home. For instance, a landscape design filled with organic features works beautifully with Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired architecture.
• Once our plans have been presented to you and we have your approval, the permitting stage begins. This step represents a compelling reason to hire us as we understand the local rules and regulations, an expertise that will, in the long run, save you money.
• Last—the implementation and project management phase. We promise to make sure you understand what to expect when. We not only want to manage your expectations, but we also realize that anticipation is part of the fun!

If your needs are more along the lines of backyard remodeling, Exterior Worlds has a special proficiency in this area, especially with swimming pool restoration. And if these plans sound too grand for your current budget, you might consider landscape phasing. It is a service we offer your clients that involves implementing your landscape design in incremental steps over time. You still get the improvements to your property, but the draw-down on your finances is spread out.
One example of a three-year phased-in plan, including custom hardscapes:

• Phase 1: Re-design and remodel your outdated swimming pool. Plant trees.
• Phase 2: Install custom-designed wrought iron fence and driveway gate. Design and build gazebo.
• Phase 3: Create pathways to connect the swimming pool to the gazebo. Update landscape lighting design. Complete landscape plantings.

Your exterior design should be all about you just as your interior design is. It should reflect your aesthetics, needs and desires, and be planned around your intended usage. Custom hardscapes help turn your exterior world into one that is uniquely your own.

Visit www.exteriorworlds.com for a full run-down of the landscaping services offered by Exterior Worlds. In Houston, 713-827-2255.

Infinity Pools

An infinity pool is a swimming pool or reflecting pool with a negative edge. It is also called a zero edge pool or disappearing edge pool. The intention of this design is to suggest that the water extends beyond the horizon to and vanishes into an indeterminable point beyond—literally into infinity.

Infinity pools are among the most challenging elements of landscape architecture to construct. It requires a great deal of skill on the part of the swimming pool design specialist to create the effect of vanishing water. It also requires adapting the pool to geological formation surrounding the structure. In the Houston landscape this can be particularly challenging due to the fact that we have such flat terrain.

Infinity pools here must be constructed at a high enough elevation to allow water to drop into the unseen realm at the edge of the structure. In actuality, this so-called unseen realm is really a concealed catch basin hidden beneath a weir over which the water flows. The water pours into this basin and is recirculated into the pool by silent pumps.

In order to generate the flow of water necessary to create this silent disappearing act, we have to build the weir at least one-half to one inch lower than the required water level. We also have to build a separate circulation system for the edge flow. Sufficient momentum must be present in the water in order to cause it to run over the weir into the catch basin below.

We also have to be very careful to take into account inconsistencies in flow caused by swimmers. When people swim in an infinity pool, they will naturally displace more water into the edge than normal flow will produce. The catch basin must large enough to withstand this displacement, and the pump must be sturdy enough to return the water to the upper pool.

Without exception, edge pumps in infinity pools are larger and more powerful than the main pool pump for this reason. They also feature very sophisticate filtration mechanisms to prevent the debris that flows over the weir from clogging the pump. A great deal of mathematical calculation goes into designing these edge pumps and catch basins, which might be another reason that the word “infinity” is used as a descriptor for these very special water features.

Beyond the sophisticated engineering they feature, infinity pools create some of the most magnificent scenery in all of landscape design. This is because they are always built in relationship to other points in the scenery. They can function as giant mirrors reflecting the overhanging branches of trees. They can point toward a pond or natural stream, or they can stretch toward open sky and appear to blend blue vastness with water and fluid movement with rainbows and clouds.

Small Swimming Pools

Small pools are very popular in urban areas where there are very small lots and little room for landscaping. Many of these lots have exceptionally large houses on them and tiny backyards. Others have patio homes and townhomes with a predominantly hardscape backyard landscape. Garden designs must be highly customized to home architecture and proportional to the limited space at hand. Swimming pools must be smaller but still provide the amenities and comforts of their larger equivalents on more expansive estates.

This is not as difficult as it may seem to the experienced expert in custom swimming pool design. Small pools are no different than large swimming pools or custom swimming pools. They are shaped just like other pools but are built to a much smaller scale. They can look like luxury spas, geometrically proportional forms, or even giant fountains. The benefits that they offer are anything but small, however.

A small pool can be heated so people can enjoy it year round. Many doctors recommend that arthritis patients invest in these pools because it helps soothe aching joints. Physical therapists also recommend them to patients in recovery from knee injuries and back injuries. Although a small pool may lack the area of a custom swimming pool or luxury swimming pool, it can nevertheless be constructed in a manner that facilitates good, hardy exercise.

The way we accomplish this is to construct small pools with swim jets that create strong currents in the water. The swimmer can face into the current and swim half-laps to the other side, then return to the other side to repeat the process. In fact, many people find that they get better exercise in a small pool than a larger one due to the pressure of the water and the challenge it presents to their muscles.

Small pools are also very decorative additions to a small backyard behind a cottage or townhome. They look tranquil and idyllic when surrounded by a custom garden design or small custom patio. Adding a water feature to an otherwise limited amount of greenery predominated by hardscape is typically all that one needs to alleviate the sense of having too much inorganic form in one’s yard. Water, though not technically organic, is the very stuff of life whose fluidity conveys a sense of movement, dynamism, and even mystery at times.

One way to enhance all of these unique attributes of water is to add a fountain features to a small pool. A custom fountain of any style can be built in a pool provided its dimensions remain in proportion to the pool itself and surrounding structural architecture. One of the most popular styles is the waterfall fountain. Waterfalls can be constructed in any number of forms ranging from the traditionally natural to the deliberately contemporary and modernesque.

They can also be built either at the end of a pool or along the sides. Building a waterfall along the side can actually add a safety factor to your small pool. Since we discourage the use of diving boards due to the hazards they have been known to create, a diving rock can be substituted next to a roaring waterfall that gives a swimmer a much safer way to get into the water and also allows him or her to directly experience the falls firsthand. This can make a small swimming pool look and feel much bigger, and in many instances, magnifies the dimensions of the backyard as a whole.

Reflecting Pools

A reflecting pool is a shallow pool with a very calm surface. It is normally built near another structure or element in order to reflect its form like a mirror. It can be part of a garden, a courtyard, a centerpiece for a backyard, or a standalone feature in a park or urban plaza. More famous reflecting ponds include the reflecting pool in Washington DC, The University of Western Australia, Planalto Palace in Brasilia, and Hermann Park in Houston, Texas.

The remarkably calm water that characterizes these solemn, still masterpieces is created by a simple trick of physics. The edges of the pond are made slightly deeper than the center. This inhibits wave formation and keeps the water very still even when the wind is blowing. In residential landscape design, reflecting ponds are used to link divergent landscape elements into a unified aesthetic of contemplation. The surface of the water acts like a mirror to inorganic and organic forms alike, bringing them together in a single moment.

Reflecting pools are commonly built near large garden sculpture or fountain. This has the effect of magnifying the element and making it appear more prominent on the landscape. They are also popular elements to add to areas populated by outcroppings of trees. When there are only a handful of trees on the landscape, a reflecting pool makes it appear as though there are many more than their actually are. While some areas of Houston, such as the Memorial Area, have an abundance of trees, other parts of town have smaller lots and have fewer trees. Building what amounts to a landscape mirror will make any back yard look larger than it actually is and more like a park area when you walk outside.

Reflecting pools are also built near homes and commercial buildings. This has the effect of extending the edifice of a structure forward into space. In parts of Houston where the new trend is to build up instead of out, reflecting ponds can be a valuable addition to a high-rise apartment community. The vertical presence of the buildings can be brought toward the center of a courtyard build around a reflecting pond that converges in a mirror of angles and shapes in the center of urban living space.

Reflecting pools in these environments are often done with vanishing pool edges. An infinity edge makes the water look like a true mirror in every sense of the term. In the absence of a visible shell or coping, all you see is the water’s edge and the forms that the water reflects. Generally, more contemporary settings call for this effect because of the mathematical connotations it conveys and the sophisticated aesthetic it generates in landscape design.

Landscape architects prefer to build reflecting pools with very dark basins. This prevents the basin itself from reflecting light back out of the water. Only the light that strikes the surface is reflected back toward the eyes—creating the mirroring effect we have been discussing in this analysis. The remainder of the light that penetrates the water is absorbed by the darker hues of the pool basin.

Pool Coping

Pool coping is a masonry product that sits on top of the pool beam structure. It provides transitional space between the patio proper and the surface of the water. People often sit on the coping and dangle their feet in the water. Others prefer to stand on it and peer into the water at night when pool lights illuminate the water from below. Coping should therefore be strong enough to support the weight of a person.

Pool coping is one of those hardscape designs where there is a wide range of choice in what you can do. It can be made from many different materials. Common materials include slate, travertine, concrete, brick, and stone. Material selection is based upon pool style and upon what best compliments patio build out and home architecture.

In one very unique project, we had a couple in River Oaks request that we not build a patio at all, but simply install a coping around the pool that would separate the water from the lawn. We call this our grass patio pool project and it is one of our more famous creations here in the Houston area.

Luxury pool coping is commonly made from either travertine or limestone. Both look amazingly refined when polished and work well with a number of home architectural styles—particularly Italian and Mediterranean.

The texture of the material used is determined by two things. One is how the particular material itself is formed. If it has been sawn, it will appear segmented. Honed surfaces create a more contiguous look. The other factor in creating texture is finish. Coping can be thermal finished, which means that it has been heated with a flame until it appears slightly pebbled with a medium relief.

Pool coping can also be polished to a high level of reflectivity to catch sunlight or underwater pool lights. It can also be chiseled to have a rough-cut look and appear more rugged and natural in collusion with stone patio work.

Pool coping is a major point of focus in our pool renovation projects. It is one of the most significant aspects of pool design because coping can be adjusted to correct elevation issues when lowering or raising the pool patio is not an option.

Pool coping can be either thin or thick. Thin masonry is often used to remodel a pool with insufficient elevation to create a sense of height that was previously absent. This eliminates the need to try to figure out how to lower the deck or pool shell in areas where buried cables or tree roots prevent such alterations in patio design.

Pool coping can be the keynote to your custom patio design as well if you have it done by a professional firm who knows what they are doing. Far more than simply a boundary around the water, the coping rises up to establish presence, geometry, color, and style as a prominent work of hardscape in backyard landscape design.

Swimming Pool Restoration

Swimming pool restoration creates an attractive aesthetic that will stand out in the landscape. Older pools that were constructed in the 70s and 80s were built with standard-grade materials that were rather lackluster to begin with. Over the years, these surfaces have become weather-beaten and even less attractive. By restoring a brighter, newer appearance to these surfaces can make an otherwise ordinary pool look extraordinary at a much lower cost than a complete renovation would entail.

Aesthetically, we work to make the pool more noticeable and to give it a stylistic touch that will last beyond historically dated decorative trends. Tiles are replaced that are more sophisticated in color and texture and that will last beyond the momentary preferences of the present decade. Superior materials that are both more colorful and longer-lasting are chosen based upon their relationship to architecture, hardscape, and softscape elements—not simply the swimming pool itself.

Restoration also involves replacing the plaster that lines the gunite shell of the pool. Laying new, more durable plaster in place of the old helps restore a shiny appearance to the pool interior which adds depth and mystique to the water when illuminated at night.

We also rework plumbing at this time - Drains must be placed a certain number of feet apart to avoid creating suction wells at the bottom of the pool. As regulations have become stricter over the decades, older pools have now fallen out of compliance because their drains are too close together. Moving them to an appropriate distance from one another is a major aspect of swimming pool restoration that must be attended to if we are going to service our clients impeccably and thoroughly.

The experience we have gained over the years in outdoor architecture and custom hardscape design also better enables us to match tile textures and colors to surrounding patio design, outdoor buildings, home architecture, and garden design. We do all of the advance planning work for our clients by choosing the best materials, colors, and textures that will appropriately compliment those elements surrounding the pool. We then sit down with the client and go over these options one by one.

At this point, swimming pool restoration is in a highly consultative phase in the landscape design-build process. It is important to choose the blueprint of design, materials, and colors first before doing anything else. We do not insist that clients go with a particular, singular option, but instead work to frame the project for homeowners and let them consider which of our professionally-recommended courses of action will best suit the needs of their custom swimming pool.

After tile color and texture have been chosen, we also discuss options for new coping. Many different types of materials can be used to build this very significant swimming pool element. Sometimes, when it is not safe or practical to lower the pool shell, we will change the elevation of the coping and surrounding patio and thereby change the elevation of pool access. This proves to be of immense value in situations where there utilities, drain systems, or vital tree roots located near the pool.

Both design elements and the finer details of swimming pool restoration are finalized by the homeowners before implementing redesign. We recommend that clients consider upgrading patios and adjacent garden design at this time as well. This helps ensure a continuous aesthetics throughout the back yard proper, and it further magnifies the restoration work we do on the pool by creating complimentary forms and structures in the immediate environment.

Designer Gardens

Designer gardens are places of beauty and retreat. They call upon us to let go of the pressures and responsibilities of the outside world. Across all cultures and time, gardens have a natural ability to calm us. They help us see where we belong in this world.

At Exterior Worlds, we believe that designer gardens are hard to define because each garden takes on the unique personality of the gardener. It can be seen in the relationship between the different spaces within a landscape design. Likewise, plants, arrayed thoughtfully and fully or austerely as mere accessories, reflect the owner’s sensibilities.

As professional landscapers and designers, Exterior Worlds works with the best landscape designers and landscape architects in the region to create garden paradises that fit the lifestyles of our clients. Following is a sampling of the different elements you might find there:

• Infrastructure. Drainage systems and sprinkler systems are fairly indispensable to a Houston landscape design, especially since our climate continually astounds us with its ability to go from not enough water to too much water in the space of a single day. Our clients have also found that retaining walls help with drainage and erosion issues. Residential landscape lighting is another feature to plan for—it lets you enjoy your environs 24 hours a day, while also providing security and safety. We work hard to design our clients’ infrastructure so that it blends seamlessly into their overall plan.
• Hardscapes. Prominent items in this group include outdoor lounges, luxury pools and covered outdoor kitchens. These entertainment areas can be tailor-made to fit your specific needs, whether you do formal entertaining or simply use it for your nuclear family. Other ideas, elements that look good on any property and have for centuries, include wrought iron fences and wrought iron garden gates.
• Accessories. This category includes garden structures, such as a wrought iron arbor, a garden gazebo or antique ornamental iron element, which provide interest and variety. Also water elements, including a waterfall landscape design, a contemporary water fountain, or a large water fountain, that add pleasing auditory and visual notes to your garden.
• Ongoing maintenance. To further your enjoyment of your designer garden, let Exterior Worlds provide a turn-key landscape maintenance contract for your grounds. From the mundane to the complex, our experienced and skilled crews can take care of the hard work and the best practices.

Our goal is to create designer gardens that engage the senses, that bring about both aesthetic and emotional responses. The slant light from the morning sun drenching the azalea beds. Songbirds at full throttle. The fragrance of lilies and roses wafting through the air. The will to live as seen in a budding peach tree.

At Exterior Worlds, we acknowledge that “garden” is a noun and a verb. It seems to us that the twofold meaning was intentional since a garden is a place of action. Life happens here and, since time immemorial, humans have appreciated this ideal. A garden is a process, a becoming. It is life in motion.

Since 1987, Exterior Worlds has provided discriminating clients in the Houston area with high-end landscape services. Call 713-827-2255 for a consultation.

Swimming Pool Renovation

Swimming pool renovation is a design-build service that transforms the existing size, depth, and appearance of an existing pool. The pool shell will often be replaced by an entirely new structure. The geometry of the pool, along with horizontal and vertical measurements of its form, will also change accordingly. New surface areas will also be added to its exterior, ranging from high-grade coping and tile work to spas, water jets, and new surrounding hardscape structures.

This level of redesign is not something the average pool contractor wants to work with. There are too many control grade factors, such as distances between corresponding points, to attend to cost effectively. Pool contractors prefer to build new structures from the ground up, and the focus is always on making the structure workable and attractive as a unity within itself—not a reciprocal element of a larger landscape design.

When our team undertakes a swimming pool renovation project, our entire mindset originates from a much different frame of reference. We approach the task at hand with the intention of creating better landscape architecture through the introduction of a new swimming pool design that will more appropriately compliment home architecture and serve as a more effective aesthetic fulcrum between organic and inorganic elements.

In order to do this, we have to do everything onsite. There are too many factors to consider in the design-build process to work from a drawing board perspective. Whereas the pool contractor plans a new structure in an office, then brings those plans to the location and builds them out, we have to do something completely different. We have to let the landscape design speak to the plan we are developing and work our design into the fabric of surrounding elements. This ensures the outcome of our swimming pool renovation work will be proportional and balanced with its surroundings.

Beginning the design process onsite has other advantages beyond the aesthetic. There are many challenges that face the team each step of the way. Tree preservation is very important to our company. Root systems can travel deep underground and fan out in all directions from tree trunks. We cannot simply start digging out the far end of the pool without first determining if this is going to damage one or more vital roots that could affect the health, or even the life, of a tree.

Drainage systems and utility lines also have to be worked around. The city of Houston does not like it when you cut their gas and power lines—and you won’t like it either if you lose power or gas in your home as the result of clumsy swimming pool renovation techniques. Many different things can be done to work around buried utilities and tree roots, but they must be done methodically and systematically. Rushed jobs by inexperienced companies almost always result in some sort of damage that costs the homeowner additional and very painful expenses.

Modern Outdoor Garden

The modern outdoor garden is many times the most important feature of the modern or contemporary landscape. This type of garden downplays the role of organic décor in landscape architecture and look instead to geometric forms, relationships, and sophisticated materials to communicate a mentalist and highly subjective aesthetic that emphasizes human thought over natural life.

The geometry used is always that of familiar geometric shapes or derivative forms thereof. Quadrilaterals are favored linear forms that allow gardens to follow the property line, architectural walls, contemporary koi ponds, infinity pools, and the walls of a house or office building. Triangular forms are often built to compliment avant garde contemporary sculptures. Circular forms are frequently used as focal points within the landscape, or as aesthetic foundations for contemporary fountains.

The materials that are used to build the garden must always be highly reflective and catch the attention of the viewer. This is because inorganic elements will frequently constitute over 90% of the entire modern outdoor garden. It is therefore very important that we choose something that will remain reflective at night as well as during the daytime.

A good many rock surfaces and masonry elements will work superbly for this task provided they are sufficiently polished. Granite or marble can be used to build ornamental walls that frame the garden. Or, a patio-like effect can be created with polished limestone or stepping stone. Portions of this surface can then be removed for selective planting of small trees, grasses, and white flowers. Concealed landscape lighting can then be installed that will generate a reflective glare that makes both the hardscape design and the vegetation stand out at nighttime.

Steel is also a favored construction material for modern outdoor garden design. Steel posts can be used as centerpieces in gardens where there is no fountain. Or, we can build two steel posts to either side of the center and build a glass wall between them.

Glass makes an excellent frame for a fountain in the background. It also provides one of the most interesting and interesting surface areas for outdoor landscape lighting. These lights can be positioned behind the wall to shine through it. If we want to create a prismatic effect, we can use opaque or beveled glass and position concealed lighting fixtures to shine at an angle through the wall.

If we want to reflect white light upward toward the sky, we will use clear glass and mount concealed ground lighting fixtures either at the base of the wall or just behind it.

If minimal vine growth is desired due to the fact that we are building a very small modern outdoor garden, a cable can be substituted for the glass wall. This steel cable can hang suspended between two posts, or it can be stretched taught between them and used to hang chimes, ornamental objects, or even small potted plants.

High-end Landscapes

High-end landscapes give upwardly-mobile Houstonians opportunities to share their personal values and tastes in a tangible form. They magnify the joy of living by bringing the luxuries and amenities of custom interiors into an outdoor realm of Natural beauty and open wonder.

Outdoor Kitchens
Outdoor kitchens are found in almost all high-end landscapes. They give people more than just a place to prepare food. They also provide accommodations for seating and dining. Some are intentionally constructed with an outdoor lounge design. Others are made to look more like living rooms with fireplaces, stereos, and television sets that give guests audio-visual entertainment after a full-course, five-star meal.

Outdoor Fireplaces
Outdoor fireplaces add warmth and romance to high-end landscapes. During colder times of the year, a warm fireplace makes for a cozy island of comfort in a wet and frigid landscape. During warm months, when a fire produces too much heat, special lighting can simulate the appearance of the fire and bring romance and ambience to spring and summer nights.


Multiple Patios
Almost all homeowners want a swimming pool patio that will give them a decorative, functional, surface area for outdoor parties. A high-end landscape requires more than one patio though. It needs multiple patios to help create focal points of interest. Entry gardens can have patios by lighted fountains that let guests sit in front of illuminated water. Morning gardens can have patios just big enough for two people to sit and enjoy the morning sun together. Lighted ponds in the corner of the yard can be enjoyed by everyone from the comfort of a custom hardscape that wraps around its curves and follows the path of its mystical luminance.

Several Gardens
There are more garden designs than you can dream of. Not only are there styles like Japanese, Italian, French, and English gardens to choose from, but there are also many custom garden styles that you can develop to support specific architectural nuances and landscape design themes. Contemporary gardens and modern gardens also offer the eclectic homeowner an opportunity to express consciousness on abstract levels and freedom through avant garde form.

Custom Swimming Pools
The high-end landscape can play host to many different swimming pool designs. Not all high-end landscapes require what we would call luxury pools. However, any pool must evidence a high level of customization in spite of the ultimate shape and size of the pool. Custom copings, high-grade materials used to build patios, and special features like water jets, fountains, waterfalls, and spas make high-end pools into functional elements in their own respect.

Wooden and Wrought Iron Arbors
Arbors integrate human architecture into the fabric of tree growth. They are open-air shelters constructed between trees that offer unique vantage points from comfortable seating, fine flooring, and climate controlled interiors.

Entertainment Rooms
High-end landscapes are witness large numbers of people attending a variety of year-round events hosted by the homeowner. Outdoor kitchens alone may not offer sufficient square footage to comfortably accommodate such numbers. In such an event, we build one or two adjacent entertainment rooms replete with fine furnishings and advanced audio visual entertainment. Entertainment rooms such as this can also be built near swimming pools and spas.