Nestled against the Santa Cruz Mountains in the heart of Los Gatos lies this beautiful two-home estate. SSA was hired to master plan a major renovation and upgrade for both families. There are common shared spaces such as the swimming pool, spa, and waterfall, but each has private spaces as well including patio decks, an outdoor kitchen, a bridge over the creek, pathways, and walkways connecting all the spaces. While each home has its private entrance and spaces, the whole of the two estates feels like a park. The main shared space is the swimming pool and spa with a natural waterfall/stream flowing into the pool. The original pool is over 100-years-old, and was renovated to include the new waterfall, new pebble plaster, and all new state-of-the-art equipment and controls. The waterfall was constructed of hand-selected Sierra Boulders, with placement directed by Steve Sutherland, to create the look of a natural stream of the Sierras. The pool decking is made of large slabs of Connecticut Blue Stone as are all stairs and walkways.
The upper home has a large Blue Stone Patio, outdoor kitchen with honed Bluestone Counters, fireplace, and arbor structure with heaters. The lower home includes various major design renovations, including a new architecturally enhanced front entry porch, and the addition of French doors and sliding glass doors out of the back onto a new deck with an outdoor built-in kitchen overlooking the creek.
Throughout the garden, we reused historic statuary from the early 1900s belonging to the family's grandparents. A completely new low voltage lighting system was designed with smart controls and LED fixtures throughout the site. The entire landscape complies with the new State and Town of Los Gatos Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance.