Here is a video for a dual sided gas fireplace we are working on completing in San Rafael. The fireplace was installed with a gas burner topped with special fireplace glass, which gives it the appearance of fire on ice.
We are getting close to finishing up this pool courtyard project in San Rafael. Pictured below are an accent water feature, a large wood trellis with masonry pillars and a dual sided gas fireplace. The space is almost ready for outdoor use as we come into spring.
The Chronicle had a small article over the weekend about an interesting electric patio heater with a style different from the typical stainless steel gas patio heaters. Blue Rhino, who will probably most familiar to people as the company that does propane tank exchanges for Barbeques, has a new line of the electric heaters coming out soon that give another option for outdoor heating when gas may not be practical.
Blue Rhino’s New Orleans patio heater. Photo courtesy of Blue Rhino Global Sourcing Inc.
We are working on this commercial project for a Pool Courtyard in San Rafael. As part of the renovation we are expanding the existing patio space, installing a new gas fireplace and a central wood trellis. Below are images from before and after the courtyard transformation as the concrete has just been poured-
Concrete has been exposed with an acid wash and pressure wash and the concrete has had a chance to dry.
The result is a close match to the existing patio.
Doing some research for local suppliers for a statue for a Zen/Asian style garden, we stumbled up Routes Gallery in San Anselmo. Their intimate store front in San Anselmo has all sorts of stone, concrete, and wood Buddhas and other statuary that would work well as garden accents. Definitely worth a look if you need an interesting accent for an Eastern style garden.
Here are a couple of details from some current projects. The first is for an outdoor gas only fireplace, the second a planting plan with images of plantings to be installed.
An amazing video showing how one man from Flint, Michigan is able to move Stonehenge sized concrete lintels alone, using only leverage and other simple mechanisms. Makes our projects moving boulders and trees using equipment seem easy by comparison.
Here is a current project that we are wrapping up in San Rafael. It features a large bluestone patio set in sand. The seams in between the stones will be planted with low creeping Thyme groundcover. Patios set in sand can give a different design look than patios set on concrete. They also allow for future flexibility as the shape of the patio can be fairly easily changed by moving stones. These bluestone pieces are 2″ in thickness and set on a compacted baserock subsurface, providing good stability. Having stones of good size (these are 2′ x2′), thickness, and with proper base preparation is crucial to having a patio that will be stable over the long term.
Sometimes in retrospect you can look back and be glad in the judgment of having made a correct decision. Our company’s decision to switch from Nextel to Verizon a couple of years back was one of these instances. I read with interest in the Wall Street Journal of Sprint/Nextel’s huge 30 billion loss in the previous quarter, due largely in part to a write down in the value of the Nextel division. Our company’s experience with Nextel has been well chronicled here in the past, and I was in no way surprised to learn of Nextel’s difficulties. For the scores of other construction companies who still use Nextel, the question has to be asked, is it time to get off a sinking ship?
We are working on wrapping up this project in Mill Valley that features a granite water wall and Ipe Fencing. Because of the challenging nature of the site topography, the 1,500 pound polished granite fountain piece had to be installed with a forklift and hoist arrangement to lower it into place.
The Ipe fencing for the project consists of two types of fencing- a wall cladding over an existing concrete retaining wall and a solid Ipe privacy fence. The Ipe has been treated with a hardwood stain to bring out its natural color.
Here is a video from a current project we are working on wrapping up in Mill Valley.
Selecting the right landscape light can put a great stylistic accent on a finished landscape. The question becomes which of the many brands of light to select. For our projects we mostly use two manufacturers, FX Luminare and Vista Professional that provide a broad range of landscape fixtures. There are many different manufacturers that offer differing styles or niche products for specialized applications. Here are a few different options for landscape lighting:
FX Luminere: A great selection of high quality copper landscape fixtures. Classic landscape styling and application types.
Vista Professional: A very wide selection of styles, applications, finishes and bulb options including LED landscape lights
Hadco: Specializes more in commercial lighting and fixtures, but does have a residential landscape line tending toward more utilitarian and modern styles.
Unique Lighting: Low voltage landscape fixtures with Brass finishes and craftsman inspired styles.
Kichler Lighting: Makers of light fixtures and landscape lighting fixtures. Landscape line has more variety and ornate and custom fixtures for specialty applications.
Lumiere Lighting: Line and Low Voltage fixtures by this Cooper Lighting subsidiary. The Lumiere line features sleek, modern fixtures in different metal finishes.
BK Lighting: Featuring modern styles and customizable options with many different bulb options.
Hinkley Lighting: Beautiful detailing and metal finishes are available in their landscape line.
Here is an image from a current project we are getting close to wrapping up in Mill Valley. It features a terraced bluestone patio with bluestone capped stucco walls and a tempered glass aluminum safety railing.
This is the time of year where hidden elements like drainage and roofing that go unnoticed most of the year can become the focus of attention. When there are feet of standing water in the crawl space or water pouring through the skylight, their importance become obvious.
We just finished an extensive drainage system for a commercial project where we installed over a thousand feet of drainage line and twenty new catch basins to solve drainage problems around the project site. Having a drainage system that provides a finished solution is an important consideration. Unless the system collects and removes or segregates all the draiange water out of critical areas, it can function to treat the problem but not solve it. For example, a system that pumps water out of a flooded crawl space or basement is less effective and higher maintenance than a French drain or other surface drainage system that stops the water penetration in the first place. Sometimes this type of solution isn’t possible due to site conditions or topography. In most cases though, while it may cost a bit more the short run, the system that can most effectively deal with drainage issues is going to perform the best in the long term.
Here is a quick sketch of a couple of detailing options for a wood arbor. Part of the appeal of a custom wood arbor is the variety of detailing that can be done to create a style that fits a project and can coordinate with the house architecture. In the sketch are two basic systems for framing an arbor- either using sandwiched beams around a main support post, or having the beam rest directly on the post.
Here are some photos from a couple of current projects- one in Mill Valley and one in Tiburon that are in progress.
As with any planting, location can be a key factor to the plant’s success. As I was walking by an office building today, I noticed a stand of Redwoods planted within feet of an office building’s foundation. The trees themselves looked great, and helped to screen the building, but functionally it was clear the trees were misplaced. Half of the tree had to be pruned against the building, leaving them misshapen. Large scale trees may work well in confined spaces when young, but as they grow taller and as their root systems grow more pronounced they can cause significant problems. We have seen this time and again on projects where tree roots are disturbing foundations, and sewer or utility lines.
Practically it makes sense to think about what the tree is being planted to do (screen, provide shade, visual presence etc.) and to take into account its mature size and the needed buffer distance to help prevent problems. Selecting the wrong tree for a particular application can be just as bad. Just ask those with high rooted Birch trees planted in lawns or Liquid Ambar trees planted along sidewalks.
Here is an update to an earlier post, showing a pool courtyard project we are working on. Things have progressed from the initial concept to include a new water feature, fireplace with seat walls, and arbor to create an improved pool and courtyard space.
We make a morning call to determine if we are going to work in the field on mornings like this. Turned out we made the right call yesterday by deciding not to work today. The traffic and conditions have been terrible as a result of last night and today’s storm. The good news is the reservoirs will be filled and we could use the rain. The bad news, with 580 and 101 closed, flooded, and delayed it has been a mess of a day on the roads.
Well another year is upon us, and with it comes the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions. We make resolutions as a company, helping us focus on improving our systems, service, and employees. After reading an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, it turns out this is something most small businesses do. The Chronicle article had some interesting tips for setting goals for the New Year as a business.
Another good source of inspiration, whether it is spending more time in the garden or launching a new company is David Allen and his Getting Things Done methodology. We’re big fans!
Other tools we’ve found for the New Year: the MeeTimer for the Firefox Browser, which help track and cut back wasted time online, and the Google suite of tools- Notebook, Calendar, etc.
We are working on integrating a large stone water wall into a current project in Mill Valley. The piece from Stone Forest is made of black granite and has a slightly arched shape. We are going to install this above a retaining wall with a rear wood backing, which should make for a dramatic and interesting look. Below is a quick section mock-up to show what the finished product would look like.
I received a catalog recently for Earthstone Studio, a stone fabricator out of Georgia, which has some very interesting natural stone fountain designs. In addition to fountains they also supply granite garden statues, lighting enclosures, planters and stone furniture. Definitely worth a look as another option in natural stone materials.
We are mailing our annual calendar, “A Year in Bloom” for 2008. This year features colorful closeups of a variety of plants in bloom.
We are continuing to make progress on this project in Tiburon despite a little rainy weather. Pictured below is an image of a garden pathway edged with Aluminum edging, which will receive a final finishing layer of pathway gravel. The second image shows a planting bed that has been laid out for planting plan approval prior to installation.
There is an article in the New York Times today concerning a dog attack on a landscape laborer in New Jersey. There has been a great deal of controversy in the state over putting the German Shepard down after the attack. State law requires that a dog be put down after an unprovoked attack, but supporters are trying to get a pardon from the governor:
State Assemblyman Neil M. Cohen, a Democrat from Union, has introduced legislation, which he calls Congo’s Law, that could spare the life of Congo and other dogs in similar situations by giving judges more discretion in meting out
punishment.And now, thousands of people from Princeton and elsewhere are petitioning thegovernor for a pardon. (There is precedent for such things in New Jersey.)
In a letter to The Princeton Packet on Tuesday, a resident, Jonathan Eckstein, wrote: “I urge the State Legislature to vote down this absurd legislation and put the rights of human beings like Mr. Rivera above those of domestic animals, however tragically misunderstood. I would hate my hometown and
home state to go down in history as the place where suburbanites valued their dogs above the lives of those they hire to tend their yards.”
From past experience, it can be a bit tricky working on landscape projects with dogs, who can be defensive of their owners or territory.
Garden Design Online had interesting post about Fire by Design, a firm from Las Vegas, that specializes in design and component systems for remote controlled fire accents for water features and other landscape applications. We have also seen an increased interest over the past 5 years in inclusion of fireplaces, firepits, and outdoor kitchens as the most popular landscape accent items.
Here is an image from a current project in Tiburon. We are working on the finishing touches preparing for this roof garden. For the project a new pool house was constructed and integrated into the terrain to minimize visual impact from the house. We are in the process of starting our preparation for a lawn and plantings that will be installed on top of the pool house’s waterproofed roof.
Here is a planting scheme for a commercial/residential type project application we are working on in San Rafael. This project has a number of challenges- it is in a heavy deer area; there is heavy use and traffic in and around the planting areas; and the scheme needed to be as low maintenance and drought tolerant as possible. The solution we are working on utilizes a palette of deer resistant plants that are also very tough, yet still attractive. Ornamental grasses and New Zealand Flaxes are combined with resilient groundcovers like prostrate Rosemary and Manzanita to create a planting that satisfies these diverse requirements.
As with the fires that ravaged Southern California, Google Maps customizable features are being utilized to geographically map the environmental effects of the Cosco Busan oil spill in San Francisco Bay. The Chronicle has a map up that links stories and photos from various sites around the bay- worth a look.
For more information on Volunteer Opportunities related to the oil spill check the Golden Gate National Park Conservancy Website
We updated our event listings- both in our landscape discussion board calendar and in our blog posting of good places to find garden and other related events in and around Marin County.
A couple of interesting upcoming garden events:
The Lawn Dilemma
Date: 17-Nov-07
Time: 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
Location: Marin Art and Garden Center
Address: Ross, CA
Description: Roger
Waters presents lawn alternatives for adults. Learn the pros and cons
of keeping or adding a lawn to your garden. Waters is a water
conservation and irrigation specialist. He teaches participants how to
decide if a lawn is a good option. For those who are looking for lawn
alternatives, Waters offers many beautiful and eco-friendly options.
Cost is $10. No reservations necessary.
http://calendar.ucanr.org/eventdisplay.cfm?caleventnum=27601
Butterflies & Bulldozers Screening 12-6-07
7:00-9:30 pm
Advance screening of a new documentary about the largest urban open space in the country. The filmmakers will be in attendance.
San Francisco Botanical Garden Society at Strybing Arboretum
9th Ave./Lincoln Way
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 661-1316
Fee $20.00; pre-registration required