In the last post for this project we saw the sonotube footings beneath the four corners of the concrete slab.  When the decorative stone & brickwork is complete, each footing will secure and support a pavilion column.

Within the 12″ wide bluestone border is a row of brick to visually tie-in the surrounding brick patio. The remaining area is finished with “pattern” bluestone.

The 2 X 4″ you see sticking up next to the the stairway marks where a 4″ PVC sleeve is located (see photo left). It should be routine that sleeves are installed whenever hardscape construction causes a barrier from getting future wires and utilities from one side to the next.  Make sure you indicate on the landscape plan where these sleeves are located.  I guarantee sometime in the future you’ll need to find them.  Another little trick is to grind a small mark in the stone where the sleeve is – a mark that will be there forever.

With the patio areas complete it was time for the pavilion construction to begin. Dalton Pavilions, located in PA, sent a crew along with the pavilion components.

Their first task was to locate and square the 4 corners of the pavilion. If the mason contractor did his job well, those 4 points should be directly over the sonotube footings.

To the right you’ll see the electrical conduit and wire to power the paddle fan and light for the pavilion.  This feature was planned from the beginning and was specified in the construction drawings.  The mason had to locate the conduit precisely in the footing to accomodate a predrilled hole in the flange of the steel column.

These 5 X 5″ square steel columns are the essence of the pergola’s strength.  They are responsible for supporting the balance of the structure above them, and to secure the entire structure to the ground.

For each steel column four holes were drilled through the patio and into the sonotube footings.  Threaded steel rods could then be anchored into the holes using Hilti Epoxy.  In a short time the epoxy is hardened enough that the steel columns are set and bolted down securely. With the decorative white columns slid over the steel the true strength of the pavilion is beautifully concealed.

In the next project post we’ll see the pavilion come together as a key focal point and shelter in this landscape.

Here’s the next post for this project.

Overhead Wires Can Sometimes Be An Eyesore

Usually when there are overhead wires they are in front of the house along the road.  That’s usually a workable feature in that most passers-by look at the house and generally don’t pick up on the wires.

This backyard project, however, had an atypical situation.  The utility poles and wires ran along the back property line.  Yep, you got it – that means the “wire drops” to feed the house hung right over the backyard.  In fact, right over where the new raised terrace/patio was planned.

When the homeowner first moved in five years ago and we evaluated the landscape, it was clear we’d have to reroute the wires underground.  It was therefore no surprise for the homeowner to see the cost in the budget, but they would have rather saved that money or spent it on an enjoyable feature.

Strict Codes and Regulations

As you would expect, putting the utilities underground was one of the first phases of this project.  The toughest codes and regulations applied to the power lines.  The licensed electrician on the job contacted the power company to begin the process.  Paperwork was filled out and a representative from the power company visited the site to guide us on the details & requirements. He even marked the utility pole where he wanted our underground conduit to come up.  I’m told by a power company worker that this is particularly important on poles located along the road because they want the conduit away from where a car would likely strike it.  Good thinking, right?

The trench was dug 3′ or greater in depth.  In the bottom we placed a layer of sand and then three PVC conduits.  The largest diameter is for power, and the other two for phone and cable.

And In Closing…

Whether you’re closing a trench that contains sprinkler pipe, water lines, gas lines or electric, take the time to be careful how you backfill.  In the case of these major utilities the conduits were resting on top of sand and then eventually covered with sand.  This does 2 important things:

• The sand provides a clean, rock-free surround to protect the pipes.
• The sand serves as a “marker material” that should warn anybody that might ever be digging nearby that there are utilities in the area.

An additional requirement was to bury a special metallic tape just above the sand layer .  This tape would also serve as a “visual marker” if someone were digging, but also, because it is metallic it can be traced electronically.

Like everything else in construction, be thorough and don’t cut corners.  You don’t want any problems showing up in the future.

Here’s the next post on this project.

Organized Chaos

To some it may look like chaos – two excavators working close to one another.  But if you stand there for a while and watch, it begins to almost look choreographed.  These machine operators know exactly what each other is doing because they’re experienced and have planned their strategy in advance.  The steel rods with plastic caps on them were deliberately positioned as reference points.  The rods are also marked with elevation points and serve as grade stakes to show where important heights should be.

Right Machine For The Job

This project required major earth moving and boulder placement work, along with smaller, more detailed excavation tasks.  To the right you see the mini excavator, operated by landscape contractor Dave Kennedy, installing and backfilling PVC conduit.  The larger excavator would have been too much for this task.  Meanwhile, Dave had the big machine dump clean fill next to his trench for backfilling.

Level 3 And Onward

To divide this sloped property into usable spaces there are 4 distinct levels: entrance/reception area, lawn/play area, pool/cabana area, and at the lowest level the sportcourt.  At left is the larger excavator working under the direction of Dave Kennedy to set the boulder outcroppings to retain the last major elevation change.  Some of these boulders are 5′ to 6′ in diameter, but quite manageable for this machine. In fact, Dave sees to the precise placement of each boulder by guiding the excavator to make fractional adjustments.  The challenge is to combine the engineered retainment function of the boulders with aesthetics.  If you’re successful at both, the result is a beautiful slope of rockery and plants that retains the earth and lasts forever.

Here’s the previous post for this project. And here’s the next.

Years ago we always made sure there was an outdoor electrical outlet near patios and pools so folks could plug in a music player of sorts.

As much as we all like peace and quiet when we’re relaxing, sooner or later we’d like some music outdoors, especially if we’re entertaining.

I remember first using outdoor speakers that mounted on the home, usually right underneath an eave or soffit.  Today we still use these, but now there are speakers that are installed right out into the gardens.

With the popularity of outdoor audio, companies that specialize in home entertainment systems now offer to include “the outdoors” into their designed systems.

Things To Consider For Outdoor Speakers

Know where all the components are going. This goes back to the basic principle behind a comprehensive landscape plan. If from the very beginning you are aware of every feature, you can then strategically integrate those features during the project.  It’s the same with building the home.  It’s so much easier to wire and install components as the house (or addition) is being built.

Get some professional advice or do your research. In most cases there is an audio person involved on our projects and typically this technician is handling the entertainment features inside the home too. I’ll meet with this person and the homeowner to hash out the design and details of the outdoor speakers and audio system.

For the do-it-yourselfer, no doubt there’s a ton of information out there to research if you you’d like to come up with an audio system design of your own. I would also think the audio component stores would give advice.

Outdoor Speaker Installation

Stake or mark-out the outdoor speaker locations. It’s always helpful to have visual markers set to show where proposed features are going.

In this project (first picture) we worked with an audio company to bring the sound capabilities of the existing home system to the outside.

The company explained that the outdoor speakers should be located strategically throughout the area so that you can maintain an even volume. This made perfect sense. With too few speakers in one area you would have to crank the volume for sound further away. Not good!

The audio company first suggested outdoor speakers mounted under the eave of the house. But to balance the sound out into the yard they installed “rock-speakers” in the landscape. Rock-speakers are offered in a few different styles and colors, and I assure you they sound better than they look:)

A Landscape Contractor and Outdoor Speaker Installation

Installing the outdoor wiring for the audio should be the responsibility of the landscape contractor. Why? Because each feature within the project integrates and relates to one another.  The landscape contractor is the one best qualified in determining where best to dig, when to dig and what other utilities or features must still be installed.

Working together with the audio company the landscape contractor will know exactly what is needed for the audio system, including the outdoor speaker locations, how they are to be zoned and where all the wire runs should terminate for the eventual hook-up.

With this information and guidance from the audio company the landscape contractor can trench and install the necessary components and wires.

All the exterior audio wire I have worked with has been “direct burial,” which means it can go directly in the ground and come in contact with the soil. However, we always try to use conduit as an added layer of protection.

Additional speaker wire is left by each speaker so that it can be moved and adjusted.

The audio companies like the fact that they are technically involved, but not responsible for the trenching and site work.

Once the trenching, wire and conduit work is complete the audio company returns and performs the final hook-ups and technical work. This collaborative approach produces the best final outcome. Each contractor is contributing their core competencies so there are no shortcomings in the process. It is collaboration strategy like this that produces great overall results in your landscape project.