Brussel Block Outdoor Kitchen and Entry

As I mentioned earlier, I was able to wrap up two hardscape projects this past December thanks to the incredible weather here in Michigan.  The first project was for the Costantinos in Caledonia.  The second was a collaboration effort with Shawn Kenyon, owner of Precision Remodeling of Rockford, Michigan. 
I was called in to install the hardscape for the new outdoor kitchen and front entry for the Hughes in Cascade. 

This outdoor kitchen includes a grill, sitting walls, counters, a built in firewood box, and a single 24" pillar.  This spring, I will be installing a Forno Bravo Casa2g-90 pizza oven.  The base is installed and ready to go.  Once the oven is in, I will install a the brick and stucco facade as well.

I used an 8-10 inch chips n dust base for this Brussel Block Dimensional wall system, as well as landscape fabric for extra stability, because the subsoil was softer than most of my previous installations.  Compaction using a plate compactor ensures this wall won't shift during Michigan's generally harsh winters' freeze and thaw cycles. 

I used Rosetta Stone for the counter tops in this outdoor kitchen.  These were cut to size using a concrete saw.  Capstones for the sitting walls are Brussel Block Dimensional coping.  A paver saw was used to trim wall blocks as needed, followed by hand-trimming using hammer and chisels to blend the cut blocks with the uncut tumbled wall blocks.

Narrow gardens will be installed around the base of the walls to help soften the edges.  The lawn will also be reseeded early in the spring for optimal establishment.

The front entry was built using Brussel Block Dimensional wall stones and Brussel Block pavers.  The old wooden steps and deck have been replaced with wide curved steps, a deeper paver patio and sitting wall.  I love these steps; seven feet wide, six inches high.  These are easy to clear and easy to climb.  No slipping or loosing your footing.  The wall running on the outside curve of the wall is a great handhold.

The short wall to the left of the entry was also relaid and a new complementary capstone installed.

Custom Hardscape Projects

This past December proved to be a boon for the landscape industry. I managed to benefit from the unusually warm weather by completing two hardscape projects, one in Ada, Michigan, the other in Caledonia, Michigan.

Bill and Ellen Costantino of Caledonia, Michigan invited me back to install a curving stairway between two previously installed gardens.  The steps and new walls compliment the front entrance I installed for Bill and Ellen a couple years ago. 
 
I have posted a before and a couple of after pictures for you to compare.  Amazing what can be done with a little thought and design time.

Before

The tread was built using Moss Creta Wall Capstone and a custom tumbled, moss colored pavers. Each 12" deep capstone required cutting using a gas power cement saw in order to get each piece fitted tightly against the next.

The rise of the steps and the associated retaining wall and facing were built using Moss Creta Wall, a product from Paveloc. The end of each exposed retaining wall block at the end of the wall and center of the wall where the straight and curved walls meet were trimmed using chisels and hammer to keep a consistent stoneface throughout.

Because the project was installed in relatively cold conditions, I used a high tech mason's glue called Type-4 Ultra Wet. I have never been so impressed with an adhesive. Even in below freezing temperatures, this stuff stayed soft and went on smoothly. And as the name suggests, it adhered even wet blocks with no problems.

To see this project in person, or discuss your own Hardscape project, give Brent a Call @ 616 940-9166.

Controlling Weeds Between Pavers

Over the last fifteen years or so, I have installed numerous brick and stone patios, walkways and driveways. Here in Michigan, most paving is dry-laid, that is, there is no concrete or mortar involved in the installation process. Because concrete and mortar tend to break up over time due to the freeze thaw cycles in this cold climate, it makes sense to use a flexible base and joint filler. Until a few years ago, I used either baby sand, which tends to washed out too easily, or rough-graded sand to fill between concrete or clay pavers. I used chips n dust or stone dust or slag sand to fill between natural flagstone. Rough sand and the fillers I used between flagstones worked fairly well for keeping the joints filled and the pavers from shifting. (Of course aluminum or plastic edging is necessary to keep the edges of each project from shifting outward, but that is another subject). The real downside of these joint-filling materials is that they don't keep weeds down. And yes, there is some washout over time.

Then, a few years ago, I started using a fairly new product: polymeric sand. This type of sand can be purchased pre-mixed for small projects, or added to dry sand and thoroughly mixed for larger projects. Polymeric sand creates flexible, porous joints. The polymer binders in the mixture keep the sand particle continuously adhered one another. Though this product is significantly more expensive than straight sand or stone products like those purchased at sand/gravel pits, there are two major benefits. First, polymeric sand remains where it is placed. There is no washout of this product. Second, polymeric sand creates a barrier to burrowing insects that tend to loosen and expel sand from between joints, and weeds that would otherwise germinate and grow between joints. It is most efficient to use polymeric sand between joints when initially installing a brick or stone paving project. However, it is also possible to replace other joint-filling products with polymeric sand if your product is already in place. "Simply" sweep, blow, scrap, or power wash the sand or stone from between the joints of your pavers. Remove the old sand/ stone. If you have used water to clean out the joints, make sure the pavers have dried completely before putting down polymeric sand. Most of these products tend to stain surrounding pavers if they come in contact water. For this reason, it is necessary to sweep or blow off excess sand before moving on to the next step. Once the final paver compaction is completed, finely mist the entire paved area. This will moisten the top layer of the polymeric sand, thus adhering those grains to each other. Subsequent rain or irrigation will filter down into the joints further joining the particles to each other, ensuring proper adhesion. The joints will look like they have been mortared if they are fairly wide. To the touch, they will even feel mortared. However, scraping or otherwise manually agitating the polymeric sand would loosen it without damage. Once wetted again, the sand will settle back into place and adhere as before. No more weeds or washout. Need some help with project or other paving/hardscape project design, installation or maintenance? Give Brent a Call @ 616 328-3258.

Fall Projects - Lawn Health

Fall is a great time to improve the health of your lawn. Among the various projects that a home owner can do, or hire a professional to do, are dethatching, over-seeding, fertilizing and weed prevention.

Right now, I am going to recommend dethatching, a simple way to improve the health of your lawn. For those of you who mulch your leaves and grass clippings into your lawn, this is an important step in the care of your lawn. Mulching clippings is a great way to insulate your grass from excessive heat and cold as well as drought that can strain the lawn and open it up to disease and insect damage. Insects love to live in that thatch buildup. Even if you don't use a mulching system on your mower, you should take a look at your lawn to see if build up is occurring. Cut out a small plug of sod in several areas of your lawn. Pull them up a look to see if there is more than half an inch of clippings built up above the soil line. If there is, it is probably time to dethatch. However, years of mulching can create buildup of thatch, which keeps water from penetrating easily. Additionally, for those of you who use insecticides and fertilizers, thatch build up can decrease their effectiveness by blocking the pathway to the root zone. When water, that can not drain properly, comes in contact with these chemicals, runoff occurs. Unnecessary runoff. If you have had trouble with ineffective fertilizer and insecticide applications, this may be your problem.

The goal of dethatching is to remove the thatch which prevents proper water and chemical penetration. Dethatching machines can be rented at most equipment rental stores. I just dethatched several acres of lawn for a client in Grand Rapids. The machine cost $90.00 for a 24 hour rental. I completed the dethatching in about six hours. Not your typical yard. Using a rake, gas powered blower, and a zero turn lawn mower, I removed approximately fifteen yards of old thatch from the lawn. That's seven and a half mounded pickup trucks full. It took me twelve hours to accomplish this.

Most of you won't have such a large project on your hands. One to two hours (maybe) using the dethatcher and another hour of raking would probably do the trick. Rent the machine for under $50.00. Operation of the dethatcher is simple. If you can mow, you can dethatch. For those of you who have a tiny yard, or don't want to spend the money, but have the time, inclination, and strength to do it, you can buy a dethatching rake to do this project.

Once you have finished dethatching your lawn, including raking up the clippings and composting or otherwise disposing of the product, you can move on to overseeding, fertilizing and weed control. Tenacity, one of the newest weed control products out there, can be applied at the same time you are overseeding/seeding and still effectively control post- and pre-emergent weeds according to Syngenta. Check it out: http://www.greencastonline.com/TenacityHerbicide/index.aspx. I'll be testing that product claim this fall and next spring to let you know how it works out.

Michigan: Fall Gardens

Fall is in full swing and quickly moving toward winter. I thought now would be a good time to get out and view some local gardens and show everyone some ways of keeping the garden interesting even during these days of dormancy. So, over the next few weeks, I will be posting pictures with descriptions and explanations of the various ideas behind the use of the feature shown. Hopefully, you will get some ideas on how to make your landscape and gardens shine in the coming months.

Among the ideas I will try to touch on, is the use of structural plants like the variegated grass to the right. Even through winter, this grass can add interest. When other plants have died back and withered away, strong ornamental grasses can hold their shape and give the garden some height. In addition, the swaying and swishing of the grass as the wind blows through it can be mesmerizing and calming in the middle of a bleak winter. Look at the way the light filters through the blades. Beautiful.

Hint: Sometimes large grasses can become unruly. If needed, you can always use tan twine to help keep the grasses from collapsing under the weight of excessive snow/rain or wildly whipping winds.

Check out my newest hardscape project

My newest project has provided me with the opportunity to experiment with varied forms. Check out some pictures of this project in progress.


Once the raised beds were completed, my clients decided they would like to further enhance their yard by adding a paver patio inside the circular walls. By doing so, we increased the usefulness of this area. Now it can be used as a sitting area in addition to the original vegetable garden.

Note the design we used: the "flower petals" face north, south, east, and west. Hard to see in the pictures, but the colors added were made using concrete stain and are green and purple (blue stain over red pavers).

Call Brent if you have been thinking about creating something unique in your landscape.
616 328-3258

Disciplines of Landscape Design

Landscape Design encompasses several disciplines necessary to achieve a satisfactory result (end product). Landscape Design requires some measure of insight into each of these. Among these disciplines are Aesthetics, Horticulture, Architecture and Psychology.

A practical understanding of Aesthetics or art, when combined with the other disciplines, will enable you to envision the overall layout of your landscape. Additionally, an eye for art allows you to combine various elements of the landscape into a cohesive and flowing design.

Great landscape designers take much of their sense of garden aesthetic from natural landscapes. I encourage you to find and explore areas untouched by the ever encroaching hand of man. God is the greatest landscape architect. Let His creation guide your design. Combinations of color and texture, the mix of beauty that touch your various senses in the wild can be included in a smaller scale in your own landscape.

Horticultural knowledge encompasses a wide range of disciplines but in short it is the science of plants. What plants go where and what conditions each plant requires for optimum growth. How are plants affected by pests, soil conditions, light and water and temperature? How do plants react to pruning and fertilizers? And so on.

Additionally, a basic knowledge of architecture helps us frame the landscape. It helps us determine what hardscapes such as walkways, patios, gazebos, outbuildings, etc., need to be included in our landscape to make it habitable and useful for our defined purposes. Keep in mind, how the landscape will be used. Who will be using the area? How will it be accessed? What is topography of the land? What kind of walls or slopes will be included in the landscape?
How will various areas interconnect and interact?

A general knowledge of psychology is within the grasp of most people. While designing your landscape, you should think about how you would like to use the area(s)? Everything you include in the landscape should contribute to your usage goals. Will the area be used for meetings or family gatherings? Are you trying to create an atmosphere of action or relaxation, an aura of anticipation or peacefulness? Do you intend to exude intimacy or openness with your landscape? As with the interior of your home or business, how the various elements combine and contrast affects the mood and ambiance of your landscape.

Once you have determined what your landscape is meant to accomplish in your life, a knowledge of psychology will help you frame and fill your gardens and landscape with elements that will enhance your intended experiences. How does a particular choice of paving material affect the speed at which you move through your gardens? Do certain elements draw you in? How do certain plants or arrangements affect our mood or the moods of those who experience our landscape? Will a certain water feature distract from or enhance the purposes you envision?