By Leslie McGuire, managing editor

Trace Adkins, seen at the far, left is a fluid and dynamic person, and it stands to reason that creating an outdoor patio for Trace Adkins would be, as landscape architect Mike Kahnle of Land Design Inc of Nashville, Tenn. put it, ?EUR??,,????'??a very fluid and dynamic process.?EUR??,,????'??
Photos courtesy of Stone Age Manufacturing Inc.

At 46, Trace Adkins is the same guy from Sarepta, Louisiana who, after singing in a gospel group and attending college and working on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, moved to Nashville in the 1990s and eventually made a name for himself in the country music business. Also, in late 2007, Adkins wrote a book. ?EUR??,,????'??A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Freethinking Roughneck.?EUR??,,????'??

?EUR??,,????'??The site is a really interesting farm out in the country, directly adjacent to a built lake close by to Trace?EUR??,,????'???s barn,?EUR??,,????'?? says landscape architect Mike Kahnle of Land Design Inc. of Nashville, Tenn. ?EUR??,,????'??Prior to building the patio, the chosen site had a concrete pad which was the last vestige of an existing dairy farm. We wanted to incorporate the existing concrete pad as the base of the patio.?EUR??,,????'?? But once they started working with it the age and condition of the concrete (imbued with the spirit of many cows) didn?EUR??,,????'???t allow that. ?EUR??,,????'??We ended up removing it altogether and from that standpoint, we had a blank slate and ultimately ended up moving the patio site altogether.?EUR??,,????'??

Land Design, Inc. has a long working relationship with Trace Adkins. About ten years ago, Mike Kahnle had designed the lake and the island in the lake as well. To make sure the patio didn?EUR??,,????'???t flood they brought in stone fines to get the land up to an elevation that would protect it. That became a large stone covered patio area. They used a 30/70 mix between Jamestown flagstone and crab orchard flagstone.

Field conditions combined with a three day TV shoot for Indoors Out, part of the Do-it Yourself network, contributed to the necessity of being flexible. ?EUR??,,????'??The new site we picked is five to ten feet away from the lake. There was a concern that this was a built retention pond. Although it?EUR??,,????'???s primary function is aesthetic, during rain events it floods. Land Design, Inc. has a long working relationship with Trace Adkins. About ten years ago, Mike Kahnle had designed the lake and the island in the lake as well. To make sure the patio didn?EUR??,,????'???t flood they brought in stone fines to get the land up to an elevation that would protect it. That became a large stone covered patio area. They used a 30/70 mix between Jamestown flagstone and crab orchard flagstone.

The patio cover was constructed of enormous rough hewn, white pine stained to match the barn. Initially the fireplace had been designed to be part of the outdoor grill and cook area, but as the size and scale of the project increased, it became clear it wouldn?EUR??,,????'???t fit and was relocated to opposite side of pavilion.

The fireplace design was a collaboration between the landscape architect and the stonemasons who interpreted that design and made it work. Stone Age Manufacturing provided the aerated concrete kit. Their stonemasons then came back and clad the kit with Tennessee fieldstone.

The fireplace design was a collaboration between the landscape architect and the stonemasons who interpreted that design and made it work. Stone Age Manufacturing provided the aerated concrete kit. Their stonemasons then came back and clad the kit with Tennessee fieldstone.

Chris Agee at Living Stone Landscape Design managed the installation. Large boulders were brought in as well as some that were selected from the site.

?EUR??,,????'??Trace used his tractor to pull them down,?EUR??,,????'?? says Kahnle. ?EUR??,,????'??We were happy to utilize Chris Agee?EUR??,,????'???s expertise in being able to have a more creative approach to the design. He could take giant boulders that weighed 6,000 pounds and could incorporate them into the design. That changed it from the design that was originally on paper. It was a great collaboration.?EUR??,,????'??

?EUR??,,????'??We were really trying to please Rhonda, Trace?EUR??,,????'???s wife, the most. She wanted it feel as if the fireplace had been there forever and had been excavated from the hillside. It was built to be seamless with the rock outcroppings.

Adkins is a fluid and dynamic person, and it stands to reason that creating an outdoor patio for Trace Adkins would be, as put it, ?EUR??,,????'??a very fluid and dynamic process.?EUR??,,????'??

The patio cover was constructed of rough hewn, white pine stained to match the barn. Initially the fireplace had been designed to be part of the outdoor grill and cook area, but as the size and scale of the project increased, it became clear it wouldn?EUR??,,????'???t fit and was relocated to opposite side of pavilion.

?EUR??,,????'??The three-day shoot was challenging. We compressed two weeks of work into three days, which was fun, but in order to be able to do it in that time frame, we had three stone crews, the pavilion builder with three guys, three stone crews?EUR??,,????'??+ one each for the walls, the fireplace and the paving.?EUR??,,????'??

?EUR??,,????'??Staging?EUR??,,????'?? the shots of the finished job is where all the animal skulls and shafts of wheat came in, making it look lived in and brought out the ?EUR??,,????'??coziness factor.?EUR??,,????'?? ?EUR??,,????'??The plantings we tried to use are mostly native to Tennessee?EUR??,,????'??+party ferns, oak leaf hydrangea and some native grasses.