Living Twice as Large

Design by Rich Cording Sr., CLC Landscape Design
Photography by Front Door Photography
Text by Nayda Rondon

Contemplating the façade of a tasteful Tudor in Montclair, one might imagine a backyard in simi-lar style: a level lawn with orderly rows of flower beds and ornamental bushes. Instead, when Scott and Vicki Province moved into their 3,700-square-foot home on a half-acre lot in 2012, they encountered a highly sloped backyard overrun by intrusive plant life.

At first they tried braving the backyard elements. But by 2020 they’d surrendered. “It was us versus the mud, and the mud won,” says Vicki. “There was also so much overgrown vegetation that it encroached upon a large portion of our yard, making our covered porch dark, damp and uninviting.”

Nevertheless, the homeowners were determined to turn the space into a beautiful, usable area. Referred by a previous client, they contacted licensed landscape architect Rich Cording Sr. and his team at Ringwood-based CLC Landscape Design. Initially, they weren’t planning anything major. But then the CLC team opened their eyes to expansive possibilities.

The pool area behind a Montclair Tudor home is particularly appealing at night. Colored lights play upon the water, inviting a relaxing dip surrounded by flowers in bloom. The heated pool features bluestone coping around the perimeter, an automatic cover and remote-controlled LED lights that change color at the homeowners’ preference.

“Our plans drastically changed from simply removing overgrowth and creating some drainage to a complete remodel: expanding the patio, creating several layers of retaining walls, and adding a pool and a fire element,” Scott explains. “We also pushed our yard back closer to our back property line. We now have an inviting outdoor entertaining space, a cozy place to gather around the fire, a pool with plenty of seating options, a larger yard for the kids to play in and a variety of plantings.”

The CLC team approached the tricky terrain with troubleshooting assurance. “What made this project unusual was that there were elevation changes of more than 10 feet from the back of the house to the back of the property,” says Cording Sr. “Having such a challenging site required strategic designing to make sure the walls weren’t overwhelming. The selection of wall material was critical so that all of the outdoor living spaces felt inviting and as if the property has always looked the way it does now.”

Cording Sr. and one of CLC’s licensed landscape architects developed a detailed landscape design consisting of a series of multiple-level walls to create attractive, serviceable enclaves within the steep landscape. Apart from the pre-existing two-car garage and the roof over the patio section, everything was constructed from scratch. At house level, the main tier was paved and extended with the addition of a custom firepit area, sitting enclaves and a retaining wall with steps to the second level, which holds the 18-feet-by-38-feet deluxe, vinyl pool from Wayne-based the Pool Boss and lounging sections, while the third and furthest from the house is an extended yard where the kids play.

“Where we once felt confined within the walls of our home, we have now doubled our living footprint with the addition of our beautiful outdoor spaces,” says homeowner Scott Province of the backyard renovation, which took place from July 2021 to July 2022.

Chosen for their sturdy support qualities, interlocking block walls also offer elegant looks, while Techo-Bloc Grande concrete pavers stay in step with the yard’s traditional feel. For illumination and mood-setting ambiance, CLC installed an LED lighting system and placed mounted lights under the caps in the walls located in the lower patio area and near the pool.

To address the drainage flow from the hill behind the clients’ home, the CLC crew created a series of catch basins and drains. When a major storm flooded the basement during construction, the CLC team investigated. After determining that an old, broken pipe—unearthed when the site was excavated—was funneling the rainwater into the basement, they worked with the homeowners and their insurance company to remedy the situation.

“At first, there was tremendous angst and fear that it would happen again,” says Cording Sr. “But through all subsequent storms, they’ve been dry as a bone. This home was featured in the Montclair ‘Roses to Rock Gardens’ tour and the homeowners were sharing stories about the flood and how professional CLC had been in solving the problem.”

“They were truly invested in the outcome throughout,” Vicki says. “At different stages I would watch them walk the project as if they were envisioning where our family and guests would sit, where we would walk, what we would want our view to be, etc. To them, each brick and every plant has a purpose.”

The CLC team—led by Rich Cording Jr., who holds a master’s degree in landscape design from Columbia—beautified the newly created outdoor spaces with colorful plantings: roses, hydrangeas, ornamental grasses and an assortment of summer-flowering perennials. Specialty trees such as fastigiate maple and Cleveland pear were also added.

“The landscaping is truly spectacular,” says Vicki. “Rich Jr. is a master of his craft. Our CLC team’s dedication, knowledge and expertise transformed our backyard, which we’ve enjoyed more now in a single summer than we did for our first 10 years living here combined.