In-Town Seclusion

Urban planning takes a new meaning in Mike Banks' yard in Buffalo's Historic West Village. Embraced by two sidewalks on two sides, his wedge-shape corner lot was far from the secluded space Mike desired, and he discovered that transforming the space would demand a plan for the long haul. "When I bought the house 15 years ago, I knew the things I wanted; a sitting area, a private space, and definition of the front and back," Mike says. "l mapped out additional hardscape segments over time."