Brooklyn Front Yard Reborn After Hurricane Sandy

Five months after Hurricane Sandy devastated the East Coast, a Red Hook, Brooklyn couple hired Sean Lewis and Jesse Terzi of New Eco Landscapes to rehabilitate their 18-by-50-foot front yard, which had drowned in saltwater. Only a Japanese maple, a yucca, and a patch of lawn survived. The clients wanted a space for enjoyment and entertaining—not maintenance.

Reuse and Reimagine

An existing Cor-Ten fence and oiled ipe deck were retained, redirecting budget toward a new outdoor kitchen and resilient plantings. Two distinct zones emerged: a geometric, orderly deck with outdoor kitchen, and a looser, organic patio. Potted herbs bridge the areas; irregular flagstone pulls kitchen grays into the landscape. String lights add affordable ambiance.

A relocated AC unit was masked with a slatted box and planter mirroring the kitchen cabinets. Custom cedar cabinets house a natural-gas grill and smoker—the project's most time-consuming but favorite feature. A trellis and bamboo provide privacy.

Resilient Planting: Lessons from the Storm

Lewis drew inspiration from Cape Cod's tough, unirrigated flora: rhododendrons, scrub pine, grasses. Post-storm reconnaissance in Long Beach revealed Hollywood junipers thriving where other evergreens died. The plant palette: lavender, thyme, mugo pine, rhododendron, Japanese maple, hardy sedum, Hollywood juniper, Mexican feather grass.

"If and when another hurricane hits New York, we want this garden to ride it out," says Lewis. Built for both good weather and bad.