INSPIRE INSPIRE PROJECT D E TA I L S Build time 1 month Site of project 1 acre Project value Less than $150,000
DESIGNING DESPITE DANGERS S afety can be the entire purpose of a landscape transformation. It was a main goal for a South Carolina homeowner who purchased a three-acre property overlooking a lake. The home featured a beautiful interior, but the exterior was a different story. Through creative, skillful designs, the dangerous and unwalkable space became a beautiful outdoor area ready for anyone to enjoy.
PEARCE B. DESIGNS STEEP SLOPE REDESIGNED FOR A SOUTH CAROLINA FAMILY
Pearce launched a career in the landscape industry by combining two passions: art and nature. In college, she double majored in
Pearce focuses on the master plan for her projects, then the homeowners decide how to bring the designs to life. Some just want a long-term goal and will draw out the construction for several years. Some will even take on the project themselves! Many will hand the designs over to a local contractor though, and Pearce will help them find one fit for the project.
“There was about a 100-foot drop from the top of the driveway down to the lake. The grade was way too steep and probably not up to code. Essentially, it was just slippery, dangerous pea gravel,” says Pearce Butcher. She is the landscape designer who took on this tough project. Pearce manages a landscape design firm called Pearce B. Designs based in Greenville, South Carolina. She runs her business from her home, creating beautiful spaces for functional outdoor living.
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art major. I really loved the outdoors though, and she said, ‘You know, there’s a job for designing the outdoors.’ That is when I realized that landscape design was my thing.” After an internship in the Metro DC area with a womanowned design-build firm, she then went to George Washington University to earn her Landscape Design Certificate.
Environmental Science and Art, and her mother helped her navigate her path after graduation. “You know, when you’re 18 and you’re a freshman in college, you’re not always sure what you want to do,” says Pearce. “My mom knew I always loved art and advised me to be an
“Let’s say I have a lot of boulder work, I’ll recommend someone who is great with natural stonework,” she says. “Or another project might be a different contractor’s jam because he loves putting in traditional southern gardens. I try to get to know people in the industry.”
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