Sandy

Sandy is full of good houses with landscapes that were designed decades ago and never revisited: railroad-tie walls at the end of their life, concrete that has heaved, and beds that swallowed the front of the house years ago.

Renovation here usually starts by taking things out. Once the overgrown material and the failing walls are gone, the actual shape of the property becomes obvious, and the new layout almost designs itself.

Toward the east bench the same slope-and-runoff rules apply as in Draper: proper retaining, real backfill, and a drain line that goes somewhere. We also work carefully around mature trees, which are the one thing on these properties that money genuinely cannot replace.