Taste of the West

The landscape of a walk-out ranch home on a five acre-plus lot in a rural community outside Omaha underwent a Texas-size transformation and won a local landscaping award to boot. After living in the home for a year, the homeowners wanted to expand their landscaped property.

They appreciated the backyard with its existing pond, but the tiny patio off the back of the home wasn’t practical. “There was rock around the foundation of the house and an old concrete pad that was about three by three feet. It wasn’t good for letting the dog out and didn’t encourage us to spend time in the backyard,” the homeowner says. 

The homeowners called a local design contractor to help. Their only caveat was resistance to pavers after having lived in a previous home with improperly installed pavers. The design firm helped the homeowners create a vision for their landscape while showing them how properly installed pavers would enhance their landscape.

The backyard renovation expanded the patio – and the enjoyment level – with the addition of an outdoor grill and oven, which involved modifying the support system around the decking posts with two columns using the Highland Stone® freestanding wall system.

​A lot of the design process involved making things look natural as if it’s a part of nature since the home is out in the country. We wanted the design to blend in with the design of the home.

The update also included

• Rebuilding the pond walls and adding seating, all with the Highland Stone wall system 
• A stone walkway that wraps around to the front of the home
• A fire pit made of Highland Stone product
• Curved Highland Stone walls with limestone caps

The Western motif was imparted in design details, including a custom grate over the fireplace, lighting inserts on columns, ornaments on the edge of the decking overlooking the patio, and decorative pots.

With two horses and a flock of chickens, it’s obvious the family loves the great outdoors. From simple pleasures like breakfast al fresco to small “tailgate” parties before football games, the family is enjoying their country home. “Looking at it from a distance, when we’re off riding the horses, the landscape is especially beautiful,” the homeowner concludes.