The Lipnick Residence           

The owners had two main objectives:
1. a waterfall spa combination out side the back picture window.
2. increase living area.

The pool contractor has offered the first solution; however with the budget the clients had that would be all they could accomplish. We started talking about a more all inclusive design and one that would allow them to fulfill both objectives. The Lipnicks have two pugs so there were some things that they needed to have included in the design. First they needed to keep some turf for the animals. Secondly they also wanted to keep the toxins and plants with thorns to a minimum. Gary and Patty also wanted to take advantage of the SNWA rebate program by removing turf from the yard and using Xeriscape plants rather than turf.
            As the photos show Gary and Patty had a large grass area with a retaining wall and planter bed in the back of the yard. This would need to be covered or minimized as well. There were also problems in the front with a severe elevation change and drainage problem. This is an area we decided to add a courtyard for more living space. We made an effort to save the large trees in front and as many of the shrubs as possible. The pine trees were the only real losses during the project.
            Concrete for the back was first chosen as stamped and colored. The stamped concrete choice is very popular in the Vegas area. I was able to show them an option for concrete that was both aesthetically pleasing as well as different from other hardscape installations in Las Vegas. They clients liked the exposed aggregate pour in the back so much that they added the driveway and side yard to the original design.
            CMU block was used to build the courtyard and pilasters. The other hardscape elements in the back such as the Bar-B-Que, benches and pony walls were also built with CMU and stucco to match the house. The hot tub, one of Gary’s requirements, was a “portable” from a local dealer. One exclusive item we included in the design was the Surroundscape SM Bench. This concept gives a portable hot tub the look of a built in without the expense.
            Patio covers with radius cuts allow the Lipnicks to enjoy the yard for most of the year. The front court yard added a large outdoor living room for them to move their life outside.
            The water fall stands out as the main feature in the yard. The water has great movement as well as wonderful acoustics. The H2O system is from Savio engineering, and is self contained. The pumps and filters are all external in two boxes. This makes it easy to maintain for the homeowner. There are two pools of water jointed with a stream that also goes under a bridged patio seating area.
            The entire site was illuminated by path lights, up lights, spot lights, and louvered lights. The lighting enhances both the design and the homeowner’s enjoyment of their new outdoor rooms.
            Overall the yard was a success; the design fulfilled the needs of the client, (actually surpassing them) as well as saved water by removing turf, all while coming in under budget.
            This yard was both fun to design as well as a challenge to include all the elements in the small space.