Larsen Landscape | Blog

OUTDOOR LIGHTING: INEXPENSIVE SECOND LANDSCAPING

When they are properly lit, landscapes tend to look completely different at night than they do during the sunlight hours.  I don’t remember ever installing a lighting system where the client wasn’t pleasantly surprised the first time the timer kicked the system on.  One way to look at it is a really inexpensive way to get a second landscape.

Most of the lighting we install is done in low voltage.  We often adapt fixtures such as lampposts and pilaster lights to be on the low voltage system as well as the smaller fixtures that throw light up into the trees and onto walls.  This is done by simply changing the bulbs used in the fixtures and wiring them into the system.  The low voltage systems are 12 volts so it is only necessary to get a bulb that is rated at 12 volts instead of the usual 120 volts.  The wattage is a different thing and this will also be printed on the box that contains the light bulb.

Outdoor Patio Lighting

When you get a bulb to use in the house, you can get a 25 watt bulb if you want a dim light or a 75 watt bulb if you want a bright light.  In a 12 volt system, a 20 watt bulb is pretty bright – bright enough to light up a small tree, hence the savings in electricity.

Typically, you get two or three times the amount of light for the same number of watts you would use on a high voltage system such as the lighting inside a house.  Since the electric company charges by the watt, this makes the low voltage system a lot less expensive to use.  It is also faster to install since it uses direct burial type wire that doesn’t need to be in conduit.  This feature also makes it more flexible since it is easy to move the location of any given fixture.  In terms of construction, faster translates to less expensive for the homeowner.  With high voltage, one would typically have to bury conduit at least a foot deep everywhere it goes through the yard, usually get an electrical permit from the city and have it inspected twice and if another light needs to be added later, or if a light needs to be moved, it is a major hassle.

This landscaping project in Thousand Oaks, California shows some great examples of how landscape design can be done in unique ways.

Repurposed Fountain

The front entry had been an overgrown jungle with an old, tired concrete entry walk.  The solution was to change the entry walk to flagstone and to create a very unique water feature to go with it.  The water feature consists of 5 basalt columns of varying heights, each with a hole drilled through the center and each with its own separate pump.  The pumps are underground and the appearance is that the water just disappears into the pebbles that cover the ground.

The old water fountain that used to be near the front entry was recycled as a custom flower planter and moved to one of the gardens on the side of the house.  It was a little outdated and didn’t really match the house after the new stucco finish, but as a planter, it is just a little quirky and breaks up the garden with a splash of color.

Pool with Slide in Thousand Oaks

Another fairly unique feature is the custom built water slide.  When theswimming pool was redone, this slide/waterfall combination was built to give the area some extra character.  It also makes it a lot more fun for the kids and grandkids when they visit.

PONDLESS WATER FEATURES

One of the more popular landscape features has become “pond-less” water features.  It seems that there are two main reasons to have a water feature.  The traditional pond, possibly with a waterfall attached, lends itself very nicely to some fish or turtles and can be a nice addition to a landscape as well.  It does, however, require some work to keep it in shape, and, while some people love fish swimming in their yard – not everyone fits into this category.

This brings up the other option.  If you are looking for the sound of falling water which not only tends to mask things like traffic noise but also lets you shut your eyes and feel pretty much like you are in a remote campground somewhere or maybe a tropical island.  And you can do it without the work of keeping up a pond.

We have been constructing quite a few waterfalls that fall in this category lately.  They do have a pond, actually, but it is an underground pond.  The water feature itself can be a waterfall with boulders that sounds like Niagara Falls (small version) or it can have a light trickle of water depending on the pump system used.  It can be water cascading off one or more statues, spilling out of a pot or maybe trickling down stone columns – or some other, completely custom, approach.  In all cases, the water falls into a layer of stones which lie over a sturdy grate and ends up underground where it is recycled up again.

Pondless Water Feathre

There are a number of advantages, all of which add up to little or no maintenance.  The sunlight doesn’t get to the water so there is very little trouble with algae growing.  On this type of waterfall, we always add an automatic fill system so the water in the underground pond always keeps itself topped off.  Except on very large pumps, the pump is usually in the water which keeps it cool and extends the life.  Normally, a timer system is installed so it re-circulates every day which helps keep the water fresh.

Instead of cleaning and maintenance, the client’s job becomes sitting on the patio with a tropical drink or cracking a window in the bedroom to let in the sound of a distant waterfall.

Top-Notch Brickwork

Brick Masonry

Top-notch brickwork is generally considered an acquired skill.  It is, however,  possible to get it right without a lot of experience if someone knows some of the tricks.  It will probably take several times longer than a pro would take, but at least the end result will be worth the effort.  Here are a few things to keep in mind if you want to tackle it yourself.

The mortar mix is important.  The best is actually a product called Spec-Mix.  This is a premixed mortar specified by some architectural codes and is bought by the bag all ready to go.  It is more expensive than making it from cement, sand and lime, but you usually don’t need that much mortar for an average job and the result you get is worth it.  In addition, the single bags opened one at a time help keep your work area clean.  You just open one bag at a time and add water.  The test of mortar can be done by laying some brick and then trying to pull one off the next day.  With Spec-Mix, it is very hard to do without serious tools.

You stir in water to the mix until you get a nice working consistency.  When the mix is perfect, you should be able to scoop up a trowel of mortar and then, holding it upright, move the trowel down about a foot and then back up in a rapid but smooth motion.  Some of the mortar will fall off the edge but the rest will lay flat on the trowel up to half an inch thick.  If you then gently turn the trowel sideways, the mortar should stay on the trowel.  This is important as it allows you to work the trowel sideways without the mortar falling off when you apply it to the layers of brick.  It is also the right consistency to stick best to the bricks when you apply it.

Another item to pay attention to is the uniformity of the joints.  Bricks can be laid perfectly by a pro with a lot of practice, but it can be done by anyone just by paying attention.  When the mortar is off the trowel, the end of the trowel handle or even the edge of the trowel is usually the handiest tool to gently tap the bricks into place.  If you tap too much, just remove the brick and reset it.  Part of the strength of the wall comes from the pressure of tapping the brick into place.

Generous use of a level as you work, to check the straightness of the courses of brick will pay off in a wall that looks like a pro did it.  A small ‘torpedo level’ can be used to check the top of each brick as you go.  The larger level is used to check the front edge of the wall as well to ensure that it is going up plumb.

Softer bricks need to be wet before they are installed, otherwise the mortar doesn’t stick well.  They should be sprayed with water and then allowed to dry most of the way before you install them.  This is a judgment call depending upon how dense the bricks are.  Some bricks are very hard and don’t need this at all and others, particularly real used brick which came out of an old building and still have old mortar attached, need a good soaking.  You just want them damp when you are ready to lay them.

We always make ample use of sponges and clean buckets of water when installing bricks.  Even the best masons get some mortar on parts of the brick where you don’t want it and it is very easy to get off with clean water within an hour or so.  The main trick here is to change the water often, especially for the final cleaning after an hour or two of work.

One final word on the foundation.  The concrete foundation which supports your wall is perhaps the most important part of the whole project.  We always use steel reinforcing bar in wall foundations – even for short planter walls.  Otherwise a crack in the foundation can lead to cracks in your wall, even if the brick is laid perfectly.  Brick walls much higher than two feet should really have a reinforced concrete block wall for support with the brick built in front of, and attached to, the block wall with mortar.

Here’s to a perfect brick wall in your yard.

BRICK MASONRY TIPS

To quote someone who is undoubtedly famous, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”

I have encountered this numerous times in brickwork, of all things.  I remember one potential client showing me a new entryway that he had someone do for him the year before.  He thought it was great and I was glad I hadn’t spoken the first thing that came to mind when I walked up to knock on the door – the entryway looked completely amateur and I assumed he wanted it redone as part of the work he wanted to talk with me about.

In bringing it up here, I was just looking for a good example to use in explaining the difference between quality brick masonry and the kind that gets snickers from the neighbors.  Whoever had done the work apparently didn’t own a level since the rows of brick tended to go up and down at random – not a lot, but certainly enough to notice.  The mortar was smeared on the brick and had dried that way.  The joints (spaces between the bricks) varied from brick to brick, quite a lot, actually.  And, though none of the bricks were obviously loose yet, I knew it was just a matter of time – from the color and texture of the mortar, it was apparent that the mortar used was shy much of the cement that should have been in the mix.

Return next week for more tips on bricks!

Quality Brickwork

Here’s to a perfect brick wall in your yard.

BRICK IN THE LANDSCAPE

One of the more timeless building materials in use anywhere is brick.  If you buy a vacation package to Europe, chances are you are not going to book a tour somewhere in Italy or Scandinavia to be driven around the new suburbs –visualizing a faraway land of vinyl coated walls and glass buildings.

Quite a few of those old estates still standing after a few centuries were constructed by true craftsmen of their time using those rectangular blocks called brick made from a clay bank somewhere in the vicinity.  Actually, part of what gives brick its charm is that clay banks are different and that bright red brick you might be thinking of in one part of the country could be a deep brown hue with a completely different texture somewhere else.

In fact, many of the bricks on sale today are subjected to special processes to add various colors and textures to what is actually dug out of the ground and thrown into a kiln to dry.  This appears to be an attempt to duplicate those various rich colors and textures that might be found in various climates all around the world.  They are, however, still real bricks and even with this facelift still have the lasting characteristics that are inherent in the basic material.

Just yesterday, I happened to drive by two properties that we had done the

Timeless Brick work

original landscape work on exactly 20 years ago.  The entryways, planters and light pilasters were all made of brick (installed, I might add, with enough care and integrity to keep them all in place).  They both looked great.  A few of the garden planters had additions, such as new flowers, but overall the landscapes both looked like they might have been done 3 years ago instead of 20.  There was a certain timelessness to them.

I am hoping that in a hundred years, someone will go by and remark on those charming old homes that still look great.

MORE ON FLAGSTONE

I am often asked to put in patios that feature flagstone with greenery, like sod or ground cover, filling the spaces between the stones.  In fact, I have several photos in my portfolio showing that very thing – and they often get commented on when someone is leafing through the pages.

Personally, I do like that look too and I think it adds a certain natural look to a garden setting.  I do, however, find myself explaining quite often that it is not the right choice for a main patio.

From experience, it has become obvious that any aesthetic gain that one achieves by using this type of flagstone approach for a main patio area is outweighed by the problems it creates.  The lawn or ground cover between the stones has to be watered, fed, trimmed or mowed as well as weeded.  The watering either involves getting any furniture wet that is on the patio – or relying on underground drip tubing (something that is usually not reliable over any long period of time).

The other problem involves the inescapable fact that the wet soil between the stones tends to move when it is walked on or furniture is moved across it.  This makes for an increasingly uneven surface over time and probably a tripping hazard as well.

Patio Garden

On the other hand, I absolutely love the look for a small patio that is really part of the garden setting rather than something that contains a table and chairs.  It could be tucked away amongst some trees and shrubs, possibly with a park bench perched in a corner, making it more of an occasional getaway spot.  Even if it hardly ever gets used, it always looks inviting, and that is a very important factor in a landscape design.  A garden and patio should always look like someplace you would like to go spend time in, especially when time is at a premium.

FLAGSTONE PAVING – HOW TO

Flagstone paving can be done in several ways.  This article is about the highest quality approach.

If you want your new flagstone patio or walkway to have that top quality look and stay that way, then this is the procedure to follow.  First, you start with removing the soil in the area to a depth of about 8 or 9 inches below where you would like the final patio level to be.  Then put in a couple of inches of sand and, while moistening lightly with water from time to time, run a vibrating compactor over the sand to pack it in tightly.  This really presses the sand down so there will be no sinking later.  The sand acts to “float” the concrete which will go over it so if the earth moves when it gets wet and then dries out the sand tends to move rather than the concrete.

Next, put some steel reinforcing bars in place and pour the concrete base over the sand.  Typically, this is laid in at a depth of about three to four inches.  The finish doesn’t have to look perfect but the level does have to be fairly accurate to help with the drainage grade you will need to achieve with the final stone layer.  We also use a product called micro-fiber, which gets mixed right into the concrete for extra strength.  The primary strength of your patio is from the concrete under the stone – and if done right will give you a patio that will never crack or sink.

Finally, it is time to add your flagstone.  In the best work, the random pieces are roughly fitted together by eye, one at a time, and then trimmed with a diamond blade saw to have joints which are random, but at the same time, do not have much variance from one joint to another.  In other words, if all the joints are a little under or a little over say half an inch, then it is a topnotch job of fitting.  This is where a lot of skill comes in.

Flagstone Entryway in Thousand Oaks by Larsen Landscape

The stones are set on a high quality mortar (we use a premixed product called Spec-mix which really grabs and holds the stones).  A bubble type mason’s level needs to be in constant use for this part to ensure an even surface that drains off the rain and sprinkler water.  Getting the drainage right and avoiding puddles is probably the trickiest part.

Finally, use a grout bag (sort of like a cake icing bag used for masonry grout) to squeeze the grout into the joints.  The nicest look is achieved by using silica sand mixed together with regular cement at a one to one ratio.  The mortar is scraped off level with a trowel while it is still somewhat wet and then a sponge is used to even it out.  The sponge needs to be damp but not soaking wet for this.  The sponge is also used to clean the stone at the same time and usually the bucket of water being used for this part has to be changed frequently.

If you want to add a clear sealer to the stone to really bring out the color (and keep softer stones from being eroded by water), this can be done after the grout is dry (a day or two later).  Be sure to add an anti-skid powder to the sealer to avoid people slipping after a rainstorm.  Some of the clear sealers can be like ice when they get wet.

We use various types of stone for patio paving, garden walls, waterfalls, stepping stones and sometimes just as a garden ornament.  One particular variety of stone is called flagstone and since a large number of people, from my experience, aren’t sure what the word means, I thought I would clear it up.

Custom Flagstone Patio

The word flagstone comes from an old Icelandic word which means “spot from which sod has been cut” and an old Norse word meaning “slab of stone” – go figure.  In current usage, at least the way landscape people in Southern California use it, the word refers to flat cut pieces of stone used mostly for paving.  It can be cut uniformly, but we normally use random pieces and cut them to fit in a natural pattern rather than squares or rectangles.  In most cases, the stone isn’t really either, but rather split, giving it a natural slightly uneven look.  Hydraulic wedges can do this job fairly quickly.  I suppose those guys working for the Egyptian Pharaohs a few thousand years ago sweated over a piece of stone for days with hand tools – but then, they probably didn’t have much choice.

There are quite a few types of stone that are used for flat paving.  Flagstone is the word that covers all these types of stone – the key is that they are relatively flat and can be made into a patio or walkway without making a major tripping hazard – and some stones are definitely much smoother than other when they are split.

There is a wide range in the cost of flagstone of different types and this has largely to do with how far the pallets of stone have to travel on a truck – or even a ship.  If you like a particular stone that is mined a few miles away, chances are that it will cost less than a type of stone that is moved across most of the country.  Sometimes factors such as snowstorms affect the price if they are coming from somewhere that has huge delays due to the inability to quarry the rock fast enough.

When looking at the material for your patio you have no shortage of choices. How and what to choose can seem overwhelming. Even when you hire an expert, you’ll still be asked to make decisions. An informed decision is always better than ennie minne minney moe.

Usage is a key factor, what will the foot traffic be? How often will it be used and for what? Will there be lots of bare wet feet due to a pool? Too smooth a surface around the pool can be a slick as ice.

Full Landscape Design by Larsen Landscape

I would advise the coordination of color and future plans. Often times a yard is done is phases as time and budget allows. You may want a fireplace or water feature to enhance your space and comfort. You’ll want to consider the material for the entire plan to achieve that cohesive, high quality look. You don’t want it to look like each point was an afterthought instead of a well-planned outdoor space.

Your choices are wide, concrete, brick, gravel or flagstone. Remember, your choice should be based on what you like as well as functionality. The goal is a safe, aesthetic, comfortable, user-friendly space that brings family and friends together and outdoors.