Using Recycled Stone in the Landscape

There is a sort of 'Alchemy' applied when working with recycled stone. 

We had a project last week that required us to use a Fieldstone that was pulled off of the interior fireplace during the renovation of the house.

The project required us to wrap two front entryway posts with this natural stone. Using fieldstone to make a square feature can be difficult. Building with used fieldstone makes it even more complicated. 

Fieldstone is round and irregular by nature. Any type of stone can be considered a 'Fieldstone' as long as it has been weathered above ground for some time.
The weathering gives it an aged looked and usually rounds sharp edges. In Santa Cruz, we usually use Sonoma Fieldstone, because it is harvested in California.

Using a stone that is round or has rounded edges can make our job more interesting, when we are trying to create a square column. 

The stone work was capped with recycled Bluestone. The patio at the entryway is made of Bluestone, so incorporating it into our feature helped to bring everything together. 

Landscaping in Santa Cruz:

Slate Entryway Steps

We worked hard this last week to finish a stairway at our clients house in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The design for this project was to create a pathway from the driveway to the front door. We came up with a modern looking, staggered stairway that is veneered with 16 inch 'Multi Color' natural slate.

After initial grading and excavation, we begin the layout and forming. 

Time is taken at this stage of the project to get the design and layout perfect.

Making sure the forming is right will allow the the next stages of the job to go more smoothly.

After the forms are up and secured, we install a grid of 1/2 inch rebar to give strength to the new concrete. The rebar grid is laid on 12-16 inch centers, leaving 2 inches on any side of the rebar from the ground and forms. 

We then pour and finish the concrete. Since we are going to be veneering the steps with natural stone slate, we only need a rough finish on the concrete.

Although the finish is 'rough', it is still very important that the steps are completely flat.

After the concrete has cured, we begin laying the slate. We start with the risers of the steps so when we lay the flat work, or 'treads', they can be set over the risers.

We use Thinset to glue the slate to the concrete. 

The slate is carefully spaced and cut into place when needed.

The 'Multi-Color' slate is a very common slate, and has some rich colors.

The 'nose' of each step tread is bullnosed, using a special diamond blade on the tile saw, prior to installation.

The steps are then grouted with a colored, sanded grout. 

We will also be coming back next week to seal the slate with a 'low sheen' stone sealant.

Please visit my Facebook page and website for more info and pictures of other stone installation projects in Santa Cruz.

www.livingwaterslandscaping.com

Boulder Fountain in Boulder Creek

Here is an example of a simple boulder fountain we just built in Boulder Creek, Ca.

A minimalist design gives this feature a very meditative feel.

Santa Cruz Landscaping: Pergola in Felton #2

We set the posts and lifted the beams today.

We shopped around the county to find some really nice Con-Heart  Redwood. We think it's not only a beautiful wood, but also a practical choice for this arbor. We had to wrestle with the Wisteria vines a little to get the beams in, but once we set them, everything really started to take shape. Check out these pictures & the ones below.

Santa Cruz Landscaping: Boulder Placement

I have always enjoyed hiking and spending time in the woods. I love hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains, especially on less traveled trails. I have also spent time in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and the deserts of New Mexico. I purposely seek out high rock outcroppings and large boulders when I am hiking. I love sitting next to a boulder or on top of a grouping of rocks. I am humbled by their timeless strength and peaceful presence.

In my landscape designs, I always try to incorporate artistic boulder placement in the project. Whether its a grouping of boulders in a garden, a large boulder placed in a water feature, or a stand alone boulder feature. 
I take my time in choosing each rock that I will place in the garden. I look at the features and characteristics of the boulder, and I imagine it in the garden with plant life around it. 

Cactus Garden Pathway

This is a feature we did on the West side of Santa Cruz. It was an existing cactus garden that we installed a small pathway through.

At one point in the path, we placed a large flat stone, and carried the pathway around it. The garden itself housed many 50-100 year old cactus and Agave plants. So we chose this stone to look as if it was a huge buried boulder that had been unearthed by the weather over hundreds of years. This took an eye for choosing the right rock, as well as for placing it. For the pathway, we chose a stone that is native to the Arizona dessert. It is a path stone or flagstone that is harvested from the surface. Most flagstone is harvested in sheets that are excavated from under the ground. This stone has been weathered over time and even has lichen and moss growing on it. It went well with the ancient look we were shooting for.

I also enjoy placing large boulders in a water feature. It gives the feature a more balanced and aged look. 
Having a variety of sizes of stone in a waterfall helps it to blend in and look natural. 


I still have a lot to learn about setting boulders in a landscape, I enjoy it a lot and I will keep studying and learning as I go. 
www.livingwaterslandscaping.com

Santa Cruz Landscaping: A Bit of Landscaping History

Here's a bit of history on the art of Landscaping. Landscaping isn't just making a yard look better it really is an art form; or at least it is for us, our landscaping in Santa Cruz is more than rearranging dirt, it's art. (This article was taken from: Wikipedia.)

Thales the Father of Landscaping

"Landscaping is both science and art. This requires both good observation and design skills. A good landscaper understands the elements of nature and construction, and blends them accordingly.

Thales, an early Greek philosopher known for his view that "all is water," spent a considerable time thinking about the nature and scope of landscaping. Some of his students believed that in order for human activity to be considered landscaping, it must be directed toward modifying the physical features of the land itself, including the cultivation and/or manipulation of plants or other flora. Thales rejected this notion, arguing that any aspect of the material world affecting our visual perception of the land was a proper subject for landscaping. Both Plato and Aristotle praised Thales' analysis as a model for philosophy. In the early 20th century, British philosopher G.E. Moore cited Thales' reasoning as one of the few historical examples of how philosophical inquiry has led to genuine human understanding and progress.

Philosophers in the 17th century debated whether visual beauty was a necessary goal of landscaping. With the advent of the positivists by the early 20th century, however, most western philosophers had rejected the notion of an objective esthetic standard for any form of art, including landscaping. Practitioners since the mid-20th century have experimented with jarring visual panoramas that are now generally accepted, at least in western societies, as falling within the scope of landscaping."

A yard isn't just a yard when we get done with it; it's a piece of art. Thales would be proud.