Features Create Feelings
If you think about it, everything in design creates some kind of feeling or emotion.
A wall in a room creates a certain feeling of space. Remove that wall or create a “half-wall” and you get a different feeling.
Walls in the landscape are used functionally to retain earth and create levels, and they are also used by design to define space, lead the eye, etc. No matter the purpose walls create feelings.
The Project
The first requirement for this project was to solve the problem of too narrow an entrance to the driveway.
In addition, the homeowner did not like the imposing look and feeling of the rock walls on the sides. From a practical standpoint the existing rock walls were a danger to cars that might veer off the drive.
As you can see, the grade levels along the drive are higher than the driveway so there has to be some type of grade/slope management.
The 2 large spruce trees on either side were transplanted further away from the drive to make room for both widening the entrance and future growth of the trees.
Know the size potential of all plants in your designs. You want your planting arrangements to sustain for many years.
The existing rock walls and boulders were removed and stored on-site for future placement.
Stone like this is a valuable resource. Whatever can’t be re-used on one project should be stored for future projects.
In the picture above you see the excavator following painted lines which indicate the driveway’s new width and shape.
He’ll also sculpt the grade back from the edge to form a gradual slope rather than an abrupt cut.
In my next post I’ll show the revised driveway entrance with boulders repositioned as natural rock outcroppings and new plantings arranged to soften the look.
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