East Coast Hardscape

By Jeff Crandell, Scapes, Inc.

It took Scapes, Inc. one month and four workers to transform this Harwood, Maryland backyard into a usable hardscape. After pouring in more than 60 tons of CR6 and 15 tons of concrete sand for the base, hardscape specialists laid down more than 1,500 square feet of EP Henry Conventry I pavers.

Scapes, Inc. turned a Harwood, Maryland backyard into a hardscape retreat, designed to create a functional and relaxing outdoor living space that the client could enjoy with family and friends.

The client’s mandate was to transform the barren backyard into an extension of the home. Among the many elements the contractor added was a wood burning fireplace, wet bar, pond-less waterfall, a lighting system and large barbeque/cooking pit.

To complete the project, the contractor used four workers and a host of specialty tradesmen, such as plumbers, electricians and landscape specialists.

The Patio
To construct the 1,500 square foot patio, the workers used a skid loader to transport in the tumble-style pavers for the patio surface, as well as for the matching wall stone. Before building the patio itself, workers created the perimeter sitting-wall. They built the 65-foot long wall two feet high using wall blocks and then the contractor finished the wall off with lilac-colored 2-inch thick flagstone caps. The project’s hearth and wet bar were capped using the same lilac-colored natural stone.

Fireplace
The hardscape crew started the fireplace building by installing a concrete footing using a Firerocks fireplace kit. The 10X5-foot fireplace itself took three workers six days to construct, using more than seven tons of Palomino stacked stone.

The contractor constructed the footing using concrete block and then mortared in more than three tons of Palomino stacked stone to build the 14x3-foot kitchen. They installed a stainless steel sink, and then they capped off the counter using lilac-colored PA Flagstone.

Landscaping
To compliment the large hardscape area, the contractor planted a combination of repeat blooming daylilies and knock-out roses, daylilies, liriope and ornamental grasses.

The hardscape crew started the fireplace by installing a concrete footing using a Firerocks fireplace kit. The 10X5-foot fireplace itself took three workers six days to construct, using more than seven tons of Palomino stacked stone.

The Waterfall
Four pallets of PA Fieldstone boulders and three tons of river rock were trucked in to create waterfall feature. When completed, the feature was six feet long and four feet wide. To keep the waterfall from leaking, workers installed a rubber liner. A 5-HP pump was installed to run the water. After installing conduit, electricians pulled electrical from the residence to power the pump.

For the patio base, workers used one inch of concrete sand and five inches deep by 1,500 feet of CR6 over a geotextile fabric. The pavers were installed and then workers “swept in” polymeric sand. Before installing the pavers, the contractor built the walls for lateral support. Workers constructed the 65-foot long, 2-foot high wall using wall blocks; then the contractor capped the wall with lilac-colored 2-inch thick flagstone. Following this, the hardscape crew installed the 1,500 square feet of patio pavers to the walls.

The Lighting System
For nighttime enjoyment, the contractor wired in a low-voltage lighting system. The lighting crew installed Integral lights under the perimeter wall’s caps and used 35-watt up-lights to highlight the waterfall. Workers wired all of the lights to 600-watt transformer mounted next to an exterior outlet. A dedicated power line was run from the house to power the transformer. This electrical line also feeds the waterfall pump.

To make the area enjoyable after the sun goes down, the contractor wired in a low-voltage lighting system. They installed 10-watt Integral lights under the perimeter wall’s caps and used 35-watt CAST up-lights to highlight the waterfall. All the lights get their power from a single 600-watt transformer that they mounted next to an exterior outlet. An electrician ran a dedicated power line from the house to the backside of the wall to power the transformer.

From Useless To Useful
When all was said and done, Scapes, Inc. took no more than 30 days to turn what was basically a useless area into one that functions effortlessly as a great family gathering place both for daytime and nighttime enjoyment.

Over a 3-day period, the contractor installed more than four pallets of PA Fieldstone boulders and three tons of river rock to create the 4-foot wide by 6-foot long pond-less waterfall feature. Before adding the rocks, workers dug a 6-foot deep reservoir at the base and then installed a rubber liner along the fall’s entirety. They finished off the feature with a 5-HP Easypro pump. An electrician ran a dedicated electrical line from the home to power the pump.