One June 12, the Hartland neighborhood will host a home tour featuring backyards and outdoor living spaces. From covered patios to pools, water features and picturesquely landscaped gardens, the tour will highlight more than a dozen of the most beautiful backyards in the neighborhood.
We’ve highlighted the recently upgraded outdoor space of Hartland couple John and Sandy Borders, which will be featured on the tour.
John and Sandy Borders built their Hartland home in 1991 “…with every penny we had,” according to Sandy. The third owners to build in their immediate area, the Borders have remodeled and reconfigured their space in stages, allowing it to evolve into the home of their dreams.
Their most recent project, the addition of a screened-in patio and detached garage that doubles as an art studio, meets a functional need and creates more space for the couple to host family and friends. With refreshed landscaping, the Borders’ backyard is a peaceful spot for bird watching while also serving as a playground for their three dogs.
Though not their first renovation, the seed for this project was planted back in 1991 during original construction.
“From the day we built, I wanted a three-car garage, but it wasn’t in our budget then,” said Sandy.
Because the neighborhood does not allow front-entry garages, the original two-car garage opens to the side. Expanding that garage would have taken away some of the home’s kitchen – an option that didn’t interest Sandy.
“I’d been trying to figure out over the years how to do it, and then I saw an incredible house that had a stone arch that connected a smaller structure to the main part of the house,” she explained. “I thought it was just an extension of their house, but one night I was driving by and I could see the light from the garage door opener. A lightbulb went off, and I knew how I could make it work.”
Inspired, the Borders decided on a rear-entry, one-car detached garage that is connected to the home by a limestone arch. The garage was designed with a second floor that was intended for storage but has ended up serving a different purpose altogether.
“I wanted the garage to have a second floor for storage instead of using an attic with pull-down stairs as we get older,” said Sandy.
A magazine article about Lexington artist Andre Pater, however, changed that plan.
“I saw a feature in a magazine, and [Pater] had just released his book – I was so impressed, I bought a copy,” Sandy said. She later decided she wanted to order more books to give as Christmas gifts and emailed the artist after having trouble finding them.
“His wife contacted me, and I ended up ordering directly,” Sandy continued. Pater’s wife later sent Sandy an email about a virtual sketch class that Pater was hosting in September 2020, with all the proceeds going to the National Sporting Library and Museum.
“I signed John up, knowing that the last time he had ever drawn – really the only time he had ever drawn anything – was when we got engaged in 1977 and he sketched my engagement picture. [But] I knew he had it in him.”
John took the online drawing class, and as his wife says, “he’s been sketching non-stop since.”
“So my storage space is now a drawing studio,” Sandy said with a laugh.
1 of 4
Emily Giancarlo
The second floor of the Borders' new detached garage has been turned into an art studio for John Borders, a physician who took up the hobby of drawing after taking a virtual class from Lexington artist Andre Pater during the pandemic. Photos by Emily Giancarlo
2 of 4
Emily Giancarlo
The second floor of the Borders' new detached garage has been turned into an art studio for John Borders, a physician who took up the hobby of drawing after taking a virtual class from Lexington artist Andre Pater during the pandemic. Photos by Emily Giancarlo
3 of 4
Emily Giancarlo
The second floor of the Borders' new detached garage has been turned into an art studio for John Borders, a physician who took up the hobby of drawing after taking a virtual class from Lexington artist Andre Pater during the pandemic. Photos by Emily Giancarlo
4 of 4
Emily Giancarlo
The second floor of the Borders' new detached garage has been turned into an art studio for John Borders, a physician who took up the hobby of drawing after taking a virtual class from Lexington artist Andre Pater during the pandemic. Photos by Emily Giancarlo
John, a physician specializing in internal medicine, expanded, “I’d never done any drawing other than that one thing in the ’70s, but that’s what she keyed in on. I drew my first thing in October of 2020, and I kept going. The first lesson was all I needed.”
The studio is a comfortable space filled with light from windows that look out over the backyard, providing a serene view of the trees and birds. One wall, at Sandy’s suggestion, is covered with cork board, acting as an impromptu gallery for John’s sketches and drawings.
“Every time I draw something, I make a copy and stick it on the wall,” said John.
Another wish-list item that the couple added to the home is a screened-in porch – something Sandy had always wanted. The porch opens to the kitchen and outdoor patio on one side and to the driveway under the new arch on the opposite side. The room is anchored by a large wood-burning fireplace made of limestone.
“This was the back of the house, and we were going to just leave the exposed brick, but our painter suggested white-washing. I said, ‘Just go for it; y’all know better than I do,’” said Sandy.
Along with the whitewashed brick walls, a birch wood ceiling and the limestone of the fireplace make the porch bright and airy. With both casual seating and a dining area, the new porch is perfect for summer entertaining.
1 of 5
Photo by Emily Giancarlo
2 of 5
Photo by Emily Giancarlo
3 of 5
Photo by Emily Giancarlo
4 of 5
Photo by Emily Giancarlo
5 of 5
Photo by Emily Giancarlo
“We are part of a life group of six couples, so we planned around that. Hosting that group was the goal,” said Sandy.
To complete the project, the Borders had a curved limestone retaining wall built around the edge of the new driveway.
John said, “The contractor brought in a team of stonemasons who are world class. They took their time with the archway and other stonework. They didn’t seem to care how long it took. It was going to be perfect.”
A steep slope on one side of the yard is covered with ferns and other greenery, with a stone staircase installed that blends in perfectly. Lined with boxwoods, along with ferns, hostas and other plants – many of which were preserved from the original landscaping – the newer landscaping is accented by the existing mature trees, and the visual benefits from the absence of fencing.
Still surrounded by their original neighbors, Sandy said, “We all love the park-like setting, and we all have a verbal agreement to not build fences. Everyone who has dogs has invisible fences.”
The Borders have worked with a number of landscapers throughout the years as they updated their outdoor space, most recently collaborating with Michael Snowden from Redmond’s Garden Center to rebuild a water feature. The couple also does much of the planting and maintenance of the landscaping themselves, and the pie-shaped yard is a nature habitat.
John said, “We enjoy our birds. We are their employees, constantly feeding them.”
The Borders hired Conrad Construction Company – a team they were familiar with – to bring their ideas to life. Having used the company for a 2019 remodel of the home’s first floor, they knew that Phillip Conrad would exceed their expectations.
Said Sandy, “There’s no contractor we would use other than him.”
Attention to detail is one of the main reasons the Borders go back to Conrad Construction for each project. They also have nothing but praise for the team from American & European Painting, who are experts in painting and surface work.
Of the garage and screened porch walls, Sandy said, “This is old, used brick that truly matches our original brick from 1991.”
“The painters actually went through and smudged dark spots on the bricks to make it not just close but also a perfect match,” John continued.
The Borders are thrilled with the additions and are excited to host friends and family – including their son and daughter-in-law and 1-year-old grandson – on their new screened-in porch this summer.
“This has exceeded everything we’ve expected. Everything is better than we thought it would be,” said John.
The Borders and their Hartland neighbors have a verbal agreement to not build fences. With landscaping and hardscaping by landscape designer Michael Snowden of Redmond’s Garden Center, the yard has a serene, parklike atmosphere. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
The Hartland Tour of Homes • Sunday, June 12 • 12-5 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased at Hartland Clubhouse, 4910 Hartland Pkwy., beginning at 11:45 a.m. on the day of the event.
All proceeds from the tour will benefit the family of Hartland neighbor Britt O’Brien, a Centre College student who was left paralyzed by a diving accident last summer.
About the O’Brien family
(Recipients of the proceeds from the Hartland Home Tour)
When the idea struck Camille Tucker to organize a tour of homes in her Hartland neighborhood, she admits the original impetus was somewhat self-serving: “I had wanted to do a tour of homes in the neighborhood, selfishly because there were homes I wanted to see up close.” But with a bit more thought and the formation of a committee, it was realized that a good cause should be attached to the tour. Committee members quickly agreed the family of Hartland neighbor Britt O’Brien, who was paralyzed in a diving accident last year, would be the perfect recipients for proceeds raised by the tour.
The O’Brien family moved to the Hartland neighborhood in October 2003, with parents Tim and Kristen having raised their two children, Britt, 21, and Gracie, 19, in their current home. In December 2018, the first of a series of hardships hit the family when Tim was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at age 47. In August 2021, Tim’s cancer was in remission, and life was feeling relatively normal for the family until the O’Briens received a middle-of-the-night phone call that no parent ever wants to receive: Their 21-year-old son, Britt, was being airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, after nearly drowning from a diving accident while on a summer trip to Georgia with friends and Centre College lacrosse teammates. Misjudging a dive into the pool at night, Britt hit his head on the bottom of the pool, instantly losing feeling in his limbs and unable to swim. A friend pulled him out of the water just as he was sure he was going to drown.
His family was told early on that, having suffered a severe C4-C6 spinal cord injury, Britt would never be able to move anything below his chest. During a very long and scary hospital stay, Britt underwent emergency surgery to decompress his spine, contracted a serious case of pneumonia and remained in critical care in a medically induced coma for about five weeks. Britt was finally able to return home in January 2022. Centre College helped pave the way for him to return to school last semester, and this summer he will move back home with his family, who are currently finishing renovations to their traditional Hartland home to accommodate for a first-floor bedroom and other accessibility needs.
Today, Britt is considered a quadriplegic but is working hard to regain all he can, which leaves him needing full-time caregivers to help him with all daily living tasks. Arranging for around-the-clock care has been a huge undertaking for the O’Brien family, especially with Tim currently undergoing biweekly chemotherapy treatments to treat a recurrence of his cancer.
The family has expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support for the many ongoing financial needs that Britt’s injury will require, including the upcoming Tour of Homes that is being organized in their honor.
“The Hartland Tour of Homes is something that will be a wonderful celebration of how far Britt has come, as well as showing [us] that [we] are not alone and will continue to be loved and supported on [our] journey to complete healing for both Britt and Tim,” Kristen said.
Britt O’Brien, pictured above with his sister Gracie, was paralyzed in a diving accident last summer. His family will be the recipients of proceeds from this month’s Hartland Tour of Homes. Photo furnished