A Seaside Escape

By Sean Stowell

The home sits on a 200-foot bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Dana Point, Calif. Polished granite, limestone slab walkways and a stone bridge are all highlights of this project, the recipient of a 2002 California Landscape Contractors Association Special Effects Trophy.

The home sits on a 200-foot bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Dana Point, Calif. It looks like paradise because of the amazing setting and the work done by Patrick Carpenter and his crew from Pacific Landcrafters, but it took a lot creativity and the ability to meet challenges head-on that made this project such a success.

Awarded a California Landscape Contractors Association Special Effects Trophy in 2002, the project features water features crafted from slabs of polished granite, limestone slab walkways and a stone bridge that goes from the granite pool to the home’s solid brass entry door.

When asked what it meant to win a Special Effects Trophy, Carpenter told LCN that it was an honor to have his company’s hard work and creativity recognized by the industry.

More than 100 cast bronze spotlights and uplights were strategically placed throughout the landscape. The trees are 60" box Metrosideros excelsa (New Zeland Christmas tree); the smaller trees are Arbutus unedo (Strawberry tree). Circular brass wall lighting was cut into the walls of raised planters made of polished granite and limestone. The cantilevered outdoor staircase of limestone was outfitted with more than 900 linear feet of fiber optic lighting placed around the staircase, tucked underneath the steps. Each step had an 18-inch-by-4-foot slab of limestone fabricated with a one half inch-by-one half inch space for the lights.

“We used the materials for the job in an artistic, creative and quality way,” he said. “We built from the plans and implemented our own plans and it came out really well.”

Since 1986 Pacific Landcrafters, based in Laguna Niguel, has specialized in custom masonry, architectural concrete, custom water fountains, lighting, irrigation and high-end landscape projects. According to Carpenter, his company currently has over 40 employees. He said that most of his custom residential work is done in the Orange County area, while much of his commercial work stretches from San Diego to the U.S.–Mexico border. A lot of the company’s work is currently being done in mass housing tracts, building veneers and sound walls for these projects.

The Project

Work began on this 12,000-square-foot site early in 2002 and was finished by August of that same year. The budget for the project was near $900,00, making it one of Carpenter’s largest projects.

The cantilevered outdoor staircase of limestone was outfitted with more than 900 linear feet of fiber optic lighting, and 116 cast bronze spotlights and uplights were strategically placed throughout the landscape. Circular brass wall lighting was cut into the walls of raised planters made of polished granite and limestone. One of the estate’s most challenging engineering feats was the construction of an infinity-edged granite-veneered spa/fountain near the bluff edge. The spa has a five foot-by-five-foot beam system built into the bedrock to support the spa.

One of the estate’s most challenging engineering feats was the construction of an infinity-edged granite-veneered spa/fountain near the bluff edge. A five-foot-by-five-foot beam system built into the bedrock supports the spa.

The spa was a major challenge in this project according to Carpenter. He said in the original plans for the residence, the spa was supposed to have nine caissons that were to be about 30 feet deep and 18 inches in diameter. They got the engineer on the project to eliminate the caissons, but keep the grade beams that went below the spa.

“The beam system that went through the spa area consumed about 70 yards of concrete,” Carpenter said. “The spa took another 60-70 cubic yards of shotcrete.”

Because of the home’s seaside location, explained couldn’t be any runoff. Pacific Landcrafters engineered a disappearing drainage system so water simply vanishes from the surface of the deck into a hidden trough. The decks slope away from the home towards a grass area where there are several steps. In between each step is a six-inch planting bed. Troughs are in place between each step, and are 18-inches deep and six inches wide.

“It is all self-containing,” Carpenter said. “Water goes into the planter area where there is a French drain under it, so there is no way for water to seep out of the steps. It was all poured in place and concealed.”

Another challenge faced by Carpenter was the tight quarters to get materials through. Although the property is 12,000-square-feet, the clearance for the side yard was only about five feet wide according to Carpenter. That coupled with low power lines made for some pretty tight spots. The small clearance made it a challenge to get the large pieces of granite to the backyard and the power lines wreaked havoc on the cranes trying to move materials to the back.

The site was broken down into outdoor rooms to create privacy. Because of the high winds and salt air on the bluffs, the plantings needed to be able to handle the conditions. New Zealand Christmas trees were used around the backyard. In the front area of the house, Russian green deodara cedars and a variety of grasses, including mondo grass and liriope and chartreuse foxtail asparagus with vertical plumes, were specified as well.

“We had low power lines in the front,” Carpenter said. “We couldn’t go over them with the cranes, so we had to dip and come under them. The trees we were trying to move to the back had to be leaned over and drooped under the power lines.”

“There were a lot of challenges,” he continued. “Which one overrides the other, I don’t know.”

The fiber optic lighting was placed around the staircase, tucked underneath each cantilevered step. Each step had an 18-inch-by-4-foot slab of limestone fabricated with a one half inch-by-one half inch space where the lights were placed.

“You can’t see the lights,” Carpenter said. “The staircase just kind of illuminates.”

Carpenter was most proud of the way the hardscape came together with the seamless jointing of the granite, prompting the project’s landscape architect Daniel Stewart to call Carpenter an “excellent stone mason.”

The site was broken down into outdoor rooms to create privacy, according to Carpenter. Because of the high winds and salt air on the bluffs, the plantings needed to be able to handle the conditions. New Zealand Christmas trees were used around the backyard. In the front area of the house, Russian green deodara cedars and a variety of grasses, including mondo grass and liriope and chartreuse foxtail asparagus with vertical plumes were specified as well.

While the job was a boost to Carpenter’s reputation and business in general, it was also a great place to work. Where else can you work hard while enjoying a nice ocean breeze? And at the end of the day you are rewarded by watching the sun go down over the Pacific Ocean.