Friday, May 09, 2008

When Good Walls Go Bad

So I thought I had made progress with the landscape remodel? Not so fast; let's see what happens with the forty foot long wall doesn't perform.

Here is the new foundation for my perimeter wall. The structure is massive long. First the crew had to excavate to five feet by 18 to 24 inches and then build this rebar cage. The city inspector came today and noted the whole rebar cage which was constructed has to be three inches from soil on all sides. The entire rebar cage will have to be lifted and placed three inches off the soil on blocks called adobes. Additionally, not all of the sides have three inch clearance, so more excavation to be completed.

Here is just a glimpse of the disarray in the garden.

For those wondering why the first wall failed it is because the property below the wall is sloped. That means a condition called soil creep can compromise the integrity of the wall. Therefore, if someone tells you they can build a simple wall without footings on your property, but your neighbor's property is sloped, beware.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Landscape Remodel: Progress Made



This is a before and after photo of the grassy area of the backyard.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Nighttime Lighting


Nighttime lighting really makes the garden come to life at night.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Ah! Spa



The plastering is complete and the water is back in the spa. The plaster needs to be conditioned for the next week, and then the spa is functional again. I love the mosiac koi.
Alan Smith Pools was my plastering contractor. They are very professional and a pleasure to work with.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Patio Before and After



Spa: Update of Progress

I have been remiss in posting progress of my backyard remodel. I have photos and I will be posting series of them to record the progress to date. I am waiting on the tile and plastering to finish the spa.
We are almost at the end of the journey.