In Millcreek, a striking landscape remodel artfully blends timeless design with future-ready function, where lush gardens, modern materials and ADA-compatible features come together seamlessly
Photos by Grey Giraffe
As visitors approach this Millcreek home, its newly reimagined landscape begins to tell a story—one of beauty, comfort and quiet foresight. Wrapped in tailored gardens, shaded by mature trees and accented with a water feature and a flickering firepit, the classic ranch—brightened by freshly painted brick—greets guests with timeless charm. Winding paths lead through verdant beds and a wide variety of plantings, revealing the story in layers.
What’s not immediately visible is a thoughtful subplot: a series of discreet, ADA-compatible adaptations gracefully integrated into the design for a homeowner planning ahead for the potential use of a wheelchair. “Our goal was to create ADA-compatible solutions that blend seamlessly into the design,” says Jayson King, founding principal/design director of Landform Design Group (LFDG), a boutique firm specializing in landscape and architectural services.
Tasked with transforming the 1948 property, King and his team refreshed the home’s exterior and replaced its windows, renovated the derelict garage and reimagined the entire landscape. “We wanted a beautiful, low-maintenance landscape—including the hardscaping—that would surround us with natural beauty, yet didn’t require a lot of upkeep,” the owner explains. King responded with what he calls a traditional-transitional design that “bleeds into modern. It’s timeless and elevated; definitely not trendy.”
The street gently curves around the uniquely-shaped property, wide in front and narrow in the back. A timeworn, detached garage occupied a large section of the side yard. Deemed unusable for wheelchair access due to its small size, the homeowners believed it couldn’t be rebuilt due to zoning rules. But King secured a variance based on ADA needs and, with landscape contractor Ground Level, constructed a new garage around the original wooden structure.
They added a new roof and soffits while repurposing the original doors. The new driveway and adjoining walkway are heated to remain snow- and ice-free, ensuring safe, year-round access.
The reimagined garage is just one of many thoughtful updates to the property. To reduce or eliminate outdoor steps, LFDG designed handsome masonry and concrete walls to support level patios and walkways among the uneven terrain. “These walls became key space definers, allowing us to adjust the grades as needed,” King says. They also anchor built-in lighting, utilities and natural seating across the property.
Clever screening also enhances the site’s form and function. King replaced the traditional white picket fence with “floating bar” fencing that is supported underground, creating a sleek, modern boundary in front. “It’s a great, creative feature that provides just the right combination of privacy and security without isolating the property from the street and the rest of the neighborhood,” the owner explains. A board-formed concrete bench and a brick wall with an address inlay asymmetrically frame the front walkway. Artful screens discreetly hide a generator, trash cans and raised garden boxes. In the backyard, a pleached row of arborvitae trees replaces scrappy hornbeams, offering privacy from neighboring views.
“I love the layering of the details and materials in this project,” King says. At every turn, brick, stone, wood and concrete team seamlessly with orchestrated plantings and lush gardens—enhanced by subtle grade shifts, lighting, screening and refined finishes. More than just beautiful, this landscape was designed with intention—a space where aesthetics and accessibility live side by side, and where design quietly supports the owners’ next chapter, whatever it may hold.
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