rubble walls and patio -word

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RUBBLE PATIO, STEPS, AND RETAINING WALLS... (permeable paving and dry stacked walls) COOL GREEN FESCUE BERM I have no idea what species of grass this is, I assume fescue. But, I said I would share some pics of our yard and rubble work, so... this is the grass covered berm started from the two plugs we lifted from a gas station near LA in the 90’s. (we are happy gardeners willing to propagate your lovelies unbeknownst to you and bring them to a new home!) Below you’ll notice we keep a shaggy environment. For privacy and to counter heat gain. We prefer the chaos of nature and tend to allow borders to dissolve. Due to potential reflected heat gain we’ve trained Jasmine to entirely cover the brick ve neer that faces the street. The green fescue berm is hidden below the mulberry tree and rosemary to the left of my truck.

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Take 2 on the subject of permeable paving, dry stacked rubble walls. This one is editable...

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Page 1: Rubble walls and patio -word

RRUUBBBBLLEE PPAATTIIOO,, SSTTEEPPSS,, AANNDD RREETTAAIINNIINNGG WWAALLLLSS...... ((ppeerrmmeeaabbllee ppaavviinngg aanndd ddrryy ssttaacckkeedd wwaallllss))

CCOOOOLL GGRREEEENN FFEESSCCUUEE BBEERRMM

I have no idea what species of grass this is, I assume fescue. But, I said I would share some pics of our yard and rubble work,

so... this is the grass covered berm started from the two plugs we lifted from a gas station near LA in the 90’s. (we are happy

gardeners willing to propagate your lovelies unbeknownst to you and bring them to a new home!)

Below you’ll notice we keep a shaggy environment. For privacy and to counter heat gain. We prefer the chaos of nature and

tend to allow borders to dissolve. Due to potential reflected heat gain we’ve trained Jasmine to entirely cover the brick veneer

that faces the street. The green fescue berm is hidden below the mulberry tree and rosemary to the left of my truck.

Page 2: Rubble walls and patio -word

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ENTRY GATE AS

IMPRESSION OF

BEYOND...

or, how portals are important in

design. It’s that personal contact

with elements such as hardware

that stimulates our sense of touch.

Or, aesthetics such as the use of

a reclaimed cast iron heat grate

that’s used for a peek-a-boo open-

ing in the gate, that make a design

stand out in our memory.

Crossing through the gate one is

immediately greeted with a cool

shady deck area just off our kitch-

en. You’ll notice we’ve used

shade cloth surrounded by a tradi-

tional pergola style frame. Using

6x6 posts we create the impres-

sion of a substantial structure.

The beauty of this shade cloth

option is that we can draw the

cloth back during the winter

months for solar heat/light gain.

This would not be possible with a

traditional pergola with a lattice

shade structure on top. There are

times when one may want that

sunshine!

Originally, when we bought the

house, there was a single deck

filling the entire area from the

kitchen to the master bedroom.

To create a sense of separation

and privacy, we provided an area

of contained Dolcis Bamboo. This

is the hot spot of the house.

Without these two tactics provid-

ing shade and privacy our back-

yard would be a solar oven!

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LOOKING TO THE

REAR

INVITING NODES OF

ACTIVITY...

Exterior design is similar to interiors in

that one must create a logical path of

travel intersecting nodes of activity.

Shady spots, sunny spots, wet areas,

dry areas, steep terrain, level terrain,

they all have their unique functions and

solutions. It’s our goal to identify and

encourage the best from each.

Here we seem invited to sit in the sun or

shade. The really cool thing is that each

of these areas are subject to varying

climates at different times of the

day/season. The main design tool used

here is to allow the user to see the op-

tions in order to be enticed to actually go

and use the space. Allure comes to

mind.

Closer in, just beyond those pillows, is

our first water feature. It is made up of a

pot in a bowl. Within the pot is a sub-

mersible pump that draws water from the

bowl via a tube in the bottom and then

overflows into the bowl. It was in this

setup that we introduced ourselves to

our turtle and koi.

WATER FEATURE

Looking down at the feature we see duck

weed in it’s seasonal show of force. Some

don’t like the stuff, we do. We’ve seen birds

frolicking in the pot and we have also seen

some birds dipping in the bowl!

SHADY SPOT FOR MUGZ

Yes, build it and they will come... the cats,

too! This guy loves to eat grass. And, he

loves shady spots. Just thought to introduce

you to him.

MOSQUITO FISH

A requirement for this style water feature.

This shot is from another season. Notice

the duck weed is gone and the water lily is

coming up. Must be getting close to August.

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ALLURE...

In this case, kinetic sculpture. This is a shot of John Tyler’s Thai Chi. This sculpture moves gracefully even during extreme

windstorms. It is quite amazing to observe. Beyond are our rubble walls and steps to the upper patio. Made of reclaimed

materials from a variety of jobs and places we include: urbanite (concrete waste), bricks, precast piers, bottles filled w/gravel

or sand, and purchased stones. The trick is to weave the materials together in a pleasing manner allowing plantings to play a

part, as well. Using earth as mortar, this is what allows plants to intermingle and ties it to the earth. Below is a detail shot of a

terra cotta saucer used for a bird bath. This style of water feature requires daily maintenance to assure there is fresh water

and no mosquitos. The birds use it year ‘round in our mild climate.

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ON THE OPPO-

SITE SIDE...

leading to the upper patio

we’ve created another set of

steps out of reclaimed mate-

rials and purchased stone. In

this case there was a minor

existing concrete rubble re-

taining wall at the lower patio

level. We broke out a section

to place recycled brick as the

first riser nosing. This is low-

er than the retaining wall and

in sequence with the average

riser height. It’s contrasting

color calls it out as the first

step appropriately. Drought

tolerant grasses, creeping

thyme, creeping rosemary,

mint, dierama and agapan-

thus help to anchor the

scene.

In the lower photograph we

see a detail of the reclaimed

materials at the upper patio:

precast piers, bricks, bottles,

and urbanite are the main

building materials. This patio

area is built-up fill com-

pressed behind the rubble

wall. As we built the lower

course of rubble, we would

compress the backfilled earth

to an equal height using our

feet or hand powered tam-

pers to compress the earth.

Then, we add the next

course, more earth and tamp-

ing, and so on. From here

we’ll begin work on the mid-

point access.

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ONTO TREAD #2 MOCK UP

after backfilling tread #1. Additionally, we

weave in the retaining wall that will support

the extension of the upper patio.

TREAD #3 AND RETAINING WALL

mock up are complete. Eventually, in the

cool of the fall, we will plant sun-loving, rock-

hugging plants that will help to tie the sys-

tem to the earth.

BACKFILL COMPLETE AT RETAINING

and steps finished. We now focus our atten-

tion on the upper patio. The easy part!

MID-POINT ACCESS...

BEFORE SHOT AT MID-POINT

Now we focus on this terrain to discover the

path of travel to the upper patio (still under

design/construction). This view is from the

butterfly chairs.

UPON CLOSER INSPECTION...

we notice a native rush overpowering the

pathway and a steep incline to the upper

patio.

THE SOLUTION...

arrived at $10 per cubic yard from MMRRC

for Urbanite and $200 for approx 1/2 cu yard

of selected Old Town stone pavers from

American Soils.

WE BEGIN BY REMOVING THE RUSH

and mocking up the layout via string lines

and the riser heights via taped points on an

adjacent stake.

A COMBINATION OF CUT AND FILL

is used to achieve a planar surface for the

treads. We’re careful not to disturb existing

soil and we compress the fill using hand

tamping.

MOCK UP OF FIRST AND LAST TREAD

as a means of verifying riser heights and

alignments prior to backfilling tread #1

w/soil. Our soil is of a high clay content

making it useful mortar.

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THE UPPER PATIO...

WE EXTEND THE UPPER PATIO TO MEET

THE RETAINING WALL

and create an impromptu dragon fly bench

adjacent tread #1. We will delay installing our

plantings until the cool of the fall. By doing so

we avoid potential plant loss and water waste.

We installed 1/4” inline drip tubing to feed our

patio ground cover, Dymondia margaretae,

during the dry months.

THE RESULT

shows how we’ve tied the upper patio to both sides

of the property using reclaimed materials.

COMPASS ROSE

A close friend shared long ago the value of adding a

compass to a project design for orientation. It’s al-

ways nice to know where one stands on Planet

Earth.

OUR IMAGINATIONS FLOW

as we sort through materials and we

lay a radiating heart right next to our

magical dragonfly bench. Our neigh-

bor brought over 8 bricks left over from

their project. Another inspiration from

the gifted materials is a compass rose.

Everything seems to fall magically into

place!

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FALL COLORS...

call for shorter daylight hours, cooler days, and potential rains. Now is the time to select ground cover and other plantings.

WE’VE SELECTED...

all drought tolerant species for our arid climate. Some are natives and some not. Drought tolerance will be the main criteria in

this area of our yard. Our long term goal is to bring in as many natives as possible attempting to create a zone of California

natives in the open space beyond our domestic garden.

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WE CAREFULLY TUCK THEM IN...

for the fall/winter season. The drip irrigation is set to provide regular waterings to be turned off once the rains begin. The cool

of the fall allows for less watering than had we planted in the heat of the summer.

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EXPANDING FURTHER

and using a similar technique, we decided to

create a deep shade patio under a stand of

liquid amber and oak. In this case the lower

light conditions and continuous leaf drop

from the trees would make using ground

cover difficult between the pavers. So, we

will use a mix of different sized gravel be-

tween the pavers to allow water to seep in to

feed the tree roots and aquifer.

While building the upper patio we realized

how cool this place was as we took breaks

from the summer sun in this shady spot.

Contrasts in design, such as cool and hot,

play important roles as lures. By recognizing

these factors the designer can then provide

appropriate means of enjoyment. Here,

while some may prefer the direct sunlight,

others may want to relax in the cool shade of

the trees. Providing just enough space for

these activities allows more room for planting

in the landscape.

PLACING THE PAVERS FIRST

Using sharp sand and 1 1/2” - 3” gravel as

base for leveling and setting the pavers first.

FILLING BETWEEN PAVERS

Using 1/2” - 3/4” gravel next with pea gravel

over to allow water seepage and as a debris

filter.

FINISHED PERMEABLE PATIO SURFACE

Falling leaves and debris will be kept from

filling between the pavers by the pea gravel.

An occasional sweeping should be all that’s

needed to maintain the surface.

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SO, HERE IT IS...

in all it’s winter splendor, our

summer shady spot lit up by

the low lying winter sun! It’s

awesome that things shift

during the seasons. Who

would have guessed that in

the winter we would be sitting

here to gain some sunshine?

With the hardscape behind

us, now we’ll focus in on the

plantings. We have plans to

restore this uphill area to na-

tive plantings. Recently, we

went to Bolinas to visit Judith

Larner Lowrey’s home/studio

to see her garden first hand

and to pick up her newest

book “The Landscaping

Ideas of Jays” -a natural

history of the backyard res-

toration garden. Her rom-

ance with history and this

region has captured our

hearts. In her book she pre-

scribes a method of restora-

tion.

Over the next many years we

will continue to study, ob-

serve, and cultivate this ‘wild’

portion of the backyard using

her vision as guidance.

Without doubt, we are on the

brink of something wonderful.

We sense it even through the

violence represented in our

media. We seem to be ap-

proaching a tipping point.

Somehow our collective con-

sciousness will prevail and

we shall attain harmony with

Nature.

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