Scotts Valley Retaining Walls

When you are choosing material to build a retaining wall in your yard or garden, there are many different choices on the market.

Wood retaining walls, like the ones we just finished in the picture to the right, are low cost and very sturdy. 


For this retaining wall job in Scotts Valley, just outside of Santa Cruz, we used 6x6 posts with 2x12 boards. When building a wooden retaining wall make sure to always use pressure treated lumber. 

Drainage is also a crucial part in the design and installation of a wood, or any type of, retaining wall construction.


Without drainage, the retaining wall could fail due to hydro-static pressure. Hydro-static pressure is caused by over saturation of water in the soils behind the retaining wall.


A French Drain in the best way to ensure proper drainage behind your wall. A French Drain is constructed using a perforated pipe behind the wall, at the base. The pipe is wrapped in filter fabric and back-filled with drain rock. Although you can't see it, we installed a French Drain behind each retaining wall in the construction of this project.

Another drainage system that we use in our retaining wall construction is called EZ-flow. This system uses perforated pipe wrapped in styrofoam and geo-textile fabric. It can hold more water than a traditional French Drain, and it much easier to install. We used the EZ-flow system on the wood retaining walls we just finished. EZ-flow is great for retaining wall projects with difficult access. 

Santa Cruz Landscaping: Central Home Supply

 

I have been landscaping in Santa Cruz for more than 6 years now. I have, since the beginning, used Central Home Supply for all my stone, soils and bulk materials.

Central Home in Santa Cruz has an amazing selection of natural stone, as well as, pavers, concrete products, veneer stone and Allen Block, which we use for our retaining walls.

Central Home Supply has a friendly staff that has helped me on numerous occasions, get the product I need for my clients. Too, they are locals & know all the ins & outs of landscaping in Santa Cruz.

I recommend them for any of your landscaping or masonry needs, whether you are a homeowner or a landscape contractor. Central Home in Santa Cruz is an incredible business to be a part of.

www.livingwaterslandscaping.com 

Santa Cruz Landscaping: Pergola in Felton, Ca.

We started a new landscaping project today in Felton, which is just outside of Santa Cruz, in the mountains.

My client contacted me to replace his pergola/ carport. This project is unique because the pergola has a very old Wisteria vine growing around it. The pergola itself is probably 50 years old. So the removal and construction will require us to carefully brace the Wisteria vines until we can lay them down onto the new construction. 

As with all the older woodwork that we replace in the Santa Cruz mountains, I like to study the wood that was used to construct the feature. Sometimes it is a fence, a deck, retaining wall or arbor, I always find it interesting that some of the old Redwood lasts for so long.

Some of the wood we removed today was still strong, some of it was rotten to the core. 

We will be replacing the pergola in almost the same footprint as the old one. The fencing around the yard will also be replaced.

So far we are having fun! I will post some more progress pics later.