Going Old School

Indigenous stone columns support the hand-hewn gate. Bent horseshoes serve as gate handles. Climbing hydrangeas decorate the walls. The antique, hand-chiseled horse watering trough is believed to have been built in Northern France, based on the carving style. It was shipped to England at some point before ending up in the U.S. The five tie holes are well worn from years of people tying their horses to the trough. It was replumbed with an old kitchen hand pump to a fresh water source so that the local horses and dogs can quench their thirsts.

As an aging ''Baby Boomer'' I like to believe that I employ ''old school'' techniques in my craft. Old School refers to just about anything that is from an earlier era and looked upon with high respect or setting the standard. The term may be used to refer to beliefs, music, vehicle design, or anything really, even landscaping.

I like classic cars, classic rock and classic beliefs that my parents instilled in me as a youngster. My wife however likes to remind me that I'm just plain old! Perhaps it is a little of both.

''Old school'' was the mindset for designing this unique and challenging section of a client's property. The wish list was short, yet intense, as it did not include the typical patio, fire pit and water feature. Instead, the client requested relocating the driveway to the opposite side of the property, adding temporary parking, and building a wall to soften the view of the home from the road. The client also requested a place to stop and rest for visiting neighbors, horses and dogs. The neighbors actually ride their horses down this road with their dogs following closely behind and will stop to rest or visit with our client.

Some of the challenges included complete demolition and removal of the asphalt driveway. There was also a pond in close proximity to the area that would often overflow a clogged drain and spill across the existing drive and road. The temporary parking was requested with the likelihood of the new drive entrance being flooded when a nearby river overflows its banks during the spring thaw. In addition, excavation, problematic grade changes and the necessity of wall footers all added to the overall difficulty of the site.

A curvilinear stone bench juts out from the wall. To give the wall an organic look, parts of it are buried into the hillside, plus the veneer is a natural stone that is indigenous to the area. Sandstone banding breaks up the veneer and ties in the cap and bench top. The masonry portion of the walls was completed by Mark Vance of M.A. Vance Enterprises. The pavement is reclaimed granite cobbles, believed to have originated in Belgium, then as ballast for ships crossing the Atlantic to American shores. Those bassast cobbles ended up paving city streets in Cleveland at the turn of the 20th century. After decades of traffic running over them, the cobbles were retired from street duty and became available for creative projects like this.

The large trees and their root zones also could not be disturbed. The desired final result was guided by an old school design philosophy and obtained through repurposing or upcycling of materials and using the in-house artisans at Impullitti Landscaping to implement the project. An artisan can be described as one engaged in an occupation or craft who combines raw talent and experience with the knowledge and passion to expressively work and create using all of these artful abilities.

Repurposing or upcycling of course refers to the use of a product, material or even information for a purpose other than how it was originally intended to be used. Repurposing an item or material can be done by modifying it to fit a new use, or by using the item "as is," but in a new way. While keeping the environment in mind, we were able to make use of the spoils from the old driveway as base material for the new one, a smart alternative to filling landfills with discarded site material. A stonewall was created to frame the view of the home from the road, while simultaneously looking as though it had always been there. The wall had to take a serpentine shape to squeeze it into an area the grades and trees. Allowing the site to dictate some of the early thoughts and concepts allow the project to grow within the geographical restraints, and thus not compromising the existing surroundings.

To give the wall an organic look, parts of it are buried into an existing hillside, plus the veneer is a natural stone that is indigenous to the area. Sandstone banding breaks up the veneer and ties in the cap and bench top.

The first stanza of one of the client's favorite poems from Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) was etched into a large, hand-selected stone. The stone was then set into the wall in a prominent spot above the stone bench.

The stanza reads:
I've often wish'd that I had clear
For life six hundred pounds a year,
A handsome house to lodge a friend,
A river at my garden's end,
A terrace walk, and half a rood
Of land set out to plant a wood.
Source: ''Imitation of Horace,''
Book ii. Sat. 6

A hand-hewn arbor tops the wall to complete the old Western Reserve feel. (Editor's note: Before Ohio became a state its northeast corner was part of Western Connecticut and called the "Western Reserve." It was an area for New England expansion and settlement. The New England architecture and customs can still be found throughout the area.) The custom gates have an equestrian theme: horseshoes heated and bent at 90 degree angles serve as handles. A large stone was hand selected to be the backdrop for one of the client's favorite poems by Jonathan Swift (1667-1745). The first stantz of the poem is etched into the stone on the wall (see above).

Now here's a residential amenity not often seen anymore: an upping stone (foreground with moss growing on it) to help horse riders mount and dismount their steads. It was reclaimed from an inn in Pennsylvania. The plantings behind the upping stone are a small Acer palmatum 'Viridis' – cutleaf Japanese maple, a perennial ground cover of Heuchera x villosa 'Carmamel' coral bells and small arching Cotoneaster apiculatus "Cranberry' shrubs.

The stone was then set into the wall in a prominent spot above a curvilinear stone bench that juts from the wall. We located an old hand-carved horse trough thought to have been created in Northern France, based on the carving style. It was shipped to England at some point and eventually to the U.S. It has five much worn tie holes from people tying their horses to the trough while going on about their business.

We replumbed an old kitchen hand pump to a fresh water source to fill the trough for use by horses and dogs. We purchased corks from a local home brewing company to plug the drain hole in the trough. This makes cleaning easy as the water simply flows into an underground drain system. We excavated the area where the pond would overflow and built a deep dry-laid boulder well. The water now flows over the boulders and down into a concrete culvert that runs under the entire area; it ties into a small swale/creek before eventually finding its way to the river.

An upping stone originally from an old inn in Pennsylvania now adds to the over all aesthetics of the area, as well as making remounting the horse much easier. Visitors passing through the gate are enticed to pause and enjoy the view from two stone benches, believed to be reclaimed rooftop cap pieces from a multistory ''old school'' house in Southern Ohio. Their unique shape is reminiscent of a warm loaf of bread coming out of the oven; their heavy scale anchors the area and brings permanence to a new landscape.

A hand-carved bird bath and pedestal with an antique metal bird is nestled into a bed of Mazus albiflorus across the walk from the benches. A tall piece of quarried sandstone with a lot of natural character was used as an obelisk to signify the transition from a brick walk to a gravel and stepping stone path that leads up to the home. The main pavement functions as a gathering area, a walkway and a tranquil spot to pause and soak in the beauty of the day. The attempt was not to have the area look like a driveway or parking area, but allow for emergency parking when the roads flood.

The stone columns are uplit with KLV360 low-voltage well lights with FMW (wide flood) 36-watt MR-16 lamps (Kim Lighting). The uplighting under the stone bench is the same well lights, but with 20-watt MR16s with a 40???(R)???AE? beam angle. The down lighting on the walls is 8.5-watt wedge base LEDs (1L6.XXX from Integral Lighting). Behind the wall the Japanese maple is uplit with 20-watt MR16s with a 60???(R)???AE? spread (Kim KLV205), and the other mature trees, Norway spruce, white pine and oaks, with PAR 38 90-watt lamps (KIM EL220). The lighting was by Donavin Baumgartner of Vanderwist of Northeast Ohio.

The material we chose was reclaimed granite cobbles, believed to have originated in Belgium and then served as ballast on ships crossing the Atlantic to American shores. Once the cobbles were no longer needed for ballast they went to pave city streets in Cleveland at the turn of the 20th century. After countless years of use and multiple changes in the types of vehicular traffic, the cobbles were retired from street duty and became available for creative projects like ours.

Soft lighting effects emulate the glow radiating from the house perched up on the hill, thus giving the site a warm and inviting feel like a Kinkaid painting. The strategically placed low-voltage lighting highlights the architecture of the project and emphasizes the texture and natural beauty of the stone.

The path leading to the house transitions from brick pavement to gravel. Reclaimed stone cap pieces from an old school house in Southern Ohio anchor the site and serve as benches.

A custom serpentine cedar arbor tops the stone walls. The arbor and gate were constructed by Delbert Kurz of S & K Trim.

The hand chiseled birdbath is set within a bed of Mazus albiflorus, with an antique metal bird to encourage the aves crowd to partake of its waters.

The plant palette for this portion of the project involved repetition of plant material from other parts of the home to integrate with prior installations. The area is predominantly shady, so we specified a lot of ferns, astilbes, Hakonechloa macra, Ligularia, and Brunnera macrophylla. Trees and shrubs included: Hydrangea paniculata "Tardiva', Cornus kousa chinensis, Fothergilla gardenii, rhododendron "English Roseum' and Cotoneaster horizontalis. Hydrangea anomala petiolaris vines were trained unto the walls to add to the desired aged effect. They will be kept trimmed so as not to hide the beautiful stonework.

In todays electronic, fast paced, precast, here today gone tomorrow society it is nice to slow down and appreciate the craftsmanship of a bygone era. There is a lot to be learned from the old school ways, indicitive of why you often hear the phrases "the good old days" and "the greatest generation." Do yourself a favor and take a trip back once in awhile. The tweets, texts and newest trends will wait.