Best Backyard Ever!

Meander Down the Tone Steps Behind His Woodsy Home O Discover a Ackyard Designed or Soaking Up Every Precious Minute of Up North Summer and Then Some

- Diane Kolak

Summer is short at 45th parallel north. It makes the business of landscaping interesting, and Bob Drost, of Drost Landscape, has been adapting to April blizzards and early fall frosts for 25 years. He loves the challenge and the satisfaction that comes from a project completed with equal doses of creativity and teamwork. Just as important is a client who shares his goal of creating a harmonious extension of a home into this beautiful landscape, and then enjoying it as long as the weather allows.

Drost found such a client on the west side of Traverse City, with a gracious Craftsman-influenced house and a beautiful, yet underutilized, forested lot. Open space was minimal, and it became a soggy mess every time it rained. The kids wanted a place to play outside, and the parents wanted to cook and relax outdoors.

When Drost met with the clients, he says, “The ideas just flowed. I could see a lot of potential in this site.”