Landscape Makeover
WE BEGIN THE WORK ON A RADICAL LANDSCAPE MAKEOVER. What happens during
the Makeover is hard to believe but our film crew was on hand to
capture it all. During the transformation we'll talk with experts like
landscape designers, irrigation specialists, masons and more. This show
is packed with action, information and ideas.
Click here for more info
Selecting Korina and the Plant Nerd
Carol had the opportunity to interview several landscape designers.
KORINA FROM THE PLANT NERD WAS THE FINAL INTERVIEWEE. Carol first spoke
with Korina by phone. At that time Carol told Korina the house had been
in the family for 40 years and they wanted the landscaping to
compliment the style of the home. And, they wanted the Laguna Beach
feel.
Click here for more info
Developing a Plan
IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A PLAN Korina takes into consideration
what the homeowner is looking for. She talked with Carol about goals
and objectives. Carol has a large family, thus wanted to make space
available to accommodate this large group when entertaining. They have
grandchildren thus needed a lawn area. They also have a need for
wheelchair accessibility so grading it out and making a less hazardous
walkway was a major goal. Korina then went to work, put pencil to paper
and developed a plan. She created an upper tier patio and a lower tier
patio providing significant space for entertaining. The extra tiers are
to be held in place by retaining walls which will provide additional
seating. Thus, the retaining walls serve a dual purpose.
Click here for more info
Hardscaping and Softscaping
KORINA HAS 2 SEPARATE PLANS. One plan deals with the hardscape, the
other plan outlines the plant material or softscape. She always does it
this way because oftentimes construction crews do either softscaping or
hardscaping.
Click here for more info
Demolition
THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS THE DEMOLITION. There are a lot of
neglected old trees that have been poorly maintained over the years and
the same can be said of the plant material. Simply put, there isn't
hardscape or softscape in the backyard that can be salvaged. A bobcat
and crew of construction specialists will clear it out.
Click here for more info
Retaining Walls
THEY'RE BUILDING LOW RETAINING WALLS. The industry started using this
type of material about 10 years ago. Kennah created the trenching for
the footings, going down about 6 inches. Manny's crew will next level
the soil, then fill the trench with rock. The rock is important because
when wet, if the retraining wall were installed on just soil it would
get wobbly. With the addition of rock it is stable, it provides a good,
solid foundation. The retaining walls are laid in tiers and they
interlock. Each piece has a lip on the back of 1 side. When stacked on
top of 1 another they don't slide, they hold. Thus, it makes a strong
retaining wall. Concrete isn't needed, thus one need not worry about
cracks because it is flexible. The blocks allow water to drain, greatly
decreasing the need for any future repairs. The 1st tier must be level.
Click here for more info
Selecting the Stone
THE PROCESS OF DECIDING WHICH STONE TO SELECT FOR PATHS AND PATIOS
SEEMS COMPLICATED. Joe wonders how does the process start? Bob tells
him. Here the customer can walk around and view many different stone
options. They have a legend that coincides with the numbers on the
showroom floor which allows the customer to guide themselves and make
basic color and texture choices on their own. There are then basic
decisions that must be made. For example, some of the stones are flat,
some have an undulating or bumpy surface. Especially for an exterior
application they direct the customer to a quartz like surface,
something like the Arizona flagstone we'll be using on this project.
Arizona flagstone has a flatter surface which is good because there
will be patio furniture placed on top. Some stones are more suited for
walkways while others are more suited for driveways or areas with
furniture. Another consideration is how stable should the surface be?
Will the stone be placed in sand or concrete? If there is going to be a
lot of traffic they normally suggest a mud-set installation. If
primarily walkways then a sand-set is suggested or what the industry
calls a flexible installation. This allows the materials to move.
Thickness is also an important consideration and needed if there is
vehicular traffic (driveways, motor courtyards, etc).
Click here for more info
Placing the Stone
THE STONE WALKWAYS AND PATIOS GO TOGETHER LIKE PIECES TO A PUZZLE. In 1
section they have allowed more space between the stone so planting can
take place in the crevices. Manny tells Joe why they choose the stone
they did. Arizona flagstone was chosen for many reasons. Time was a
consideration. It is easy to work and easy to cut with diamond blades.
Other stones could have taken longer to cut and install and Manny had
only a short period of time available to complete this project. More
time means they require more labor, making cost another consideration.
Click here for more info
Softscaping
HIS CREW WILL BE FOCUSING ON THE CLEAN UP AND PREP FOR THE PLANTED BEDS
AND SOD. They will lay the header board to delineate the grass,
planting and shrub areas. They will get the canvas clean for Korina.
So, when she comes in and tells them where things need to go, it will
be ready and she'll be happy.
Click here for more info
Beginning Work on the Irrigation System
PVC PIPE IS UTILIZED FOR THE LATERAL LINES AND THE MAIN LINES FOR THE
AUTOMATED SPRINKLER SYSTEM. The soil and soil amendments and mulches
will be utilized in the planter beds. Jeff thinks it important to note
that they won't plant into existing soil, especially if that soil needs
amending. This enriched soil will be instrumental in getting these
plants going and thriving.
Click here for more info
LINKS:
The Plant Nerd
Visit Laguna Beach | Official Tourism Site For Laguna Beach, CA
Show #50/5811. A Beautiful Location, An Impressive Landscape Makeover - Part 1
Complete transcript of the show.
In this show Garden Smart tackles a landscape makeover. Although the
task is tough we're visiting a beautiful part of the country. To
introduce the area Joe first visits with David Shepherd the General
Manager of the Inn at Laguna Beach. David welcomes Joe and tells him
there is no better place to relax after a hard day in the garden.
Laguna Beach is a small village nestled between the mountains and the
ocean. The climate here is fantastic year round, from January through
December. Everyone knows about July and August but during the other
months, the off season, this is a quiet little village where people
come to relax. It's not just a getaway for the rich and famous, it's a
getaway for everyone. Joe has noticed that Laguna Beach is filled with
lush vegetation, no matter where one goes. Of course, resorts, like
this, have beautiful landscaping, but it seems even the restaurants and
particularly the homes in the area are all lush. The climate has a big
influence on that. This resort has beautiful views and they are
complimented by luscious greenery. There are full trees and shrubs and
flowers and, when they bloom, which is year round, they have the whole
spectrum of delightful color. Everything in Laguna Beach seems lush.
It's a beautiful spot.
WE BEGIN THE WORK ON A RADICAL LANDSCAPE MAKEOVER. What happens during
the Makeover is hard to believe but our film crew was on hand to
capture it all. During the transformation we'll talk with experts like
landscape designers, irrigation specialists, masons and more. This show
is packed with action, information and ideas.
This house in Laguna Beach is close to the ocean. It's an historic
house built in 1923, or so. Carol and her family have owned it since
the early 60's and want to maintain the continuity of the time period
and want to keep it Laguna Beach quaint, as does the city. The yard is
in major need of repair and Carol had no idea where to start. Joe
agrees the yard is a wreck. There is much work to do.
Top
Carol had the opportunity to interview several landscape designers.
KORINA FROM THE PLANT NERD WAS THE FINAL INTERVIEWEE. Carol first spoke
with Korina by phone. At that time Carol told Korina the house had been
in the family for 40 years and they wanted the landscaping to
compliment the style of the home. And, they wanted the Laguna Beach
feel. But, Carol also felt that anything would be an improvement.
Korina said it sounded interesting and that she would take a look at
the house, then call back. Carol was afraid Korina would walk away but
kept her fingers crossed. To Carol's amazement Korina did call back and
said she "absolutely loved the house. No problem, I can do it. It's got
so many possibilities." Korina started on the plans and she and Carol
have become great friends during the process. It has been a great
experience.
Joe talks with Korina, owner of The Plant Nerd. When Korina first saw
the property she was excited, scared and nervous. She first noticed
that this was a property whose landscape had been neglected over time.
There were a lot of old trees that had been neglected and were ugly and
dying, there were old broken down retaining walls and paths that led to
nowhere. Korina wasn't sure why the yard had all the different levels.
She first had to decide what to work with and what not to work with.
Korina decided not to work with most of it, indeed to remove most of
it. She did realize she needed to retain some of the property levels,
but certainly not all. The levels in the back yard were important
because there is a significant grade change from 1 side of the property
to the other.
Top
IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A PLAN Korina takes into consideration
what the homeowner is looking for. She talked with Carol about goals
and objectives. Carol has a large family, thus wanted to make space
available to accommodate this large group when entertaining. They have
grandchildren thus needed a lawn area. They also have a need for
wheelchair accessibility so grading it out and making a less hazardous
walkway was a major goal. Korina then went to work, put pencil to paper
and developed a plan. She created an upper tier patio and a lower tier
patio providing significant space for entertaining. The extra tiers are
to be held in place by retaining walls which will provide additional
seating. Thus, the retaining walls serve a dual purpose. The plant
palate reflects a low maintenance garden but there still will be a lot
of color. Many of the plants are seasonal throughout the country, but
aren't here. Here they're colorful all year long and many have extended
blooming periods.
Top
KORINA HAS 2 SEPARATE PLANS. One plan deals with the hardscape, the
other plan outlines the plant material or softscape. She always does it
this way because oftentimes construction crews do either softscaping or
hardscaping. Thus, breaking it up makes more sense. The callouts for
construction are on one page, plant material on another. Korina's plans
and vision are exceptional. And, her ability to communicate her ideas
is equally impressive. Korina is truly an artist with exceptional
talent.
Top
THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS THE DEMOLITION. There are a lot of
neglected old trees that have been poorly maintained over the years and
the same can be said of the plant material. Simply put, there isn't
hardscape or softscape in the backyard that can be salvaged. A bobcat
and crew of construction specialists will clear it out.
Kennah Construction has been hired for this job. Terry, the job
foreman, says that this is a fairly small yard, thus a relatively
simple job. He's been an operator for about 20 years and knows how to
operate all kinds of equipment, but the Bobcat is probably his
favorite. Particularly with a small backyard like this. It has
attachments that can be switched around; almost anything that's needed
in this backyard, it can do. On this job they used many attachments.
They used the breaker or augur, the front bucket, the backhoe and the
grappler bucket. For the cleaning of the yard, he used the front bucket
to scoop up all the debris; the concrete, roots, etc. then loaded them
onto the truck. The backhoe helped take out the footings, take out the
roots of the trees and pull down the bushes. The grappler bucket helped
pick up big, bulky, hard to handle items. The breaker is used to break
up concrete, getting out the rebar and making it all small enough to
take to the recycling dump. For a yard of this size, they took out more
than usual amounts of garbage, debris and plant material like trees and
shrubs. A normal yard this size might require 2 or three truckloads for
debris, they've already removed 5 truckloads. It's been a little more
than anticipated. The last phase of the job requires putting in 3
separate tiers, or creating 3 ground levels. This property is on a
hillside, they want to follow the contour of the hill but also keep it
level for patios, walkways, etc. It makes it a much nicer looking yard
and a more functional yard than if the slope were to follow the hill.
Joe thinks it's neat to see a landscape makeover from start to finish.
The film crew showed up on Sunday and saw the garden. It had garden
rooms but was a mess. Less than a day later a crew came in with
tractors and wiped the slate clean. Joe thinks it's like etch-a-sketch.
There has been a lot going on. This would normally be a 6 month
project, it will happen here in less than a week. In less than 24 hours
it went from a mess to a clean slate. Now there are elevation changes
and the process is off and running.
It's the next day and the next crew to arrive is M & M Masonry. Manuel
"Manny" Cruz and his group first start by tackling the retaining walls.
Manny has been doing this kind of work for about 20 years. He started
when he was young, about 23. He started with a pick and shovel working
on trenches and footings, like they are working on now. This is a
family business. He is joined by his 3 brothers and father but they
have plenty of additional help. Manny and his family all started
working in the same business as young kids. Now they're doing this for
a living. And they do great work.
Top
Manny talks about what's happening today. THEY'RE BUILDING LOW
RETAINING WALLS. The industry started using this type of material about
10 years ago. Kennah created the trenching for the footings, going down
about 6 inches. Manny's crew will next level the soil, then fill the
trench with rock. The rock is important because when wet, if the
retraining wall were installed on just soil it would get wobbly. With
the addition of rock it is stable, it provides a good, solid
foundation. The retaining walls are laid in tiers and they interlock.
Each piece has a lip on the back of 1 side. When stacked on top of 1
another they don't slide, they hold. Thus, it makes a strong retaining
wall. Concrete isn't needed, thus one need not worry about cracks
because it is flexible. The blocks allow water to drain, greatly
decreasing the need for any future repairs. The 1st tier must be level.
Then just add the next layer of the stacked stone retaining wall right
on top. The lip allows them to interlock, no mater how high one goes.
It works very well. They're stable and no concrete is necessary. Manny
says it's not that difficult but and he and his crew are true
craftsmen.
Top
Joe next visits with Bob Sandstrom with Thompson Building Materials.
THE PROCESS OF DECIDING WHICH STONE TO SELECT FOR PATHS AND PATIOS
SEEMS COMPLICATED. Joe wonders how does the process start? Bob tells
him. Here the customer can walk around and view many different stone
options. They have a legend that coincides with the numbers on the
showroom floor which allows the customer to guide themselves and make
basic color and texture choices on their own. There are then basic
decisions that must be made. For example, some of the stones are flat,
some have an undulating or bumpy surface. Especially for an exterior
application they direct the customer to a quartz like surface,
something like the Arizona flagstone we'll be using on this project.
Arizona flagstone has a flatter surface which is good because there
will be patio furniture placed on top. Some stones are more suited for
walkways while others are more suited for driveways or areas with
furniture. Another consideration is how stable should the surface be?
Will the stone be placed in sand or concrete? If there is going to be a
lot of traffic they normally suggest a mud-set installation. If
primarily walkways then a sand-set is suggested or what the industry
calls a flexible installation. This allows the materials to move.
Thickness is also an important consideration and needed if there is
vehicular traffic (driveways, motor courtyards, etc). Thinner stones
are more appropriate for light pedestrian traffic. These are the type
questions that need to be addressed. Bob knows Manny very well, tells
us Manuel has done a great job in the industry over the years and knows
we'll enjoy working with him.
It's another day, the sun is just coming up and the crew is here and
didn't waste time getting started. They have some jobs to complete but
soon will need the sand and flagstone which has yet to be delivered.
But, not to worry, before 8 AM it arrives. Joe had been sweating it for
awhile but it worked out well and everyone is now busy at work.
Top
THE STONE WALKWAYS AND PATIOS GO TOGETHER LIKE PIECES TO A PUZZLE. In 1
section they have allowed more space between the stone so planting can
take place in the crevices. Manny tells Joe why they choose the stone
they did. Arizona flagstone was chosen for many reasons. Time was a
consideration. It is easy to work and easy to cut with diamond blades.
Other stones could have taken longer to cut and install and Manny had
only a short period of time available to complete this project. More
time means they require more labor, making cost another consideration.
They chose the thick variety of Arizona flagstone, which is almost
double in size, because this stone is going to be laid on sand. Thick
means heavy, one stone could weigh 300 pounds, thus they often require
2 men to move each piece, but it is stronger. The thin variety when wet
becomes fragile. It could crack. There are advantages to laying the
stone in sand. One is obviously the cost. It costs less to put on sand
but cracks aren't a problem. On sand the stone will move slightly thus
earthquakes aren't a concern. Arizona flagstone is available in a red,
pink or tan hue. They have chosen a golden, tan color to match the
retaining walls and to compliment the house and surroundings.
To lay the stone Manny and his crew first make sure the soil is level
and compact. To accomplish this they use a transom. They shoot a line
to ensure it's level. The stone is then set in 3 inches of sand. They
then lay out the stone and again check to make sure it is level. If
necessary they dig underneath the stone, to make sure it is still
level. With this done, it should stay in place for years. Manny and
crew make it look easy but they are true professionals - hard working,
cheerful and efficient. They're a joy to work with.
Jeff Tolly is President and owner of his own company, Tolly Landscape.
Jeff says his Mom says he has a voice for radio and a face for TV. Joe
knows that to have a crew of 20 people or so that Jeff must also have
some book knowledge and experience in this field. Jeff does, he is a
3rd generation landscape contractor, plus he has a Bachelor of Science
degree in horticultural science from Cal Poly, Pomona. He started out
with a guy and a truck 6 years ago and has grown to a 25 man crew
today. They do anything from small renovations to aggressive projects.
He doesn't freak out with a project like this. Except for the camera
this is relatively normal in his business world. And Tolly Landscape is
a great, fun company to work with, very knowledgeable and hard working.
Top
HIS CREW WILL BE FOCUSING ON THE CLEAN UP AND PREP FOR THE PLANTED BEDS
AND SOD. They will lay the header board to delineate the grass,
planting and shrub areas. They will get the canvas clean for Korina.
So, when she comes in and tells them where things need to go, it will
be ready and she'll be happy.
Joe comments on the fact that so far we've been spending time on the
hardscaping. Jeff's focus is softscaping. What's the difference?
Hardscaping is the retaining walls, the stonework and concrete, when
necessary. Jeff is involved in the softscaping. That includes the clean
up work, irrigation, lighting, planting, soil and bed preparation and
so forth.
Top
Joe notices PVC pipes laying around and dirt arriving. Jeff explains.
The PVC pipe is part of the irrigation system. PVC PIPE IS UTILIZED FOR
THE LATERAL LINES AND THE MAIN LINES FOR THE AUTOMATED SPRINKLER
SYSTEM. The soil and soil amendments and mulches will be utilized in
the planter beds. Jeff thinks it important to note that they won't
plant into existing soil, especially if that soil needs amending. This
enriched soil will be instrumental in getting these plants going and
thriving.
That's all the time we have this week. Be sure to tune in next week as
we complete the Landscape Makeover. You'll be amazed at the
transformation of the property. It's a learning experience and a
delight for the eyes. Keep checking our web site.
Top
LINKS:
The Plant Nerd
Visit Laguna Beach | Official Tourism Site For Laguna Beach, CA
