A Modern Landscape Remodel Built Around a Heritage Oak
[
Service
]
Synthetic Turf & Landscape
[
Location
]
University Park, TX
[
Style
]
Modern Low-Maintenance Landscape
[
Property Type
]
Residential
[
Build Type
]
Full Property Remodel
A full synthetic turf installation paired with landscape design for a University Park residence on Southwestern Boulevard. This project showcases our expertise in artificial turf and low-maintenance landscape solutions.
Project Details
A complete landscape remodel on a University Park property — tear out the existing landscape and rebuild from scratch around a heritage live oak that couldn't be touched. The front required a modern planting palette and hardscape that respects the tree's root system. The backyard had to deliver pool-level living in a footprint barely larger than the pool itself. Landscape plan by Blount Designs. Key elements included:
Mature Oak Preservation: All grading, drainage, irrigation, and hardscape work in the front yard engineered around the live oak's root zone and canopy — no trenching, no heavy equipment, no grade changes within the drip line.
Modern Softscape: Ornamental grasses as the dominant planting material — a departure from the traditional boxwood-and-sod palette typical of the Park Cities. Sago palms in steel planters, low boxwood borders, and textured ground-level plantings complete the front.
Concrete Stepping Stones: Oversized concrete pads set in dark crushed gravel create the front walkway — each poured and placed individually with proper base prep under the gravel for long-term stability.
Synthetic Turf: Installed in the backyard as the primary ground surface around the pool and fire feature — the only practical option in a space this tight with this much shade and foot traffic.
Privacy Screening: Evergreen trees installed above the horizontal board fence line along the full back perimeter, creating a layered screen that blocks sight lines from neighboring two-story homes — not just at ground level but from upper floors.
Step Lighting: Recessed lights built into the front entry steps and backyard patio transitions — installed during the concrete phase, not added after.
Irrigation: New system designed for a mixed palette — drip for grasses, planters, and screening trees, with separate zones for the front sod panels and backyard planting beds.
Challenges and Solutions
Remodel Demolition on a Tight Lot: Tearing out an existing landscape before rebuilding means hauling material out through limited access points without damaging the home, fence, or heritage tree. Every removal phase was staged to clear space for the next build phase.
Heritage Tree Root Protection: The live oak's root system extends well beyond the canopy. Irrigation trenching, drainage routing, and gravel bed prep all had to stay outside the critical root zone — some runs required directional boring instead of open trenching.
Upper-Story Sight Lines: Ground-level fencing doesn't solve privacy when neighbors have second and third floors looking down. We installed screening trees tall enough to block elevated views, positioned against the fence line with proper root space and irrigation for long-term health in a shaded, confined area.
Backyard Drainage With No Yard: When the pool, spa, fire feature, turf, and seating area consume nearly the entire footprint, there's almost no permeable surface left. Every inch of drainage had to be solved within the hardscape and turf subgrade — no room for traditional surface grading.
Phasing Around a Live Property: Unlike new construction, a remodel means the homeowner is living on-site. Staging, noise, access, and cleanliness standards are tighter — we phased work to keep disruption manageable throughout the build.
Project Images
Showcase
More Projects
