Posts Tagged ‘landscaping’

One of a kind custom Mediterranean Estate in exclusive Paradise Valley

By Teressa Francis | October 6th, 2010 0 Comments

$6.5 million spectacular home nestled in Morgan Hill 

16370 Reynolds Drive is an architectural masterpiece and referred to as “Over the Top” one of a kind construction. Located in the most desirable street in exclusive Paradise Valley, this stunning home on 1.6 acres is the finest quality home to ever reach South County. Owners Sal and Becky envisioned a magnificent home with a mixture of rustic Old World and casual elegance. Realizing that they wanted only the finest materials and construction, they embarked upon building their dream home.

To further assist in their vision, Sal and Becky hired Michael Bonfante to design the fabulous gardens and landscape of this spectacular home. Michael is best known as the founder of Bonfante Gardens Theme Park in Gilroy and is also known as a well respected philanthropist and landscape designer. Michael’s inspiration and vision for the landscape design was to create two totally independent elements; the front yard and the back yard. The front yard feels dramatic and intimate. It creates an environment fit for family, friends or visiting political dignitaries. The backyard on the other hand provides a living experience and serves as a direct extension of the living space.

To create the lived in feel, Michael designed the landscape using over 100 types of trees including 39 different varieties. To further enhance the landscape he also brought in natural works of art in the form of large, unique rocks for personality, a natural waterfall cascading into the pool and a one of a kind custom designed gazebo. In addition multiple flower beds were also added for a touch of color throughout the yard. The landscape design ran close to ½ million for this perfect executive home.

Mitch Mazzetti Construction built this prestigious home and refers to it as the finest he has ever seen or even imagined. The views alone are amazing from this 5898 Sq. Ft. of living space plus an additional 1200 Sq. Ft. bonus room above the garage. Interior features include 4 luxurious bedroom suites and 5.5 baths adorned with stone and pewter vessel sinks, faux painting and marble floors. The kitchen is a master chef’s dream kitchen perfect for large families and entertaining complete with a large butler pantry, granite and marble counter tops, custom birch cabinets, stainless steel appliances and separate island with sink.

The extraordinary amenities extend all around starting with the state of the art wine cellar that accommodates 1200 bottles, old world stone floor, stone entrance and a separate A/C unit. This gorgeous home has solid hand scraped 8” old world walnut hardwood floors, soaring 14’-18’ ceilings, a layered lighting effect throughout the home and a dramatic dining room accented by custom chandeliers.

The exquisite exterior features include a gated front entrance that leads to an impressive driveway designed with 18,000 Sq. Ft. of natural pavers, copper exterior doors and windows, gorgeous stone patio, solar heated pool with spa and waterfall, a one of a kind custom antique slate roof and 2 separate 4+ car garages with custom 18” solid core doors, finished walls with recessed lighting, utility sink, granite counters and a craft area.

This is an exceptional South County home close to Silicon Valley but secluded in the country that combines elaborate exterior detailing from the superb landscaping to the details and custom design. Grand, yet livable interior, the home showcases the best of lasting and timeless design and craftsmanship.

Listing agent Pam Rodgers is a 34 year native of the Bay Area with experience in first time home buyers, upgrading or downsizing your home, investment property, 1031 exchanges, condos, town homes, apartment buildings or vacation homes. She also has over 25 years of marketing and advertising experience that will ensure you get the best value for your property through ads, flyers, virtual tours, the Internet and Open Houses. Pam’s guiding principles are trust, respect and integrity. Customer service is the single most important attribute that separates her from the rest. Ask anyone of her client’s and they will tell you no one will work harder for you than her. She strives to exceed your expectations by delivering top dollar for your property. Pam’s goal is to earn you as a customer for life.

For more information regarding 16370 Reynolds Drive, please contact Pam Rodgers at (408) 621-5646 or via email at prodgers@interorealestate.com.

For additional property information and to view the virtual tour, please visit http://www.interorealestate.com/homes/CA/Morgan_Hill/95037/16370_REYNOLDS_DR/2519211/index.html

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Discovering Benefits of a More Sustainable Landscaping

By Tadas Narauskas | March 12th, 2010 1 Comment

The shortcomings of traditional landscaping are evident as never before.  You can smell them in air pollution landscape (lawnmowers, transportation, energy use), you can taste them in our water pollution (fertilizers and pesticides), and you can see them in harmful effects to our biodiversity and consumption of natural resources.  At the end of the day conventional landscaping can be just down right cost and labor intensive.  That is exactly why more and more folks are discovering the joys of sustainable landscaping.

So what exactly is this “sustainable” landscaping that everyone is talking about and what can it do for us?  Essentially, sustainable or “green” landscaping is landscaping that considers things like water conservation, the use of all natural resources and the selection of proper plants to beautify a piece of land while still making it work with the surrounding ecosystem.

In the beginning this may sound a tad complex but rest assured – it’s not.  There are countless things that we can try at home on your own.  Keep in mind these three mantras – Conserve, Design and Protect.

Conserve means conserving resources like water and using a composting bin to recycle natural yard waste into organic fertilizer.

Protect means preventing or reducing processes that degrade or pollute the environment and harm regenerative capacity of our ecosystems.

Design means designing your landscaping in harmony with the natural environment, and in a way that it enhances the sustainability features of your home.

For instance, if you are planning on redoing the landscaping in your yard, consider the placement of deciduous and evergreen trees.  If you plant deciduous (the type that has seasonal leaves) on the south and east sides of your home, you’ll be able to get shade during the summer while still keeping the sun’s heat and warmth during the winter, because the leaves will not block the sun light.  Evergreens (the type that always has leaves) that have been planted in the north and the west are particularly wonderful for protecting your home from harsh winds during those colder Bay Area months.

It’s always a great idea to consider the use of recycled materials for your green landscaping project. You’ll find that soil amendments and mulch fall under this category.  With wood becoming more and more expensive and increasingly depleted, we may want to consider making sure we can recycle plastic bender board.  Similarly, we can recycle broken up concrete into great flagstones, and recycled brick for paths and patios.  With a bit of imagination the options to recycle are limitless.

One of the most essential components to sustainable landscaping is of course the water irrigation concerns.  Did you know that most people over-water their lawns by 50%? Imagine the water savings if they all just adjusted their sprinkler systems.  My next door neighbor’s sprinklers are on day and night, spraying all over including our shared fence which is beginning to rot already.  Our cats love watching it though, for them this is pure entertainment.

When deciding what to put in a garden, it’s beneficial to think about how the water will flow and how we can best take advantage of the water that is around. Key things  here is install drip-irrigation and use only drought resistant and native plants.  This will assure that your deep watering needs are kept to a minimum.

Looking for a place to buy some eco friendly plants?  Check out the Santa Clara County  Web Page (http://www.valleywater.org) for more info and nursery locations.  Want to hear something really cool?  The District will give you up to $1000 dollars to take out your lawn and replace it with drought tolerant plants and $1000 to install water conserving irrigation system. According to their website, this rebate expires this June, so don’t snooze on the opportunity.

Another fantastic resource online is the Master Gardeners of Santa Clara website (http://www.mastergardeners.org). It’s jam packed with all sorts of magic tips, wonderful advice, and local events for gardening and sustainable landscaping enthusiasts.

Sustainable landscaping makes financial sense and is truly our way of saying thank you to that earth and soil that have fed so many generations before us.  Happy landscaping.

More on Green Homes:  http://SanJoseGreenHome.com

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