Versatile Creative Design Services

We are a design partner when you need one, putting our residential property design experience to work in landscape design, timber frame design, and planning for outdoor living. We develop hardscape plans, planting plans, and landscape design plans that capture your goals for improving your home living environment.

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Artwork Series

a garden
in progress

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A few pics of one of our all time favorite gardens! Located on 1/8 of an acre in suburban IL, it features a host of reclaimed materials and entertainment spaces with minimal turfgrass. It also functions as a rain garden - a highly permeable space fostering groundwater recharge instead of contributing to the municipal runoff system. A nice little space that served its purpose of our fam while we lived there! #gardendesign #landscape #design #landscapedesign #designbuild

The break over Christmas and NYE included a pair of short sawmill days - organizing a bit, cutting the remaining cherry logs, starting on hickory, and prepping some white oak. Soooome day I’ll get back into the wood shop for a few days to build a pair of projects on deck! #woodlandmills #hm126 #sawmill #gettherewhenwegetthere

A quick trip back to the Midwest this week included seeing three “real influencers” and simply saying:

“thank you for impacting my life and teaching me things”

And don’t let the warm editing filters fool ya- it was cold in the CBG yesterday 🙂

A “winter texture” plant provides texture and interacts with cold weather, snow, and the “off season” in a special way! #garden #gardenwalk #texture #plants #winter #wintergarden #winterseason #snow #snowy #designer #landscape #outdoorliving #spacemaker

Snowy garden walk and a look at some nice “winter texture plants” on this first measurable snowfall of December…. #wintergarden #snow #snowy #garden #gardenwalk #plants #winter #texture #winterseason

Roughly 2 years ago, I started a Notes file in my iPhone entitled “Other Things I Could Do”, and with the encouragement and support of my wife, developed a plan to start Marengo Pass.

It wasn’t risk-free, but her support and encouragement gave me the confidence to apply the drive I’d applied to other people’s businesses to my own effort. I also found great support in my father in law and his example of starting Lava Auto Body around the time we met, and watching firsthand as he grew it into the trusted and successful shop it is today. I’m thankful for both her and her dad each day, in different ways.

It’s becoming a more regular habit to pause and recognize that work is important, but not the most important - ideally it’s an avenue that lets me spend time with those who are genuinely important and enjoy being with them while they’re still around. We have zero guarantee of tomorrow, or of another day with those who are so easy to look past in our efforts to finish up all that really really 🙄 important work that occupies our days.

And as that habit grows, so does an idea about how we might give to our community and do better at helping those around us.

In the meantime, I’m thankful for a handful of close friendships grown over the past few years, and I’m reminded regularly of how quickly everything can change.

“This season is sweet, but not guaranteed to last. All the gifts of today can so quickly be passed - and what is sweet today could become bitter in time, without understanding that none will ever really be mine. My wish for today is to hold joy til tomorrow, and equally give thanks if the sunrise brings sorrow”

When cold weather arrives at Marengo Pass, the line between “outdoor cat” and “indoor cat” gets a little blurred. Today, Finn took a field trip from his usual woodshop warmup to keep me company while running final edits on an upcoming cat-alog. Once he settles down for another 5 hour nap….

A deck with a roof and finished dry space below - a house with two levels deserves a living space to match! #landscape #design #designer #outdoorliving #timberframe #spacemaker

It’s mundane Monday - so today we are sharing a few renderings of “boring old side yard” spaces which solve problems related to drainage and grading and making these often overlooked spaces more functional and easier to maintain.

while side yards aren’t the most glamorous, they are a good lesson in function and often serve as a mudroom for a home landscape. A well-designed side yard should drain well, be easy to maintain, and keep utilities, trash and recycling, and access to side entries in good order- all while being restrained with respect to project cost and long term ROI.

So please enjoy these boring side yard images, which work hard to easily be overlooked. #landscape #design

It’s been a busy couple of weeks, so today is a day to skip out and enjoy a day of rest - to be continued!

Crossing back over one of our favorite bridges today heading back from a site visit 🙂

As the cold weather approaches, I’ve been working to gather site measurements while the sun is shining to take advantage of the beautiful fall season. Last week I had the unique privilege of gathering site measurements and field data on a remote hunting shelter located within a nearby 400 acre forestry tract. Our deliverables will be a conservation recommendation for this Adirondack shelter, with notes related to its condition and considerations for keeping it around for a future generation to experience. This project touches on our love of folk architecture and one of a kind places, local history, timber construction, and landscape architecture- and if the field notes are any indication, the record set of drawings on deck are going to be very cool, too!

As always, I’m personally thankful for the many unique things Marengo Pass gets to touch and work on for our wonderful clients #conservation #huntingshelter #shelter #logstructure #timber #folk #architecture

Lights out! a little mood lighting for your evening, enjoy!
#happyvalley #designer #gardendesign #concepts #outdoorliving #hardscape #lighting #landscape

Hiding above that wall is a swimming oasis getaway...
When working with grade change and sloping sites, there's no reason to give up making useable space by controlling the grade and creating a highly structured solution. It's also helpful to know when to call in your consulting engineers to ensure your space is a safe environment for your family and loved ones. Design help when you need it : )

Live in a beautiful environment!

#swimmingpool #designrendering #landscapedesign #smallbusiness #designer #garden #outdoorliving #gardendesign #landscapedesigner #concept #hardscape #happyvalley #designhelp #staycation #spaceplanning #patio #concepts #design

When that space "below deck" needs an upgrade...

#outdoorliving #spaceplanning #gardendesign #staycation #landscapedesigner #happyvalley #swimmingpool #hardscape #landscapedesign #garden #designhelp #concept #designer #designrendering #smallbusiness

Poolside outdoor living on a sloping back yard...
#gardendesign #patio #designhelp #designer #happyvalley #landscapedesign #spaceplanning #hardscape #concepts #swimmingpool #landscapedesigner #staycation #concept #outdoorliving #garden #design

When a pool is the main feature of a sloping yard, an automatic cover and engineered garden walls help make all the difference.... #patio #hardscape #spaceplanning #happyvalley #landscapedesigner #designer #concept #designrendering #gardendesign #concepts #design #swimmingpool #staycation #landscapedesign #outdoorliving #garden #designhelp

Poolside living with spaces to walkout on the main and lower levels, including a fire pit and outdoor buffet... #gardendesign #concept #design #concepts #patio #landscapedesigner #spaceplanning #designer #hardscape #designrendering #happyvalley

Planning for the next warm season 🙂 #pool #landscapedesign #design #planningahead #landscape #outdoorliving

There are things you can replace
And others you cannot

(this is a week full of non-replaceables) @glaciernps with @janielava #althea

A little break from the office, day 2 🙂 #glaciernationalpark #hiddenlake

…and sometimes, the things we “get” to do look like this…
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#pause #wander #changeofscenery #glacier #twomedicine #avalanchelake

What an honor to be named among a list of talented local businesses nominated for Best Emerging Business in Centre County! This is an exciting group who serve our community through entertainment, healthcare, research, hospitality, education, and stewardship, and I am genuinely happy to be named among them. One more unanticipated blessing enjoyed after moving our family back to happy valley and restarting a career in our old home town 🙂🙂 #centrecounty #pennsylvania #designconsultant #thankful

designing an outdoor space does NOT have to look like wiggles, worms, blobjects, and tracings of leftover noodles. even organic designs have a flow based in geometry, and there is ZERO reason to build a plan that wouldn't look right indoors under a roof.

It's okay to design something that has a little structure to it and doesn't look like it melted on the page!

#outdoorliving #swimmingpool #garden #landscapedesign #threeseasonroom #staycation
if you're considering an outdoor living space and looking for help planning, give us a shout - it's what we do! #marengopassdesign #designhel

pool season is over, but planning for next year starts now! #outdoorliving #swimmingpool #garden #landscapedesign #threeseasonroom #staycation
if you're considering an outdoor living space and looking for help planning, give us a shout - it's what we do! #marengopassdesign #designhelp

the next time you look at a landscape plan, ask yourself - does the plan look orderly and logical, or like a "blobject?" Down with shapeless designs that suck! #outdoorliving #swimmingpool #garden #landscapedesign #threeseasonroom #staycation
if you're considering an outdoor living space and looking for help planning, give us a shout - it's what we do! #marengopassdesign #designhelp

Outdoor living spaces planned with intentionality, structure, and practicality - the same way you plan your interior floor plan. #outdoorliving #swimmingpool #garden #landscapedesign #threeseasonroom #staycation
if you're considering an outdoor living space and looking for help planning, give us a shout - it's what we do! #marengopassdesign #designhelp

outdoor living spaces planned with your lifestyle in mind #outdoorliving #swimmingpool #garden #landscapedesign #threeseasonroom #staycation
if you're considering an outdoor living space and looking for help planning, give us a shout - it's what we do! #marengopassdesign #designhelp

looking high, looking low... #outdoorliving #swimmingpool #garden #landscapedesign #threeseasonroom #staycation
if you're considering an outdoor living space and looking for help planning, give us a shout - it's what we do! #marengopassdesign #designhelp

Small yards make for fun spaces! #outdoorliving #swimmingpool #garden #landscapedesign #threeseasonroom #staycation

Marengo Pass crossing the Potomac today in return from site visits! #travel #sitevisit #virginia

…insert “out of office message” here…
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#westvirginia #longweekend #familytime #catchup
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A nice time in Seneca Rocks area this past weekend and a timely reminder “work is an important but distant second”
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I had mixed feelings about posting any pics bc we recently lost a really good friend and I didn’t want to share pics of our “complete” family when I know a fam we love is missing one of theirs. Every place we stopped and visited made me aware very little is guaranteed and life can turn on a dime to a place that’s rly different. like catching a hint of campfire while out hiking, I kept intermittently remembering we are still “get” to hang out together and not everyone can say that, whether they can or even want to do so a group. And ultimately glad that this life isn’t the only one we get, and eventually we can catch up for a hang at a later date.

A cozy Virginia yard featuring wonderful living spaces - and a pleasure to work on for a great client! #landscapedesigner #landscape #outdoorliving #placemaker

We had the privilege of working for a long term relationship this week to help fill a need - deliverables included hardscape, landscape, and grading plans + a set of design renderings. Thankful for the chance to help! #landscapedesign #hardscape #backyard #designbuild #outdoorliving

A second option for the town garden entry - a more straightforward option of steps and ramp, with planting beds to soften the change between the horizontal and vertical planes. #entrygarden #curbappeal #landscapedesigner #statecollege

Sharing a pair of town gardens this week - one with integrated ramps and walkways to provide accessible entry to the home through a garden environment, and the second a straightforward and efficient circulation design. #entry #gardendesign #accessible #ada #landscapedesign #hardscape #statecollegepa

Monarch pit stop on their way through our garden this week- the insect version of a Sheetz run!#butterflymilkweed #aesclepias #monarch #theveryhungrycaterpillar #garden #sheetzrun

While walking a local park a few years ago I saw a construction detail that reminded me of a professor’s detail from 30 years earlier- a simple blending of pavers and grass under a bench, sited with a zen-like uncluttered view to Rothrock over an ag field.

After a minute online I found the prof’s contact info and got a confirmation they had designed and built it back in the 80’s. walked it again last week- it’s such a 10/10 example of a neighborhood park - Not fussy or overly programmed- the spaces are perfect- like perfect as in “you don’t notice you’re moving between zones of use”- areas for unprogrammed play, seamless balance of positive and negative space, walking paths are gradual and effortless in both horizontal and vertical layout. Parking flow is efficient and adequate with overflow to pavilion shelters that don’t jump out with a huge sea of paving around them. The drainage and grading works so well you don’t notice the swales or drain fields. There’s no big dumb area that says “kids must play right here in this defined space” - it’s a perfect example of leaving open space as a resource and letting people use it flexibly, providing amenities without laying it all out on display. It’s got layers like an onion, but it’s way sweeter. #ramblewood #pennsylvaniafurnace #jones #battaglia #perfectdesign #park

When you see a dry wall you stacked over 30 years ago and nothing has moved, it’s a darned good feeling. I wish I could say the same for the wall builder! #drystack #wall #naturalstone #wallbuilder #masonry #realmaterial #naturalmaterials #quakerblend #agensstonenj #blairstown #sussexcounty #northjersey

Around 1994 I was in my second year studying landscape architecture at Penn State. I don’t remember the conversation leading up to it, or why I thought I was qualified to build a set of dry stack walls that would be challenging for an experienced mason. But my dad bought a dozen pallets of Quaker blend stone from the Agens supply yard in Blairstown NJ (they are awesome to this day) and after work each day we excavated by hand down to bedrock and then built the walls. I remember we did a lot of excavating together and then he mostly gave me the reigns when it came to stacking.

The first wall is near 48” with a 6’ horizontal break, and the top 36” wall finished it off.

I lived in a house where we had rules and rights and wrongs, but I never once remember my folks telling me I “couldn’t” do something based on my skill. If I wanted to build something, I learned how and did it. They never doubted me, which is funny because I wasn’t really an exceptional kid. I just decided to do something and did it.

Anyway, to this day the only stones that ever needed attention (as far as I know) were from a black bear that dug into one corner looking for grubs - otherwise the gravel backfill, the stacking and leveling, the geotextile - it’s all held and looks the same as it did the day we finished.

I’m proud of that because it’s lasted, but more so because it’s an example of how my parents raised me - to openly face a challenge with humble confidence. I have never jumped into a project underestimating the risk or challenge, but I have never believed something was beyond my abilities or that I wasn’t capable of constructing something that was heavy, messy, or difficult.

I have since built a dozen or so dry stack and hybrid walls and “a bunch of other stuff “ and I owe a debt of thanks to my folks for never outwardly doubting me.

A post about posts? Concealing wiring and conduit in a timber post helps keep the project looking intentional and clean- here’s one of our favorite ways to conceal wiring with a recessed channel and cap board #timberframe #wiring #woodworkingtips

One year in, Marengo Pass Design has been involved in designing projects in our home state of Pennsylvania, as well as in Tennessee and Puerto Rico. I genuinely don’t know what’s in store for us in the next year- but I’m excited about where we are going and our core value of helping people bring clarity to their design goals. Hit us up to find out more. #landscapedesi̇gn #landscapedesigner #timberframe #designbuild #generalist

Swipe to see the framing steps of this beautiful timber frame barn…
#timberframe #barn #timber

A few more renderings from our recent design project in PR - hopefully one of many, but happy to have done one there at all! #landscapedesign #designer #landscapedesigner #aguadilla #rendering

Entry into a courtyard garden in Aguadilla, PR - MPD provided conceptual drive, planting, and utility planning consulting on our first “overseas” project to the La Isla del Encanto! #puertorico #design #consulting #planning #courtyard #designservices #landscape #driveway #hardscape #hardscapedesign

Bottlebrush buckeye in its third year decides to show off a little bloom! #garden #plant #landscape #landscapedesign #plantnerd

Early concept for an entry in PR. It’s helpful to explore options, and be aware that many options will never be built - but are useful for identifying what IS important to your client. #designstudy #entry #landscapedesign

Suns out, fun’s out!
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#rendering #design #solar #kiln #sawmill #solarpower #illustrator

The power is out AGAIN at Marengo Pass, so I am sharing a quick Thursday throwback of my favorite timber and steel mashup…a family burial plot marker based on a Celtic masonry marker in Ireland. This heart pine and steel combo overlooks beautiful Penns Valley, PA with steel built by Spicer Welding and carpentry by Pennsylvania Sawmill Company #cross #burialmarker #pennsvalley #timber #steel

When easy access by car is important, a circle drive can help - this 4th conceptual option for this Aguadilla, PR home makes turning around, parking, and pickup and dropoff a snap. Stay tuned as we dive into the second round of options later in the month!

#aguadilla #puertorico #entrygarden #gardendesign #concept #landscape #landscapedesign

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work in progress

@marengopass_design

Marengo Pass Design

A design partner when you need one

Design consulting specializing in landscapes, indoor/outdoor living, and conceptual architectural design - to make your home better suited to daily living.

Versatile Creative Design Services

a garden
in progress

work in progress

Marengo Pass Design

A design partner when you need one

Versatile Creative Design Services

a garden in progress

​

work in progress

a garden
in progress