Flagstone patio w/ lighted sitting wall in Vestavia, Alabama...just pictures

Flagstone patio, fire pit, steps and sitting wall, Emerald zoysia sod, and drainage. That's the not so condensed title of this post.

Here's a project I recently designed/installed in Vestavia Hills, AL -

 

This project objective was to create an additional outdoor space to the existing deck. The middle rail of the deck was removed to allow access to the flagstone patio area.

Elevation and drainage were given careful consideration while designing the project.

The sitting wall was installed so it could be backfilled creating a slight slope away from the patio.

This drainage basin with a heavy duty plastic grate was our fix for a substantial drainage problem. There are 2 four inch pvc pipes that handle the rain water depositing it 110 feet at the other end of the property.

The fire pit will be put to good use in the Fall and Winter months.

 

My brother, John, helped me with this project which included installing six pallets of Emerald zoysia sod.

90 percent of this patio was installed using a buff polymer sand. Method: The original dirt was hand tamped. Then #57 gravel was installed follow by a 1 to 2 inch layer of #8910 gravel. We followed the addition of the gravels by tamping with a plate compactor. Finally, a thin layer of sand was added which assisted in leveling the flagstone.The polymer sand was used as a substitute for a mortar grout. The product set up great.

Here are the before pictures!

Small walls have their place.

This project found me in downtown Birmingham, AL. The landscaping was essentially in place aside from moving a Japanese maple from one side of the building to the other. Some plastic edging was removed and fresh mulch applied. The biggest part of the job was installing the brown stone borders. It was a way to tidy things up a bit and improve curb appeal.

After:

(click on images for closer inspection!)

A Place to Hang : Brown stack stone wall with firepit, stone benches, and crushed ore patio.

The longer I'm in the business of landscaping, the more I'm finding homeowners that are interested in creating outdoor living spaces for family and friend to enjoy. Often times, this includes the incorporation of stone into the landscape.

My most recent project took me to a home in Birmingham, Alabama. The challange was to build a wall and patio area that turned what was a sloping wooded hillside into a space large enough to use for entertaining large gatherings, but small enough for intimate get togethers. The inclusion of a fire pit made this "outdoor room" suitable for the fall and winter, as well.

To achieve a natural look, brown stone was used for the wall and fire pit. The patio area surface is crushed red rock. The brown stone benches were delivered to the site from a local quarry. It was important that warm, curved lines were used in the design of the different components to give the project an "organic" or "old world" appeal.

 

(click on images for closer inspection)

Small implementations can make a big difference

A small amount of stone (around 1 ton) was used on this particular project. The two stack stone walls are barely one foot tall, yet they significantly helped improve the overall appeal of this front yard.







Also, the sloping terrain was negated somewhat and a couple of planting spots were created where roots from nearby trees were making digging a bit of a chore, before.


In my opinion, bold statements can sometimes be made without commiting to a huge undertaking.

A Foundation Planting that is Mindful of Erosion, Allergies, and Spacing

My most recent landscape excursion involved the installation of a front foundation planting in Hoover, AL. The home owners brought up a few concerns as we began talking about their landscape. For one, they had been battling some erosion issues at the sloping end of their home by the drive way. Also, there being issues with allergies in the family, plants for the landscape needed to be chosen to address those needs. Finally, the homeowners talked about wanting a landscape that wouldn’t become overwhelming for them. I was excited that they were aware that spacing plants too closely, while looking great initially, would eventually bring on pruning headaches and make the landscape seem like one giant hedge rather than a thoughtful gathering of distinguishable plants.

PHOTO LEFT: Son, Jake, helps his dad with stone wall installation.

A brown stone wall was installed to negate the sloping portion of the front foundation. The wall, about 4’ tall at the drive, flows into what becomes a stone border for the entire foundation planting. The wall and stone border follows lines that are curved to help include a couple of small trees and some plant depth within the planting area. Also, a small stone bench is placed on the level side of the foundation for interest and also to add a little extra “weight” to help counter the stone wall on the sloping side of the house.




Choosing plants that are relatively allergy free required a bit of research. I was aware that plants with leaves that are heavily pubescent would be more prone to trigger an allergic reaction, so that was my starting point as I developed a plant list. I also used the book, “Allergy-Free Gardening”, by Thomas Leo Ogren. Mr. Ogren uses a 1 to 10 rating system to classify a plant’s allergy potential. Every plant used in this landscape was rated 1 (best) to 5, with most being rated 3 or better. The plant list:
(from left to right as you look at the house from the street)
1. Variegated Pittosporum
2. Bloodgood Japanese maple
3. Autumn fern
4. Shi-Shi Gashira Camellia
5. Harbor Dwarf Nandina
6. Snow Indian Hawthorne
7. George Tabor Azalea
8. Tonto Crape Myrtle
9. Sherwood Abelia
10. Pansies (probably Begonias in the Spring)



Spacing of the plants in this landscape was generous. Aside from avoiding a crowded landscape in the future, a well spaced landscape also encourages good air circulation between plants which is very helpful in promoting good plant health. Another feature of this landscape was the installation of landscape cloth. Landscape cloth is similar to landscape fabric, but better. No cloth or fabric is 100 percent effective, but it can typically cut down on about 95%, or more, of your weed problems during the first 5+ years of the life of a landscape and that is when you really need that kind of weed control.

It was enjoyable working on this project...The weather was great, all aspects of the job were fun, and working for the home owners was really a pleasure.

Fire on the Water: Fire Pit, Flagstone Patio and Sitting Wall on Lake Martin

A recent project sent me out near Pell City, Alabama, at the vacation home of some nice folks on Lake Martin. These snapshots were taken the day I finished the job. I'll add updates when some landscaping is done and a few pieces of furniture are added to the patio. Large patios, especially, benefit greatly with the addition of furniture, plantings, etc.



I sure can imagine enjoying a nice, late fall evening, while sitting on a cushy lounge chair, sipping a favorite beverage, feeling the warmth of the fire and the coolness of the air as lake ripples sound off a relaxing melody!

Intimate gathering place: Fire Pit, seating area, small flagstone patio

Sometimes you don't need to go large. You lack space or having a huge area doesn't create the cozy feeling you desire? What better way to create a warm space than to install a fire pit? I completed this project about 4 or 5 years ago. One thing about a well-built stone feature...it's there for a long, long time...that's potentially a lot of nice evening fires!

Recent patio w/ sitting wall

Stone in the yard

A couple of months back, I spent several weeks working for some nice folks in Vestavia. They were having a very large deck built off the back of their home and they didn't want many rails on the deck to obscure their view of the yard. In order to comply with code (a deck without railing must be within so many inches of the ground), a lot of dirt had to be brought in, but in an eye pleasing way. That's where I came in. Building a stack stone retaining wall and incorporating some large stepping stones, I was able to make the deck "legit" and find a home for some of my favorite plants, like Helaborus, Daphne odora, Aspidistra, and Osmanthus. I ended up spending a little time in other parts of the yard, as well. The video, below, focuses on the stone work.

Consider your hardscaping before going soft.

When ever I talk to a client about a landscape project, one of the first things I mention (if the client hasn't) is, "will there be a need for hardscaping?". My definition of hardscaping is any non-movable element in the garden. Of course, plants and turf grow, so they are considered softscaping.


PHOTO RIGHT: Pondless waterfall


Hardscaping would include walls, walkways, ponds, bird baths, driveways, garden art, steps, etc. The reason I ask about hardscaping is because it's always a good idea to do that phase of the landscaping first to make the entire project go more smoothly.







PHOTO RIGHT: Wall with waterfall incorporated.


These photos and video are of a project I've been working on. I'm done with the major hardscaping and have done very little softscaping, so the results look a little unfinished until I get some fall plantings, possibly a few well placed mini-boulders, and a stone bench installed.




PHOTO BELOW: Stepping stones are considered hardscaping.



ABOVE: Video of pondless waterfall.

A fall wall?

Do you feel the hint of fall in the air? I do! At least, I think I do. I hope it's not a mirage. As the summer winds down and footballs begin to penetrate the air, I find myself in the middle of a couple of projects. One is a stone mailbox and the other is a backyard stack wall. Here are some pictures of the wall I'm building. I'll be sure to provide photos of the finished project when I'm done. Photos of the mailbox are forthcoming.




PHOTO LEFT: Here's part of the wall I'm working on, including some of the tools of my trade (shovel, hand mattock, rubber mallet, small sledge hammer, rock hammer...level and chisel missing in photo).




PHOTO LEFT: One aspect of putting this wall together was removing the artificial segmented stones and redesigning the wall. The stone used is a mixture of various types of stone already on the property.

Circular patio with fire pit and sitting wall

Me and my trusty pick-up found our way to Trussville, recently. I met a very nice family there that was interested in having a round patio with a firepit and sitting wall. They explained to me that the round shape of a patio would contribute a calming effect to those who used it. I have to admit, I do feel a calm pass over me when I sit on that patio, now that it is completed. The line of a circle is so simple, yet beautiful, you know. It's no wonder it can bring about serenity and convergence.

VIDEO: Circle Patio