Landscape, Plants, Hardscape & Decks
All too often, important decisions about the design of a swimming pool environment are left for "later." That's not just wrong; it's also a crying shame. As I see it, a huge proportion of my clients' long-term satisfaction with their pools comes not from time they actually spend in the water, but instead has to do with how easy and comfortable it is for them to enjoy their lives around the water. That's why I've always made discussions about decking and patios a key component of the design process from the very start - and why my clients are so happy with the results. As the video linked below indicates, there are
For as long as I can remember, I've noticed that people with pools in their backyards tend to like to put big pots near the water: It's a nice touch that breaks up the horizontal plane and brings an easy sense of scale to the setting. The greenery and flowers can be nice, too. Watershape designers have gotten in on the act as well, inserting pots into projects as visual anchors, as is the case in the project on display in the video linked below: We used them here not only to
For as long as I can remember, I've noticed that people with pools in their backyards tend to like to put big pots near the water: It's a nice touch that breaks up the horizontal plane and brings an easy sense of scale to the setting. The greenery and flowers can be nice, too. Watershape designers have gotten in on the act as well, inserting pots into projects as visual anchors, as is the case in the project on display in the video linked below: We used them here not only to
Today’s consumers are more environmentally savvy than ever before, so it’s good that there are plenty of like-minded landscape designers and watershapers out there – “green-oriented” professionals who are more than interested in working with homeowners to create outdoor environments that are
I was recently involved as an expert witness in a case where, among many other flawed parts of the project, I came across a distinctly substandard pool deck. The grout was cracking all over the place, and most of the flagstone veneer was either loose or in the process of breaking free of the substrate. The diagnosis didn’t take long: All I did was dig back a part of the lawn at the edge of the patio, and the not-so-surprising truth revealed itself.
From my first visit, I knew I’d be spending a lot of time here developing the watershapes and landscapes on this amazing site. Set on a bluff in Del Mar, Calif., the whole property slopes down from the street level to the back edge of the property. Beyond was an open space offering uninterrupted views of a river estuary, native coastal scrub studded with rare, indigenous, protected
The approach I took to this five-part series of articles on dry-stacked stone walls was a bit out of order – and I did it that way for a reason. If you’ll recall, in the last article I set aside any discussion of the drainage issues involved in stacking these walls. I did so both because it
It usually catches people off guard when I say so, but when it comes to building dry-stacked stone walls, the installer’s awareness of local climate and soil conditions is paramount to a project’s success. It’s about more than materials, in other words, or more than
In typical construction projects, we use stone for lots of purposes – as pavers, veneers or naturalistic landscape outcroppings, for instance. We also use plenty of stone in crafting the surfaces and banks and the areas surrounding our watershapes. But far and away the most common use for this material is in the building of
Once you start thinking along the lines of putting visual clutter out of sight, it’s as though a whole range of interesting concealment possibilities begin presenting themselves. Case in point: My early work in stashing hoses in buried utility boxes triggered thoughts about hiding other bits of deck “plumbing” that do a remarkable job of
