Heidel Residence
BACKGROUND
The Heidel family came to us by way of a neighbor that was referred to us by a network affiliate.
They had an existing concrete slab patio that was fairly new, but not large enough for entertaining all of their friends and guests. As a result, they wanted to enlarge their patio to accommodate a fire feature with seating area.
REAR YARD CHALLENGES
• The yard was uneven and had a drainage swale that must be dealt with at the bottom of a large berm. There were moisture issues on the right side rear yard. The rear lawn area had very sparse areas with much compacted soil which prevented proper rooting of new turf grass. The berm/slope in the rear yard had erosion problems where heavy rains would wash out the soil and what little grass was there.
• The hill would need to be cut into then retained to accommodate the new outdoor living area.
• The lower areas to the rear left of the patio needed to be built up and leveled out to support an even patio surface.
• At night time, the backyard would only receive light from one or two floodlights above the old patio and whatever light came out through the house windows.
REAR YARD SOLUTIONS
• We did a preliminary sketch for them that allowed for an outdoor fireplace per their request. Upon multiple discussions and further deliberation, Mr. Heidel requested a firepit as it would prove to serve their entertaining style better. This allowed us time to explore other options for his patio and firepit.
• We proposed to overlay his concrete patio with pavers, then extend it out onto the yard where we added an above-ground retaining wall on the lower left side that stepped up to become a freestanding seatwall that circled around halfway behind the firepit area and then stepped back down to retain the slope on the backside where we had cut down to build the patio.
• We designed a circular firepit that would have a half-circle seat wall strategically placed behind it to allow for sitting by the fire while also retaining the slope. The wall and firepit were built out of a very similar/matching segmental retaining wall product by Pavestone per the client's request along with custom built wood boxes on either end of the half-circle seatwall. The seatwall and remaining retaining walls had the standard manufactured wall cap, but the wood boxes and firepit had natural TN Flagstone caps mortared in place which really added extra character to the elements.
• We extended and buried their existing downspouts to divert storm water away from the patio and rear yard areas. We also tapered the paver surface to direct water runoff into two catch basins installed next to the firepit to capture any excessive rain water and move it off of the patio. Then we built up and redirected the drainage swale in the rear of the home around to the right side of the house by way of the raised patio/wall area.
• Then we installed bermuda grass sod to match what is in the front of the home, help with absorbing moisture and stabilizing the lower soil areas.
• We also installed LED Low-voltage Outdoor Step-Lights into the firepit and seatwall to create a cozy ambiance at night. Then we installed two down lights up on the ends of the rear of the home to illuminate the dark patches between the step lights and to create a relaxing atmosphere for late evening entertainment.
END RESULT
The Heidel's ended up with an outdoor living area they love along with a backyard that is not only presentable, but beautiful!
The Heidel family came to us by way of a neighbor that was referred to us by a network affiliate.
They had an existing concrete slab patio that was fairly new, but not large enough for entertaining all of their friends and guests. As a result, they wanted to enlarge their patio to accommodate a fire feature with seating area.
REAR YARD CHALLENGES
• The yard was uneven and had a drainage swale that must be dealt with at the bottom of a large berm. There were moisture issues on the right side rear yard. The rear lawn area had very sparse areas with much compacted soil which prevented proper rooting of new turf grass. The berm/slope in the rear yard had erosion problems where heavy rains would wash out the soil and what little grass was there.
• The hill would need to be cut into then retained to accommodate the new outdoor living area.
• The lower areas to the rear left of the patio needed to be built up and leveled out to support an even patio surface.
• At night time, the backyard would only receive light from one or two floodlights above the old patio and whatever light came out through the house windows.
REAR YARD SOLUTIONS
• We did a preliminary sketch for them that allowed for an outdoor fireplace per their request. Upon multiple discussions and further deliberation, Mr. Heidel requested a firepit as it would prove to serve their entertaining style better. This allowed us time to explore other options for his patio and firepit.
• We proposed to overlay his concrete patio with pavers, then extend it out onto the yard where we added an above-ground retaining wall on the lower left side that stepped up to become a freestanding seatwall that circled around halfway behind the firepit area and then stepped back down to retain the slope on the backside where we had cut down to build the patio.
• We designed a circular firepit that would have a half-circle seat wall strategically placed behind it to allow for sitting by the fire while also retaining the slope. The wall and firepit were built out of a very similar/matching segmental retaining wall product by Pavestone per the client's request along with custom built wood boxes on either end of the half-circle seatwall. The seatwall and remaining retaining walls had the standard manufactured wall cap, but the wood boxes and firepit had natural TN Flagstone caps mortared in place which really added extra character to the elements.
• We extended and buried their existing downspouts to divert storm water away from the patio and rear yard areas. We also tapered the paver surface to direct water runoff into two catch basins installed next to the firepit to capture any excessive rain water and move it off of the patio. Then we built up and redirected the drainage swale in the rear of the home around to the right side of the house by way of the raised patio/wall area.
• Then we installed bermuda grass sod to match what is in the front of the home, help with absorbing moisture and stabilizing the lower soil areas.
• We also installed LED Low-voltage Outdoor Step-Lights into the firepit and seatwall to create a cozy ambiance at night. Then we installed two down lights up on the ends of the rear of the home to illuminate the dark patches between the step lights and to create a relaxing atmosphere for late evening entertainment.
END RESULT
The Heidel's ended up with an outdoor living area they love along with a backyard that is not only presentable, but beautiful!
Country: United States
Zip Code: 29708
