Steve Harbour

An elegant custom home had been dressed with a mundane landscape. The homeowners wanted something more special.

The Flowering Plums were saved and a flagstone pathway leads followers beds of lavender and roses bordered by boxwood hedging in formal fashion. Steve Harbour won CLCA’s 2007 Best Design and Build award for this renovation.

The homeowner wanted all the lawn gone and an artistic rock and plant scape in its place.

Rock pathways and dry streambeds replaced the water guzzling lawn. Water-wise plants like lavender and artemesia, as well as ornamental grasses, created a naturistic landscape. The citrus tree remained.

Before the renovation, a small patio barely held a table and chairs beside a fire pit that no longer worked.

A retaining wall enlarged the space for a large patio with raised spa and firepit. An outdoor kitchen and custom fountain also lined the perimeter.

The homeowners had a large yard, but wanted to take advantage of this no-man’s land between the driveway and steep hillside.

The previouly neglected area became a great entertaining space to view the valley and mountains beyond. A retaining wall was added to hold the slope and enlarge the area.

With the home completely gutted for remodel, this small backyard suffered through construction for more than a year.

The grid of walkway steppers leads to a seating bench near the back fenceline. The raised planters were constructed on site.

Ready for a complete landscape renovation. The homeowners wanted a complete outdoor overhaul.

Not only was the landscape renovated, the paint, garage doors, windows, and even roof tiles were updated. Steve Harbour designed a landscape to reflect the owner's passion for rose and vegetable gardening.

The homeowners had installed a new retaining wall and wanted to showcase a dramatic landscape scene.

The homeowners saw another of Steve Harbour’s landscape designs and asked him to design it into a long front planter bed along the side of their home. Rosemary and Ivy Geranium were planted to cascade over the wall.

The yard was nothing but a rotted deck, lonely pine, and weeds before Steve Harbour designed the new landscape.

The entire landscape was renovated. A new hardwood deck was added with stairs to a side patio. Many flowering plants completed the design

The 2003 Cedar Fire in eastern San Diego County torched this desert garden.

The Cedar Fire’s affects are barely noticeable in this desert garden. A new greenhouse was constructed, some plants recovered, and new plantings were added.

Before the landscape was renovated, a ragged lawn and unsightly shrubs greeted people.

The lawn was removed and a beautiful water-wise landscape of plants, rock, and boulder was installed. The landscape was thriving three months after completion as this after photo attests.

Under Construction