Anderson Architecture

Project Overview

Where the House Found
Ground

Once a steep, unusable yard, this property was reshaped into a series of terraces and flat areas for play, entertaining, and arrival.

Location
Marblehead, MA

Architect
TBD

Project Type
TBD

Completion
TBD

Scope of Work

This home had everything — except a usable landscape. Set atop a rolling lawn with a 30-foot grade change, the property offered no safe or functional outdoor space for entertainment or play. The landscape wasn’t just underperforming — it was absent. Our task was to give this home a foundation to belong to, and to create flat, finished, and livable spaces that finally matched the scale and beauty of the architecture.

●Executed extensive grade work across a 30-foot change
●Installed multiple retaining walls to break up the slope into distinct levels
●Terraced the rear yard, enabling landscape to meet the home
●Installed a new prestigious front entrance and stairway

●Created a new driveway layout to improve access and arrival

The project required extensive grading and rethinking of circulation to make the landscape usable. By cutting into the slope and introducing layers of structure, we built a new outdoor lifestyle from the ground up.

Message from Fred Anderson

It was a beautiful house that was placed in an unusable landscape.

Uniqueness

What made this project truly unique wasn't just the steep grade - it was the complete absence of usable outdoor space. The home sat on a beautiful piece of land that offered no flat surfaces for gathering, play, or even safe arrival. Most properties need refinement; this one needed invention. We weren't enhancing an existing landscape - we were building it from scratch. By breaking 30 feet of elevation into functional layers, we gave the house a platform to belong to and gave the family the outdoor life their home had always deserved.