PORTFOLIO

Arts & Crafts Stonework

West Side, Ann Arbor, Michigan

The clients had recently purchased an Arts and Crafts–style home on the west side of Ann Arbor, and reached out as they neared the end of their home renovation. The house sits on a corner lot with multiple grade changes, accented by a short concrete retaining wall on the visually prominent front corner. To solve these issues, we used walls, steps, and landings to maximize usable space and ensure accessibility.

LOCATION

West Side, Ann Arbor

SCOPE

Stonework, grading, gardens

MATERIALS

Fieldstone & Bluestone

RECOGNITION

MNLA Grand Award, 2025

BEFORE

Front corner before the project — the house mid-renovation with a plain concrete curb and retaining wall meeting the sidewalk
Front corner before the project — the house mid-renovation with a plain concrete curb and retaining wall meeting the sidewalk

The front corner concrete curb and retaining wall.

AFTER

The finished front corner at dusk — an uplit dry-stacked fieldstone retaining wall wrapping layered garden beds below the restored Arts and Crafts home

The finished front corner.

Aerial view of the finished front corner with fieldstone retaining walls, bluestone walks and layered plantings resolving the grade change
Aerial view of the finished front corner with fieldstone retaining walls, bluestone walks and layered plantings resolving the grade change

Front corner, from above. Walls, steps, and landings hold the grade and open the corner back up for use.

Front corner stone retaining wall mid-construction, courses of fieldstone set by hand where the concrete curb once stood
Front corner stone retaining wall mid-construction, courses of fieldstone set by hand where the concrete curb once stood

Front corner stone retaining wall, mid-construction.

Aerial view of the finished back entertaining area — a bluestone patio with a cobblestone border framed by garden beds

The finished back entertaining area and garden beds.

They wanted an entertaining space in the backyard for friends and family that wasn't overly exposed to the neighborhood, but also didn't want it to feel walled off. By raising the level of the backyard and adding layered plantings, the view from the sidewalk to the patio was obscured, but still felt natural.

Backyard from the driveway — a bluestone patio and retaining wall with sod and a stepping-stone walkway, screened by layered plantings
Backyard from the driveway — a bluestone patio and retaining wall with sod and a stepping-stone walkway, screened by layered plantings

Backyard view from the driveway — patio, retaining wall, and sod around the stepping-stone walkway.

"Michael's level of detail is unmatched. Our stone wall is the envy of all of our neighbors, and will surely outlive us."

HOMEOWNER — WEST SIDE, ANN ARBOR

In both their home renovation and landscaping, the clients went out of their way to make sure every detail fit the character of the neighborhood. Our goal was to make the stone retaining walls and other elements look like they had always been there.

Recognized with the Michigan Nursery & Landscape Association Industry Grand Award, 2025 — one of only three Grand Awards given across the state that year.

START A PROJECT