Highlands at Heritage Hill
The Outdoor Space That Won Over 30,000 Visitors
Homearama is one of the largest and most-watched home shows in the Greater Cincinnati region, drawing tens of thousands of visitors each year to tour the area’s best new construction. In 2018, the show landed at The Highlands at Heritage Hill — a 135-acre luxury development in Union Township, Warren County — featuring custom homes built around a modern farmhouse theme.
Tepe Landscape & Design Group was selected as the landscape contractor for one of the showcase homes, built by Frazier Custom Homes. The assignment: design and install a complete outdoor living environment — front yard to back — in just one month. The finished landscape earned the 1st Place People’s Choice Award, voted on by the thousands of attendees who walked the property.
Show Home Standards, Compressed Timeline
Building for Homearama is different from a typical residential project. The timeline is fixed and non-negotiable. And the landscape has to look fully established on day one, not “give it a season to fill in.”
That meant oversized plant material, precise grading for drainage that wouldn’t show wear during the show’s multi-week run, and hardscape installations that were flawless from every angle. The front yard had to create immediate curb appeal. The backyard had to feel like a finished outdoor living space, not a construction site that just got cleaned up.
The one-month window required Tepe Landscape & Design Group to run design and procurement in parallel with site prep — ordering materials before the design was fully finalized, staging deliveries to avoid conflicts with the home builder’s schedule, and staffing the job to maintain progress every day.
Outdoor Living
Patio & Outdoor Pavilion
Project Plans & Renderings
Design/Build
Full-Property Landscape Design
Landscape Design & Planting
The landscape plan covered the full property — front yard curb appeal, foundation plantings, pathway borders, and backyard beds. Plant selections were made to complement the modern farmhouse aesthetic with a mix of structured evergreens, ornamental grasses, and seasonal color. The front approach was designed to create a strong first impression for the thousands of Homearama visitors walking up to the home.
Outdoor Pavilion
The backyard is anchored by a covered pavilion that creates a defined outdoor room within the larger yard. The structure was designed to complement the home’s modern farmhouse architecture — clean lines, natural materials, and proportions that feel intentional rather than added on. It provides shade and shelter while keeping the space open and connected to the rest of the property.
Complete Project Gallery
