Hardscaping

Courtyard Project – Phase Two: Retaining Wall

We have been pondering and planning the materials and design for the south side of the courtyard for a year now. I can’t tell you how many different ideas we have tested out for the treatment of this space. It is the transition between the courtyard and the lower vegetable garden area. There is about a four foot drop in the elevation between the two areas, and it occurs at the south end of the courtyard area.

Well we finally settled on the use of a retaining wall with a set of stairs, using Pavestone products, to deal with the multiple challenges of this space. We chose the San Marcos blend color of paver blocks which is essentially ground up and reconstituted limestone, so it works well with the sawn limestone that we have used to build the raised beds in both the courtyard area, and the lower gardens. It is not identical, but it blends in nicely.

The photo above, taken from the Pavestone gallery, captures the look that we will be emulating. The wall will be built just outside of the old fence line (shown in the photos below by the still existing fence posts, and will be approximately four feet high at its highest point. This is half a foot above the level of the courtyard, and will enable the extension of the courtyard southward for about six feet. The southwest end of the courtyard, which is shaded by a large oak tree, will become a small grotto sitting area, with a set of stairs adjacent to it leading to the lower gardens. The retaining wall will extend on the east side of the stairs, with the height of the wall decreasing with the natural grade of the land.

The photos below show the stone and various aspects of the area where the wall is being installed.

More discussion and photos will be forthcoming as progress occurs.

Happy holidays!

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