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.

Landscape Remodel: Progress Made

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

Nighttime Lighting

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

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.

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.

notes with Landscaper

Day/Knight Notes on Front Yard Maintenance/Trimming

1. Liquid Ambers—shaped and pruned reducing height by 1/3.
2. Gardenias (by entrance)—remove ivy and jasmine, clean up sand and concrete left after installation of pavers
3. Podicarpus (by dining room/entrance)—trim, clean dead/old growth; remove knobs, approximately same height except for sucker growth at top.
4. Nandinas (by library windows)—leave nandinas (trim), except for two small plants near the drive
5. Planter Area near dining room windows—Leave calla lilies, xylosma (trim/prune to open up hedge, remove knobs—while still maintaining structure of the hedge), remove miscellaneous ground covers/plants in planter. Clean up sand/concrete from pavers.
6. Miscellaneous plywood sheets (two in front and two moved to back when demo was in process), metal pole and basketball hoop—remove.
7. Hillside beds on the right as you face the house—clean up ground vegetation, prune shrubs and trees removing dead and diseased branches. Remember to maintain a sense of privacy screen in this area while providing for a more visually attractive area. Deepen the size of this bed.
8. Front planters by street—remove roses. Prune Pink Hawthorne/remove knobs. Bulbs on left (let’s remove and I will plant in the vegetable garden area)
9. Podicarpus by garage—reduce height to somewhere in between the top of window and the bottom of the grey trim accent.
10. Xylosma (in front of garage) prune and open up as done in front of dining room area.
11. Xylosma (along drive)—prune and open up as done by dining room area. Create larger walkway area by garage.
12. Agapanthus (along drive)—clean up, remove pups
13. Increase bed size around agapanthus with bender board
14. Hillside beds on the left as you face the house—remove volunteer plants, clean up ivy growing over shrubs.
15. Walkway on left side leading back to the gate—remove grass in this area and replace with mulch. Discuss how bender board is placed to keep sense of walkway to back.
16. Catch basin from drainage system will be taken back a little, collects and drops to the street surrounded by stone. (Discuss about idea of loose stone. Maybe something more permanent in nature?)

Additional REMARKS on Landscape Proposal:
Hold on Plantings near windows/house until after completion of new window installation and stucco work.
Will review lighting to determine number of lights needed.

Discuss irrigation placement and type near the library windows, entrance, and bed by dining room

Lighting for the Garden

This is the lighting which we selected for our backyard. The color will be black instead of the green finish.

Fountains from Roger's Garden in Corona Del Mar

I am looking for a fountain for my back patio. Here are a few examples I found at the very special garden shop, Roger's Gardens. If you are in the Orange County, California area and are a gardener, you would enjoy a visit to this wonderful nursery. There are plants galore and everything beautiful you need to beautify your home.

Fountin websites
Trevi
Al's Garden Art
Henri Studio

Thompson Building Supply

Thompson Building Supply
Inventory includes stone for garden use.

Spa Plaster

I spoke with Alan Smith Pool today. I think the plaster I will use will be from Gemstone and is called Tahoe Blue.

Spa Tile Selected

Spa Tile Selected

Spa With Brown Tile

Spa Tile and Coping

Here is a sample of the tile Wayne has suggested for the spa. The coping will be a natural stone.

Chat with the Landscaper

Well, while we were away for Thanksgiving, the landscape work continued. I spoke with Wayne today about several things.

First, some of the pavers have a little too much of the surface "tumbled" and look more like they are broken than weathered. Wayne says we can have those removed and replaced with less weathered pavers.

Next we talked about the coping for the spa. Wayne showed me the cap stone for the pavers we are using and we decided it would be too rough to use in the spa. He is going to get me some samples of alternatives.

I asked Wayne to get me the samples of tile for the spa and the barbecue. I requested a little lead time so I could actually make a decision without the pressure of needing the answer right away. He said he would accomodate.

Finally, he said the rain screed in the bedroom area was within the allowance of the local code.

Samuel Heath

The minute I saw the word "stockist" on the web site, I knew I was looking at a web site from a company located in England. I am very excited about

Samuel Heath

because they sell some great hardware which will complete my windows once installed. I am thinking specifically about Casement Stays with locking pins. This will allow me to have the casement windows open slightly but with the ability to "lock" the window to a limited opening.

Points to discuss about the landscape remodel

Landscaping November 18, 2007
1) Fire Pit

a) Following set back required by HOA
b) Proposed design of the fire pit/extra warmth/glass versus lava

2) Drains

a) Current number versus number in the plan
b) Missing drain in the spa area

3) Discuss proposed configuration for the patio cover
4) SPA

a) Drip lines for pots in the spa area
b) What is the proposed coping for the spa?
c) What is the proposed tile for the spa/counter?
d) Self Filling Mechanism with estimated cost
e) Has water line for spa been created?

5) Selection of pavers
6) Discuss possibility of using stone for paving the “walkway” area in the plan
7) Selection of fountains

a) Spa Area
b) Perimeter Area

8) Walkway Pavers to the fire pit
9) Discuss the angular paving area outside of the family room door.
10) Discuss lighting on the building—location and style
11) Chris Bedroom

a) Discuss grading in Christopher’s bedroom area to be in compliance with code if we use out swing or sliding doors.
b) Drip lines for pot by Chris’s patio area

12) Ask about roses along the side walkway

Reconfiguring the Family Room Windows and Doors

I have been working on a plan to center the family room windows and doors. I was having problems with the patio cover because the support posts are not in the correct location if the doors are centered. Today I worked in photoshop to come up with a plan which would accomodate the change.

Blueprints and Plans Discovered in Planning Department

I ventured to the planning department at city hall yesterday. I discovered that over the summer, some of the blueprints for my house were copied to a computer program. We were able to print some of the plans. Unfortunately, they did not print to scale but became distorted. It is interesting to see some of the original plans. Some of the details were changed in the final execution.

Lasertron Grill Door Panels in Stainless Steel

I discovered a company which makes stainless steel door panels which can be used in outside applications such as grill areas. Their name is Lasertron, Inc. Their phone is 954-846-8600.