It all began with a one acre bare dirt lot. This large family has six very active children and two doctors for parents. Tired of playing in the dirt, the Doctor Couple wrote down “A Prescription for Fun” and sent it off to The Green Scene design team.
Our design needed to blend with the existing home, harmonize with the natural Thousand Oaks rustic community, and also entertain growing children of various ages. We presented a well thought out plan in full color 3D modeling, and named the project “Prescription for Fun!” The entrance to the home was dilapidated. Consequently, the client was experiencing “yard shame,” and didn’t want to invite guests over. We upgraded the entry and created a dual staircase that welcomes you into the home. We turned yard shame into hall of fame! For the side and backyards we did what we always do: broke it up into different outdoor rooms for entertaining. The side home office patio has a freeform deck that is raised to the entrance of the home. It wraps around a fish pond with a 12-foot tall waterfall that climbs upslope. A Pergola shade cover supports flowering Bougainvillea vines and provides a respite form that afternoon sun. With the soothing waterfalls, gurgling pond, and submersible lighting, this area not only looks great but it sounds terrific, too.
A large basketball court area was cut out of the side down-slope using retaining walls and cleverly designed bleachers for spectators to watch the games. The outdoor gym, an 18-foot by 18-foot solid roof-covered gym with an adjacent view deck, allows for everyone in the family to get in a full workout while enjoying life al fresco.
Inspiration for the BBQ area came directly from the lady of the house. “With a family this large, I need a formidable outdoor kitchen,” she said. “I don’t want some weeny BBQ, either. Get me the ‘Big Dog!'”
“Yes maam!” We created a large outdoor kitchen with custom, cast-in-place, concrete countertops hand seeded with abalone shell and colorful glass. The counters were ground and polished to a smooth as glass finish. The grill is the largest al fresco made with 52 inches of grilling area and a large built in rotisserie motor that is rated to handle 120 pounds on the spit. It’s the Big Dog for sure, and its flanked by a Big Green Egg, bartending center, storage doors, drawers, and a sink. To shade the back of the house,we installed a large pavilion combining a solid roof shade and open shade trellis to keep the area airy and cool.
The family’s favorite feature is the pool area. Reminiscent of a Six Flags waterpark, this expansive vanishing edge pool takes advantage of the adjacent natural oak tree views while capturing the imagination of young swimmers and their hundreds of friends. A large Baja shelf with a swim-up table is perfect for cocktails or afternoon snacks. Four waterfalls spill from the hillside next to a sporty 52-foot-long waterslide. The fiberglass slide was custom-made for us by Paradise Slides, shipped in sections, and assembled on concrete piles onsite. The spa hosts a swim-up bar with a 6-foot diameter fire pit filled with glass jellybeans, and built-in bench seating for a dozen of your closest friends.
Landscaping and lighting are a major part of any Green Scene landscape project, and this estate includes fruit trees, real sod lawns, and lots of ground cover. For lighting, we used a combination of low-voltage LED strip lights, uplights, step lights, and path lights to highlight the properties of majestic oaks and plantings.
This million-dollar project was no easy task to install. This Thousand Oaks, California project incorporated ALL of our teams and all three CSLB licenses we carry; “B” General, “C-27” Landscape, and”C-53” Swimming Pool. While the pool permit was a piece of cake, it took an insanely frustrating amount of time (over a year) to permit the patio covers and retaining walls, and bleachers for the sport patio. It’s a great yard for family fun and entertaining, its easy to see as night falls, and the kids get tucked into bed, that this is also a peaceful and very romantic place to spend alone time with your loving spouse and finally……….. get to play doctor!
