The house enjoys end-of-street privacy with a 150 foot setback, topography, trees and landscaping to screen the house from the street.

The landscape plan by Simmonds & Associates beautifully blends the landscaping of the existing neighborhood with the native oak forest below it. The experience begins with the gated driveway. A contemporary stone and steel front gate with cobblestone paving anchors the driveway and begins the transition sequence from street to home. Curved and lighted, the long driveway dramatically winds down to the house above a vine-covered retaining wall topped with a railing. The driveway and auto court—with parking for up to three cars—feature natural stone chip finishes bonded to water-permeable asphalt to minimize storm runoff. Additional cobblestone separates the decomposed granite driveway surface from the lighter stone of the auto court surface, enhancing the entrance transition and leaving the street further behind.

Walkways around the house feature stone steps and a decomposed granite surface. Native flagstone patios have green joints for plants and moss. Imported boulders anchor the steps down from the terrace outside the main living area.

The house is carefully sited to protect a specimen 30-foot oak. This graceful tree is the centerpiece of the patios between the wings and can be enjoyed from many rooms of the house.

Wooden trellises on the exterior walls and above the circular patio enable living plants to soften and contrast the strong contemporary lines.

The 1.08 miles of private trails through the private forest have multiple loops starting just off the patios and walkways.