Nemacolin Woodlands Resort is known for its luxurious hotel rooms, five-star dining and 2,000 acres of enviable private property. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise when Maggie Hardy Magerko, the owner of the popular Laurel Highlands vacation destination, and her husband Pete Magerko, decided it was time to update their own outdoor living space.
The weathered home, which is a replica of a Victorian dollhouse Maggie had as a child, had endured the tough mountain conditions of exposure to wind, snow and water runoff for more than 20 years and was in need of both repair and a fresh look. The couple turned to Becky Jarold, principal of B. Jarold & Company, LLC to bring a fresh, contemporary look to the Victorian-style home.
To take full advantage of the spectacular scenery and extend the living space outdoors, the entire surroundings were reconsidered. Jarold, along with architect Ramon Sweeney, designed a pool house, which is now the hub for summertime entertaining. The pool house includes an impressive grill and bar, a modern seating area, full bathroom and outdoor shower.
The gas fireplace is a stunning architectural feature that enhances the lovely view by capturing a vignette in its open framing and creates a cozy area for seating.
The redesigned outdoor spaces are unified by the use of the Belgard pavers which accent the choice of the Realstone finish repeated on the pool house, fireplace and chimney stack. The former space was defined by a wooden deck with small areas for lounging and entertaining and had little connection to the pool area. Now there is a nice flow from the home to the terrace, pool and all around.
Jarold brought in Landscape Design Studio (LDS) to help envision the outdoor spaces and connect them with the landscape. LDS created the new planting design with four-season interest and deer-resistance in mind.
Stone stairs were added from the terrace to the lower level of the property where a once under-utilized Hartley Botanic glass house is located. It was almost an eyesore and Maggie was considering moving it away. But LDS and Jarold did a wonderful job of redecorating and making it a functional and desirable destination in the landscape. In addition to growing culinary herbs, the house has become a fine venue for wine tastings and outdoor dining.
Another important detail in the landscape planning was improving the drainage, especially to direct the water flow for the use of the plants. McMillen Engineering provided a drainage plan, while LDS helped the Brickman Group enhance the soil for better absorption and contouring it with permaculture water harvesting in mind.