Athens, Georgia

Ridgewood Estate

Terraced in stone. Rooted in the woods.

A steep wooded slope becomes a sequence of generous outdoor rooms, each shaped by stone, shade and the rhythms of the Georgia Piedmont.

LocationAthens, Georgia

Completed2025

Site1+ acre

ServicesLandscape architecture, site planning, planting design and construction administration

Stone-walled pool and raised spa set below a wooded Athens home

01 · The Site

Making the slope livable

The cedar-shingled house sat high above the ground that could actually be used. Rather than flattening the hillside, SPG worked with it.

Dry-stacked fieldstone walls step down the slope in measured tiers, creating planted shelves, broad stairs and a clear path from the house to the garden below.

Timber arbor and native-forward planting beside a cedar-shingled residence

Broad stone stairs connecting the house terrace to the pool garden

At the lowest terrace, a dark-plaster pool and raised stone spa settle into the woodland edge. A softly crowned lawn creates breathing room between the water and the house, while a timber arbor gives outdoor dining a sense of shelter without closing it in.

02 · The Gathering Place

A room at the bottom of the hill

Pool, spa, lawn and timber dining arbor arranged within a wooded Athens garden

03 · The Planting

Sun above. Woodland below.

Two exposures called for two related planting palettes. Sun-tolerant grasses and perennials soften the open terraces; native woodland layers carry the garden into the existing canopy.

Little bluestem, Arkansas bluestar, Piedmont azalea, flowering dogwood and sweet bay magnolia bring movement, bloom and seasonal change without competing with the site’s mature hardwoods.