While we frequently follow
the plans of architects and garden designers, our favored method
is for our own team to design according to the aesthetic and physical
needs of the site. Once broadly defined, the next step is consultation
with the client or designer on the selection of materials and the
construction process.
This page features two of the many projects we have developed from
initial design to setting the last rock.
In
the water feature project above (Figs.
A - C),
we began by surveying the site, a steep hill with a nearly vertical
10 ft. drop to the driveway. Old decrepit Arbor Vitae was so interwoven
that it cast damp and gloom over entire area. During our initial
meetings, the client told us she wanted to completely revitalize
the hillside, creating a retained garden and water feature, audible
from the house and visible through the kitchen window. With site
survey and client objectives in hand, we developed a series of sketches
and a materials list for approval.
Next, it was time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. First,
we cut back the hill to a tolerable angle of repose for planning
and 40 tons of boulders (
A). We installed a total of 80 linear
feet of curving dryset retaining walls along the bottom of the new
slope, sealing the ends of each with a special boulder.
Then, we began the excavation, cutting an intimate space into the
side of the hill (
B). We carved the clay to reveal the shape
of the waterfall, bent and tied rebar to form an integral shell,
installed plumping, and shot gunnite (our preferred medium for anything
holding water). Next, we set and mortared 3-6 ft. Moses Lake basalt
columns to create a feeling of depth from the window view, and set
a rock spill plate to create a 4 ft. "sheeting" waterfall
pouring into a deep pool flanked by the marching columns.
To see more details from this project, see our
Water
section.
The amphitheater project above (Figs.
D - F) was a
particularly challenging project, with a great ending. We had a
small area to work with, a steep slope that flattened out a bit
at the bottom, with access mainly by crane; a need for design integration
with a semi-formal house and grounds, Tudor-Georgian Portland 1920's,
with very established flora (including the best old-growth yellow
azaleas in town). The very much enlightened client went the whole
route with us, multiple meetings (including the garden designer),
drawings, and rampant fantasies, ranging from a small, half-ruined
(but still sheltering) chapel, for quiet conversations and gardening,
to a huge rock-ringed bonfire pit for very good summer parties.
The gradual coalescence of our visions resulted in the creation
of a small amphitheater, surrounded by gently undulating terraces
of three levels on the uphill side. The bottom area was leveled
and sealed by a thick free-standing wall, which doubled as a bench.
The retaining walls were dryset, with niches on each level, and
the freestanding was done hidden- mortar style. A last minute inspired
idea by the client produced wall caps of rose sandstone.
The focal point is a dryset Pennsylvania Bluestone patio of hexagonal
design. The shape was first conceived to reflect a prominent hexagonal
tower of the residence, but the end effect goes beyond the intent.
This relatively small (6ft. from parallel to parallel) area seems
to draw all the spatial energy flowing down from the house and swirling
about the rock tiers into a natural and graceful conclusion. The
actual seams of the bluestone segments form a chrysanthemum outline
within the hex. It's sweet all around.
The patio is enclosed on four side by 6-7 ft. tall andesite columns
with the lower wall/bench meeting the uprights and continuing through
them, providing an intimate, sheltered seating area surrounding
the energy of hexagon. The textured columns provide a vertical counterpoint
to the flowing horizontal lines of the walls, and from a distance
give depth to the "playing field" of the amphitheater.
The "feel" of this project, the impression of belonging
there, make it one of our most favorite creations. On a soft summer
night, with all the niches lit by candles, the effect is very nice
indeed.
To see more details from this project, see our
Custom
Features section.
