Swanbeck Residence

Honoring a late husband with a memorial garden viewable from the living room as well as the addition of some elements to as a reminder of home in Australia and England.

This was a rather enjoyable project for me to work on. The client was looking for the design and installation of a memorial garden for her late husband.

I went to the site to take measurements and chat with her about what she was looking for. Her main hopes were something she could see from the living room, as well as a little reminder of her home in Australia, Lava Rock. While measuring, she told me a few incredible stories about her husband and their life in Australia.

I created the design and presented it to the client. After talking through everything with her, as well a couple more Australian anecdotes, she signed up for the job. During installation I met with the crew and her to go over the plan and answer any questions. When the job was completed, I again met with her to make sure she was happy with the work. She was elated.

A year later, she called me again and told me after watching a British gardening show, she wanted to change the rock in the memorial garden to granite and make some additions. I again met with her, created a new design and estimate, and presented it to her.

For this second design, I was actually working on the landscape crews and did the installation of the project. I talked with her afterwards and she said her husband would have loved it and that she now considers me a friend. It was quite a feeling of satisfaction in a job well done.