Omaha, Nebraska
Watkins Concrete Block
Omaha, Nebraska
Eddie Koterba
VIP Lawn and Landscape
Omaha, NE
A decades-old landscape in Omaha, Nebraska was an unusable eyesore. A failing stacked stone wall, overgrown plants, and dated accessories kept the new homeowners indoors.
The homeowners love the outdoors, so updating the exterior of the home was a top priority. They decided to completely tear out the old landscape to get what they wanted: a large patio for entertaining and watching sports, a kitchen, seating areas, a fire pit and an ample grassy area for their children to play. The massive job required a landscape company with experience designing, building and managing large projects so the homeowners worked with Eddie Koterba of VIP Lawn & Landscape, Inc.
The centerpiece of Koterba’s plan was a spacious raised patio supported by a terraced retaining wall with space for perennial plants. The patio was designed to provide a view of the children playing in the yard as well as host a kitchen with a built-in grill and a bar with seating. To create a consistent look throughout the project, Koterba used a combination of Highland Stone® retaining and freestanding wall systems.
The wall supporting the patio is constructed of the Highland Stone® retaining wall system. The kitchen and bar were built with the Highland Stone freestanding wall system in the same color. “The homeowners wanted to modernize the space without being trendy so I used Highland Stone products for a classic, harmonious look throughout the project,” said Koterba.
The project features details the homeowners love, like a fire pit that bumps out from the retaining wall and a convenient kitchen with a bar and seating. “We’re carpenters with concrete,” said Koterba, who prides himself on creativity, problem solving and craftsmanship. Koterba and his crew crafted the kitchen by cutting the Highland Stone freestanding wall blocks to fit the stock-sized grille and refrigerator. Electrical wires and cables were run through the concrete blocks to power the fridge, provide cable TV and control the fire pit with a switch inside the house.
The completed project lives up to Koterba’s craftsman reputation. The homeowners’ summary of the project says it best: “We love our outdoor space. All of the products are high quality and we are more than satisfied with the installation. We use the entire space nearly every day.”