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On a much coveted street in Berkeley, this wonderful, craftsman home was in need of a new garden redo. A new deck was needed to replace one at the end of its life, which had some redeeming elements to it, but little to do with the architecture and scale of the home. Having only a narrow strip, a passageway as a backyard, this sideyard deck is, in terms of outside living, it. While the area above the garage affords enough space for vegetables and flowers, there's just enough room for the sloped entry to present as a succulent and cacti-filled frontage to this beautiful home. All the more reason for the deck area to be alluring, special, and an extension of the house. Building the base of the patio/deck in reinforced concrete with stucco coating to match the color of the house, the deck looks as if it was built with the house. Placing windows within the upper wooden walls, built to match the windows on the house also gives a feeling of continuity and architectural heft. Creating different rooms by constructing built-in stucco planters, flagstone flooring where the grade was level to the kitchen doors, and a wooden floor where the grade drops - was a natural. A mirror behind a stand of bamboo gives the illusion of an extended outdoor space, located between windows opening onto vistas that the clients wished to maintain. A small water feature adds a soft touch to a very usable, cozy, yet expansive outside space, one that extends the indoor living outside.
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