While keeping the integrity of this property's subtle style and fulfilling the client's desire to have a walk to the front porch, we decided to add a stained and scored concrete walk connecting the side gate entry to the front porch (see plan below). We also added a low brick retaining wall to match the existing brick on the house which allowed us to re-grade the steep front yard into a more gentle slope suitable for sod. While both of these additional elements make a significant overall impact on the overall finished look and feel of the property, they are simple and understated by themselves. The wall is under two feet in height and because the concrete pads are separated by low evergreen plantings they apprear less a continuous length of walk and soften the typical effect of concrete on the landscape. The added layer of detail in the staining of the concrete walk gives a nice whimsical yet elegantly understated flair to the space. A couple of things to note as differences between the plan and the pictures are that the final staining applied was a two color finish instead of the three color. Also, the retaining wall will turn inward in a second phase as shown in the plan.