Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Gerri and Bob Pletcher's landscaping plans included three ponds filled with 18,000 gallons of water. Click photo for larger image.

Homeowners in the upscale community of Nevillewood rarely mow their own lawns. No wonder Gerri and Bob Pletcher have been mistaken for the hired help.

The delightful, down-to-earth couple find it amusing when that happens, but it doesn't stop them from working in the yard. Mrs. Pletcher weeds and prunes while Mr. Pletcher still mows his own grass. Each finds great joy in spending time outside.

They enjoy it so much that they're not afraid to admit that they have spent about $350,000 to landscape their large brick Tudor on about 2¹/₂ acres of sharply sloping hillside.

They didn't do it to impress the neighbors.

"This is for us," says Mrs. Pletcher. "It's not a showpiece."

In fact you can't see the bulk of the work from the street. It's not until you go out onto the back patio and look over the steep hillside that you see the three large cascading ponds that are the crown jewels of the landscape. To get up close to the water, you have to walk down a flight of 47 steps.

The ponds are heavily planted with water lilies, umbrella palms, cattails and other aquatic vegetation. They are also filled with fish, which grow and thrive there. In the bottom pond, a group of koi named after the Steelers -- including Koi Polamalu -- are the special pets of Mr. Pletcher.

A smaller water feature just wouldn't have worked with the size of the home, says the ponds' creator, Jeff Blunkosky, 29, head of construction for family owned Pittsburgh Stone & Waterscapes. But three ponds were not the original plan.

"I just wanted a fountain" laughs Mrs. Pletcher, "and this is what I got."

	Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Contractor Jeff Blunkosky built the ponds and walls at the Pletchers' Nevillewood home. Click photo for larger image.

While she was out of town on business, her husband, a retired school administrator, and Mr. Blunkosky let their imaginations run wild.

"I wanted [it landscaped] to the woods," Mrs. Pletcher says, pointing to a forested part of their property that adjoins the Nevillewood golf course.

Many tons of stone and dirt and 18,000 gallons of water later, she got her wish.

The couple lived for many years in Robinson, where both worked in the yard. Mrs. Pletcher, a teacher, got into the PartyLite Candle business in the summer of 1985 as a way to earn extra money during summer vacation. She wasn't prepared for what happened.

"The business exploded," she says.

So much so that in 1991 she took early retirement to sell candles full time. These days, she's regional vice president for the direct-sales business and maintains a very busy schedule. Mr. Pletcher manages the household and generally makes it possible for his wife to work the many hours she does, she says.

With both sons well educated -- one is a pediatrician and the other a college professor -- the time had come for the couple to spend money on themselves, says Mrs. Pletcher. So they built their Nevillewood dream home in Collier, where they moved in 2000.

The house is a showplace, but the lay of the lot and the steep slope behind the home created a landscaping challenge. Contracting with Bob Blunkosky, Jeff's father, for the original plantings and hardscape, the couple found they just connected with the family.

"Jeff treated it like it was his own [home]," says Mrs. Pletcher. "That's why it turned out the way it did."

Jeff Blunkosky said the company constructed at least 10 walls on the property. The project took more than 19 months of work, beginning at the top of the lot and working downward, with the ponds being built near the end.

	Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Multicolored koi swim in the Pletchers' ponds. Click photo for larger image.

It was such a large-scale project that it was hard to anticipate what would be needed to make it come together, says Jeff Blunkosky. Still, he and his father have succeeded. The plantings accent the house perfectly. The Blunkoskys have used a wide mixture in gardens, including conifers, interesting trees and perennials.

On the steep hillside, hundreds of cotoneasters have replaced pernicious crown vetch that covered it after the house was built. Mrs. Pletcher accents these plantings with cheery annuals and containers. And yes, the couple can often be found weeding the steep hillside.

The project has garnered great interest from golfers, some of whom think it is part of the course, and it will be showcased on the HGTV series "Look What I Did" this November. A camera crew filmed the home and grounds earlier this summer.

Jeff Blunkosky spent so much time at the home that the Pletchers, only half-joking, say he's like a son to them. While he was overwhelmed at first, he says the entire project has been a huge confidence-builder for him.

"[The Pletchers] gave me the opportunity and the trust," he says.

Mr. Blunkosky, who still stops by regularly to visit with the couple, hopes the publicity the project has garnered will help educate Pittsburghers on what can be done with both hardscape and water. Unlike swimming pools, many water features can be enjoyed with very little maintenance once they are established, he says.

As for the Pletchers, they aren't finished yet. During a recent visit, they were discussing the construction of a gazebo near the ponds. She was busy yanking weeds, and he was feeding his fish.

"This is our haven," says Mrs. Pletcher. "We don't travel; we go outside."

For more information on Pittsburgh Stone & Waterscapes, call 724-746-0704 or go to www.pghsw.com.