When people hear the word 'landscaping' they usually picture trees, flowers, and garden gnomes. I, on the other hand, think of retaining walls and hardscape design. What's hardscape you ask. Well, it's basically the stone aspect of landscaping. It can range from natural stone to any kind of artificial material incorporated into a landscape design.
When I was working in Montana we had no shortage of natural stone to work with - small 'shim' stones used in natural rock retaining walls up to two-ton boulders were our common material. I really enjoyed that kind of work and finding the perfect stones to construct a wall was a challenge and always exciting. Keeping a wall 'level' when using natural stone can be a real challenge, and eying a dozen or more stones for possible future placement in a wall is important as well. Adjusting stones and using any of the many angles for the 'face' of the wall is important - thus the excitement of the challenge! Here in Nebraska, we don't have the abundance of stone we had in Montana, in fact it's rare if you find a rock larger than your fist.
Since we have a lack of natural stone we use a lot of preformed retaining block. The problem with retaining block is a lack of education when constructing D.I.Y. walls. I see a lot of terrible walls around town and it's painful to see any worth from their attempt at a nice, long-lasting wall. A leaning, wavy, crooked wall isn't exactly a pretty picture and isn't likely to stand long without extensive future maintenance. There are a lot of different problems you can encounter when building a wall, it's just a matter of having some experience that can help make or break the final outcome.
Recently, I have been working on a retaining wall around our place. It isn't exactly a magazine quality design or construction, but I have enjoyed putting it in place and believe it should last for quite some time. It all began last year when we determined that the concrete block wall that was put in place 25 years ago was beginning to lean too much and needed to be replaced. Not only would the wall be replaced, but we also decided to add a patio area onto the front of the house. If I could have had the help of the crew I worked with in Montana, we could have knocked the project out in less than a week. Since I was working on it during my evenings and weekends it took a few months - and then went on hold once Arlo was born. This spring I began brainstorming and came up with some plans to add on to the already existing wall.
I get a lot of relaxation from doing this kind of work. It's both a physical and mental workout. I don't work from a blueprint, it's all in my head and comes together as I construct each part. The block takes some work to remove the rough edges but it helps produce a smooth, level line as the wall is built. The important part is creating a strong foundation for the wall to sit on and making sure the first blocks are properly in place before getting carried away and building the wall in a hurry. Mentally, making a wall look nice and function properly can be two different things and finding a nice balance between the two is where experience comes in.
Here's the progression over the past year.
I'm not sure where things will go from here. The thought is to add on to the patio and create a larger sitting area near the retaining wall. Perhaps add some steps around the outside of the planting area, but those are just some of the options being tossed around. For now there's a few other projects that need to be completed around the house so the landscape work will be set aside. Besides, it takes a little time to dream up the next project and having a little time to step back and admire the work is always a welcome accomplishment.
Until again
-=Nolan=-
