Hardscapes Help Define Large Estate

By Gregory Harris, LC/DBM

Masonry Columns with stone to match the residence flank both sides of the paver driveway. The driveway leads up to the ''porte cochere'' at the left. Beyond the porte cochere is a large paver motor court with garage access at the back of the residence. Approximately 6,000 square feet of precast concrete pavers were used on the driveway and motor court. Photos courtesy of Countryside Industries, Inc.

Building a 13,200 square foot home on one acre of property featuring large grade changes and a septic field on site was challenging for the team at Countryside Industries, Inc., but a generous use of hardscapes helped to transform the once barren lot into a residential masterpiece.

The property, located in suburban Chicago, Ill., is in an area that features rolling hills. As a result, the site features 21 feet of grade changes.

''The site had a very aggressively sloped lot that was also a bit small for the extremely large house on which it was located,'' said Joe Davito, director of Design Development at Countryside Industries. ''The grade changes made this site not only a challenge to design, but also added some interesting wall and stairway work.''

 


Construction of the driveway is underway. Limestone Retaining Walls for the circular driveway Rose Garden and front stoop are also under construction at this point. Fifteen feet of grade change in the front yard necessitated the use of walls, steps and grading.

Retaining wall construction is under way as limestone step slabs are being installed and covered with fabric for weed protection. The concrete base for the front porch is installed and retaining walls and cheek walls that flank each side of the porch are under construction.

Hardscapes Selection

Wauconda, Ill.-based Countryside Industries is a landscape architect and contractor firm that specializes in residential and commercial landscaping, municipal projects, and landscape management. On this project, Countryside developed the entire site and designed and installed all of the exterior hardscapes.

''This was a new construction on an empty lot essentially,'' Davito said. ''A project of this scale was easier to achieve by having a clean slate.''
The large house is clad with limestone and Davito said his plan was to carry the themes from the house to the exterior surfaces.

''We used limestone for the retaining walls and porch surfaces, though the stone that we used comes from different quarries from what was used on the house,'' he said.

Approximately 80 tons of drylaid limestone retaining walls were used on this project. In addition, the project has 25 tons of limestone step slabs, 595 square feet of limestone veneer on the terrace and porch surfaces and 215 square feet of limestone steppers on the path areas. The project was not exclusively limestone clad as 6,000 square feet of precast concrete pavers (Unilock Hollandstone and Olde Greenwich Cobble) were used on the driveway and rear of the house.

Sixteen feet of grade change as well as an underground septic field located on ??????? of the total back yard area also made client's wish of incorporation a large swimming pool, raised stone patio terrace and paver entertainment area in this back yard a challenge to design and build.

The project included the installation of a precast concrete paver patio with drylaid limestone walls that terrace up to the pool deck. The city required the pool area to be fenced, and due to fencing setbacks as well as interior pool area restrictions, the design and finding the right location was challenging.

Site Challenges

The real challenge on this project, Davito said, was the grade change on site. The area at the rear of the house required a large volume of fill material to build a terrace for the swimming pool. At the front of the house, fill and retaining walls were required to install a circular driveway.

''The homeowners wanted a circular driveway, but the grade made it tough to work,'' he said.

Davito designed a circular driveway plan that would work, and in doing so, he was able to include an outdoor space for the homeowners in the form of a rose garden.

The entire project took roughly two years and was done in two phases. Davito said the fill that was needed for the rear portion of the property (specifically the pool area) needed time to settle before the extensive paver work could be done. As a result, hardscapes work at the rear of the property constituted phase 2 of the project. Phase 1 of the project was devoted to the front of the house, including the driveway, porte cochere and large paver motor court.

The driveway and motor court area feature the installation of concrete pavers. Unilock Hollandstone in a herringbone pattern was used at the drop off point at the front door and at the front of the rose garden while Olde Greenwich Cobble was used on the other portions of the driveway and motor court. Davito said the Hollandstone was used at the turning areas of the circular drive because herringbone is better on a vehicle's wheels than turning a vehicle while driving over cobblestone.