Magnificent Upgrade

By Kathleen Neave, Neave Group Outdoor Solutions

Located in New York, this Neave Group Outdoor Solutions project features two distinct patios. The upper patio was built using 8x8-inch Umbriano autumn sunset squares installed in a square pattern; they then inlaid a basket weave pattern of copthorn burgundy red stone. Photos: Kathleen Neave, Neave Landscaping

Neave Group Outdoor Solutions deconstructs and then rebuilds a Wappingers Falls, New York backyard into an outdoor living retreat, complete with an entertainment area featuring a 10-seat bar, outdoor barbeque kitchen beneath a cedar pergola, as well as a putting green and revamped playground area.

This project consisted of tearing down the home's wood-step entrance to the deck, removing an old patio and building a new entrance to the home's existing screened porch. The project's main focus was to create a more enjoyable backyard experience. To this end, the contractor built two new patios, a putting green, and a playground area that's visible from most of the entertainment areas. The contractor also built steps leading to the new patio and wall around a pigeon coup house.

For the lower patio hardscape, the contractor installed Umbriano (autumn sunset) in three different sizes in the pattern: 16x16, 8x16 and 8x8-inch size block. They incorporated the copthorn as a soldier course inlay to match the natural stone.

The contractor laid in more than one mile of 1/2-inch electrical conduit for lighting and electrical wiring. Low voltage wiring feeds the pathway lights shown here. They also ran conduit for A/C outlets at the patio and outdoor kitchen locations.

Patios

The contractor built the upper patio, and complemented it with an entertainment area complete with an outdoor kitchen area. In addition, they constructed a custom cedar pergola. The contractor made sure the area was made large enough to fit a full-size dining table. The lower patio features a stone fireplace and wood storage.

In the upper patio, the contractor augmented the Umbriano with natural yellow 18x18-inch patio inlays of Chinese granite, as well as using a blue-river granite border, a black 4x4-inch cobblestone detail inlay and a UNILOCK copthorn inlay border.

Additionally, all bar tops and fireplace caps are constructed from 2-inch custom-template bluestone with rock face sides. All the stone material was custom, hand-cut to match the dimensions and curvature of the walls, steps and bar area.

Neave also built a 100-square-foot patio using brussels block in the lower access area for a seating area outside the pigeon coup; they continued this design in the access steps and catwalk around the pigeon coup. The contractor built the catwalk itself using Unilock Roman pisa wall stone and Brussels pavers accented with a Unilock bull-nose coping.

Workers assembled scaffolding and then built the retaining wall out of 8x8x16 inch cinder block. To level the area behind the wall in preparation for the lower patio, more than 500 tons of fill dirt and soil was imported and placed.

For the grass area, the contractor laid more than 15,000 square feet of sod on the hill, behind the pigeon coup area and on the side of the house leading to the playground area. The play area was treated with 22x50 feet of synthetic turf. They planted more than 50 new trees on the wood line perimeter border at the rear of property; in addition to the trees, the contractor planted 400 shrubs and perennials. To feed all this plant material, 1,000 feet of irrigation line was laid in. The plants and trees are all irrigated with Hunter Irrigation valves, PGP rotary and pop-up spray heads, as well as Tech Line drip pipe.

Play Area

Both patios lead down to the new putting green and playground area. The left side of the lower patio leads down to yet another patio and newly built pigeon coup. According to Kathleen Neave, the company used various natural stone materials to, ''Add interest and give the project a natural feel to enhance the environment.''

More than 15 natural rock boulders were strategically placed around the putting green and around the fireplace area, according to the contractor, ''To create a natural mountain-side affect, while retaining the slope.''

The contractor installed more than 200 linear feet of bluestone steppers as a walkway through the landscape above the putting green and as a walkway from the lower patio to the pigeon coup.

The plants here include a purple cone-flower, as this site is another full-sun area. According to the contractor, these flowers offer great summer color. The 20 irrigation zones are controlled by ICC controllers. The entire project took nine months to complete.

Neave workers used 8 x 8 x16-inch cinder block stone framework exclusively, which they set on a 2-foot wide concrete footer originating 42 inches below finished grade. They used Old Ashler Moss stone, hand cutting and chiseling each piece to form a rock-face appearance. This technique leaves no mortared joints exposed, and provided a clean crisp edge and finish. The walls, the bar, all the step bases, the fireplace and the home's foundation were all faced with the Moss-stone material.

Lighting

To light the areas, the contractor used four fixture types of Unique Lighting product. On the 24-volt system, the contactor ran a series of 10-watt and 35-watt fixtures. The lighting scheme includes up-lighting trees, pergola accent lights onto the stone counter top, step-lights set into the stone steps and path-lights down to the pigeon house.

Landscape lighting was installed as well into all the natural-stone walls, steps around the bar, on the bar walls, inside the fireplace, into the pergola. There are even lights inside the putting green holes. Electrical outlets were installed for the outdoor kitchen; TV cable wire was run to the bar's entertainment area for stereo and television outlets.

Neave incorporated 24 6-inch thick bluestone tread risers for the steps leading to the putting green and down to the lower area for access to the client's pigeon coup.

The plant material includes Red Knock out Rose and Autumn Joy Sedum. These plants were chosen because the area is in full sun, which the roses thrive in. The contractor also planted Thesedum, as it also prefers full sun and provides great late-summer and early-fall color. Workers prepped the soil by mixing in compost to a depth of 8 to12 inches across all plant beds. The plants were augmented with a mychorizzae root stimulant, and received three inches of natural bark mulch.

Water and Gas

The project's irrigation comes via both drip-line and traditional sprinkler systems. Hunter and Tech Line product were used, while the 20 irrigation zones are controlled by Hunter ICC controllers.

The contractor ran water lines from the house to the pigeon coup and installed a running water system in the house. Water line and natural gas lines were run from the house to the bar area for the wet bar. Two 1,000-gallon infiltrators were installed onto the existing septic field to accept additional water from the bar area.

Challenges Faced

According to the contractor, the project's most challenging aspects involved incorporating the elevation of the upper patio with the lower patio with the putting green and pigeon coup area. Also, the installation of the pergola through the natural bluestone caps had to be perfectly cut for proper installation and fit of the pergola poles. Another challenge was reinforcing the septic system walls to accept the weight of the hardscape. During the construction, the site was hit hard by a 26-inch snowstorm that damaged many of the property's mature trees, which led to extensive tree removal and replacements.

Final Touches

Upon completion, the contractor cleaned and sealed all of the patios and bluestone caps and treads to prevent discoloration and staining. The pergola was treated with natural stain to keep the cedar looking clean and new.