Perched on a hillside overlooking a suburban neighborhood in South Burlington, with the Adirondacks in the distance, our clients were thrilled with their recently acquired late 80’s modern home. Their concern with their new property was the approach to their home. A steep drive became too icy to drive in the winter, and the hike up to the house was sometimes treacherous. During the design phase, we opinioned that not only was the drive difficult, but the entire approach to the house was incongruent with the architecture and especially the front door which felt hidden from site.
We moved the drive as far north of the house as permitted and vegetated the front area. To highlight the front door, we built a wooden deck and stairway, thereby inviting people towards the sunken entranceway. Additionally, this design helped to signal the front door immediately upon turning onto the driveway at the bottom of the hill. A stone path leads from the driveway to the new wooden steps. A row of ornamental grasses simplifies the composition as well as highlights the entry deck and stairway.