You always remember the fun little details, and this Oakton landscape design project was full of them. The clients wanted a clean, modern backyard with lots of intimate spaces at different levels throughout the lot. 

I don’t tend to go overboard with 3d models of landscape projects because the focus is the final build, not the pretty pictures. Sometimes you just need a quick and dirty sketch to show what the overall spaces will look like related to the site and each other. That’s what I did here using SketchUp.

The old deck needed demolished for a variety of reasons. Besides, it was also way too small for the clients’ outdoor lifestyle. I designed a new deck with cable railings. We updated the exterior of the home with a mix of stucco and stone veneer, which plays beautifully with the travertine patios.

I love doing unusual water features and this Oakton landscape design project provided an opportunity for that. I integrated a granite millstone into the 2 inch thick travertine seat bench for the firepit area. The challenge with a water feature like this is making sure the water flows consistently enough to have an impact and stay clear, and providing enough of a reservoir that it doesn’t constantly run dry. Here’s how I did it:

The finished water feature is subtle but still a lot of fun. The granite millstone fountain gently bubbles and splashes, and then runs along the rill to the return pipe.

The rill is accented at night with color changing fiber optic lighting. 

If I’m going to talk about details on this Oakton landscape design, I need to talk about the outdoor kitchen! The client wanted a smoker but didn’t like the off the shelf options that were available. The client was also an engineer, so he designed a fire box and smoke chamber and did all the air flow calculations. It was up to me to take his sketches and create a buildable drawing.

If your landscape designer isn’t comfortable doing metal fabrication design, are they even trying? I took my client’s dimensioned drawings and created shop drawings for my preferred metal fabrication shop. To move the flappers that controlled the air flow between the chambers, I opted for a cool little metal wheel for a little steampunk feel. 

The final design hides all the guts that make the smoker work, and integrates with the rest of the outdoor kitchen. The interior of the smoke chamber is built with fire bricks (to retain heat and protect the surrounding “pretty” masonry). We strategically bumped out the firebricks in a few spots to hold the racks. Sadly I haven’t gotten to sample this smoker’s output but I’m told it’s fantastic.

This Oakton landscape design also included a pizza oven as part of the Virginia outdoor kitchen installation. This is a simple, functional island with concrete counters and a few outlets.

We also built a more typical outdoor kitchen with a built-in grill and sink. To the right of the sink is a deep ice well with a drain at the bottom, for keeping tasty beverages cool and close at hand.

If you love the look of this Oakton landscape design and you’d love something that’s gorgeous and capable of producing tasty meals, I’d love to help! Fill out the form below and I’ll be in touch.