Home Sweet Home

The lushly outlined garden wall

Photography ©Zac Seewald Photographer

Home Sweet Home

HJT Landscape Architects Creates An Outdoor Oasis in Sugar Land, Texas

For a big family just southwest of Houston, Heath Thibodeaux designed an enticing and livable outdoor space totaling 7,500 square feet. Architect Paul Brow was working with the family on a major home renovation in a high-end subdivision and asked HJT Landscape Architects to design a backyard retreat to complement his work.

“My first step is always a fact-finding mission to determine how my clients like to live,” says Heath. “Our client has five children, from elementary school to high school, and she wanted a yard not just to entertain but draw them outside. The end result is a garden that is lived in, not just seen from the curb.”

Heath looks at his projects as a sequence of spaces, considering the context of the home and the surrounding architecture. Once a loose diagram is complete with the client’s vision, Heath dives into the details.

“Not only are we creating space but alsogiving subtle cues as to how these spaces should be approached, moved through and used,” he says.

The black marble fountain

Photography ©Zac Seewald Photographer

To invite the homeowners into the backyard, Heath created a step down from the house into the garden, a small gesture that helps define the space.

The end result is a garden that is lived in, not just seen from the curb

“Whether it’s a grand lawn, pool garden or an approach through a side garden, we should always understand the value that these spaces add to the property as a whole and to the client’s experience—not an inch should go unconsidered,” says Heath. From there, he puts the initial concepts into a context where the contractor can price it.

“Until that point, it’s all roses and cherries and the client loves everything,” jests Heath. “But before we move forward we have to talk price. It’s time for reality.”

For this job, Heath worked with AP Builders who was already on site for the house renovation, to work on the hardscaping. Heath says the job of a landscape architect is to see everything the client may not even notice—the sun, prevailing winds, drainage patterns, existing vegetation and soils.

“There are a lot of numbers involved in making sure the things are correct,” he says. “The layout, various heights, property elevation, amount of planting and rock. My job is to make sure everything is done correctly.”

Night time view across the pool

Photography ©Zac Seewald Photographer

Heath likes to start with the hardscape and then determine the best plant material to

We should always understand the value that these spaces add to the property as a whole and to the client's experience–not an inch should go unconsidered

Polished concrete fire pit and seating area

Photography ©Zac Seewald Photographer

complement the flat work. For this project, he worked with Yellow Rose Lawn Maintenance to carry out the landscaping design and plant installation. Heath created a layering effect with the plantings, selecting irises, azaleas and a boxwood border to set off the edge of the brick wall. Other plant material included around the property includes roses, Viburnum burkwoodii, evergreen clematis and zoysia grass. Merlot redbud trees and Magnolia grandiflora ‘D.D Blanchard’ were also planted for additional texture and privacy. “When considering the makeup of a garden room, you’re thinking about your shrubs and perennials as walls or window seals,” he explains. “Ornamental trees become your windows, walls and ceilings.

View across the pool to the pavilion

Photography ©Zac Seewald Photographer

Flowering ornamentals are the ever-changing wallpaper, and canopy trees become yet another layer of ceilings or roofs. The complexity of these elements and the spaces that they form are further intensified by the way the visitors use that space, whether they are sitting, walking, or standing. These spaces ebb and flow with one’s eyes which draws you further into the gardens beyond. ”

Hot tub area detail with black ceramic tiling

Photography ©Zac Seewald Photographer

To build out the spa and pool, Heath worked with Sunshine Pools, again considering the varying ages of the family. A bench runs around the perimeter of the pool.

Heath designed multiple levels within the pool’s spa area as well as a spillover for a soft effect. A monolithic bluestone step that allows you to cross over the spillover reservoir into the spa. The black ceramic tile at the waterline of the pool accentuates the black marble of the fountain. Around the pool are Pennsylvania bluestone pavers, which complement the lead pots for a tone-on-tone effect.

Versatile garden seating options

Photography ©Zac Seewald Photographer

“We try to create a garden for the client, respectful of the architecture and within the context of the neighborhood,” says Health. “Our projects end up being timeless. If you do something too trendy, it will look dated in five years.”

Heath installed an outside shower for convenience, but also to create a focal interest along an otherwise plain garage wall. The firepit, opposite the pavilion that Brow designed, is a polished concrete. And while the gravel looks great around the firepit and fountain, it serves as important drainage for the garden.

The backyard is easy on the eyes, and the various amenities are completely balanced. That’s because Heath created one center line from the seating area and the firepit, across the spa area and pool, to the pavilion. Not only does it look perfect, but the family has a great view for their movie nights while floating in the pool.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about the landscape architect, says Heath, but about how the client enjoys the space.

About Heath Thibodeaux

Heath Thibodeaux is the principal at HJT Landscape Architects, a boutique firm in Houston. He received his bachelor’s in landscape architecture from LSU.

Tel: (713) 256-5948