Three Down Around the Lakes

We did wrap up in Timber Bay and I must say the patio, bench, stone walls and steps are magnificent, truly the work of talented and skilled individuals.  Working with all natural stone requires patience, an analytical brain, strong back and an eye for detail.  Stone masons have been highly sought after since man first put chisel to rock.  The warmth of the rocks, the enduring beauty and changing patina of the stone make flagstone the timeless, classic choice for a patio.

The job on Lake James concluded last week as well.  We used erosion fabric on nearly the entire yard since the customers are not able to water as often as we would like, the fabric holds the moisture well and now is an ideal time to seed in northeast Indiana.  The large wall along the roadside is designed basically like a huge planter, the arborvitae hedge will grow together and provide a good screen for the house from the busy road.

Because we are building a color themed rock wall and steps on another house on Lake James I went hunting for a very specific rock today.  The rock needed to be around 3.5' x 32" x 15", dark blue and flat on both sides and by golly I found it at the first gravel pit I went to Hansen Aggregates in Angola.
So I thought I would share the journey of the 2,036 pound behemoth.  Next stop for the bugger is as a giant step into the lake.

My trip around the gravel pit was more like being in a lunar scape the boulder field is on the far edge of the pit and provides a good view into the bowel of the operation.  Shopping for rocks is always a trip.

Sticks and Stones

Morning Sailors on Lake James

Larry & Charlene like the flagstone patio, walk and stairs we installed last year so much that Larry tore off the second level wood deck and we designed another flagstone patio with  a seating wall and bench.
The old concrete stoop was linked to the patio with snap cut stairs.  Bill and Doug should wrap this one mid next week.  It is going to be sharp.

So much is going on, we are still busy and we have not hit our fall rush yet.  Since we are located in a seasonal resort area many of our customers want any major disruptive work to wait until after they close up their cottages which is around Labor Day.  Additionally builders are pushing now to get in foundations, framing and roofs on any new builds to sustain them with interior work over the winter.  Customers are never happy with snow in a new home. 

Unloading cut bluestone slabs

We are working on Lake James building free stacked glacial retaining walls,  installing drainage tiles, seawall renovation, constructing a stoop, installing a yard and snap cut staircase all before the house is even built.  We are working strictly on the lakeside of the property with our only reference being the stamped concrete pour for the porches.  Once the house is actually up access to the lakeside will be severely restricted on the steep grade.

Large bluestone accents on bottom and smaller bluestone accents on top terrace

We are trying something different with these glacial walls, inserting a bluestone in a pattern on both the
terraces.  The stone matches the steps and porches.

Out on Clear Lake Gary and Cody have been busy this week constructing the fence and arbor that we pre-cut and painted at the shop, actually the customer painted it at our location.  The bluestone slabs that Jon cut will be laid to form a path through the new garden.  We are switching to the east side of the house now adding snap cut steps to the hill and a small retaining wall where we will be planting a specimen evergreen.  This job too should wrap next week.

Jon cutting bluestone slabs

The big Allan Block job on Lake James should also conclude this coming week. We installed soil ahead of Chuck's Concrete (they are poured the drive & walk) we will be boxed out of using any equipment to finish our work due to the tight lot line.  The landscape design of this job reflects the busy lifestyle of the homeowners with easy care plants, stone and weed barrier top dressing and small but functional beds.

Boulder Table & Chairs

The past two weeks have been especially soggy, devastating since spring is the busiest time of the year and we are just getting geared up for mulching and annual flower installation. Our regular 400 odd man hours was reduced to just under 200 two weeks ago, this week we managed to get back up there with about 300 man hours, lets hope the skies quit leaking this next week.

Many of the jobs we work are on hills so it often becomes impossible to get down those hills with equipment when they start getting greasy. We are working a job on Clear Lake where we used plastic to cover up much of the lot to keep it dry, it helped but was not completely reliable. The customer found the slapping of the plastic rather annoying as the wind howled and lifted the sheet in rhythmic obnoxious beats.

Installing a patio and sidewalk with stones that weigh several hundred pounds each is difficult enough without adding wet, muddy, clay soils that cling to every surface but somehow Bill and Bruce Pardue managed to get it done. It looks awesome. I can't wait to plant the yard and get some green growing between the gaps in the walk, the patio will be infused with a variety of ground covers. They even took advantage of a warm and dry Saturday to get the yard roughed in and ready for irrigation. Our next challenge for this project will be a surprise retaining wall that is now needed, the result of excavation required for the installation of the concrete driveway and drains.

We wrapped up the flagstone patio for Charlene and Larry in Timber Bay having to wait almost a week before the rain stopped long enough to finish up with the "Gator Dust" we used to form a near solid grout between the flagstone gaps. When Larry and Charlene finish the planting, the grass seed comes up and they have their new patio ready to party I will snap some new photo's for the blog.

We average maybe one flagstone patio or walk per year and so far this year we have done two each with a different type of flagstone. Jo and Stan chose classic gray which goes really well with their new home on Lake Pleasant, which is only three or four miles from the shop (a nice break with the price of fuel). We installed the patio, built the beds, put in the big trees and Jo, Stan and their children are installing the plants, mulch and preen this week end.

One of the unique features of this patio is the large boulders that are used as tables, chairs and climbing rocks for the grand kids. The boulders are built into the edge of the patio and Jo thinks they will be well used, the certainly are low maintenance.

Two Down

The first two weeks of work have gone rapidly. We had a couple of episodes of putting "humpty dumpty" back together again after winter damage but overall not to bad. Things are shaping up, we have four new houses signed with complete landscaping, a large finish for a project we started last season, a job with rock wall terraces and a large flagstone patio and walk.

Theresa has been out applying fertilizer and herbicides, evaluating the needs of our maintenance customers and gearing up for spring clean up and flower planting. We do not install annuals in this neck of the woods until after mothers day the traditional last frost day.

We have picked up a couple of new crew mates this season and lost Darrick who left us to move away and get married. Rick Roudebush has returned, a former employee who has been attending college he will work through the summer. One of our good pals has a son taking landscaping in college he has joined us part time and will work full time in May. Our multi talented employee Gary crashed his 3 wheeler last week end and has been in the hospital having had surgery to repair a broken bone. He will be missed during his convalesces but we are fortunate to borrow Bruce Pardue a 16 year veteran equipment operator who is laid off from M & C Trenching our excavation partner.

Larry and Charlene's flagstone patio and walk is nearly complete and looks awesome. One of the coolest features are the two snap cut steps that span the 16' staircase and they were not part of the original plan. After taking drop (the distance between the top of our patio and the bottom stair) it was evident that we would either have to have steps or a retaining wall or possibly a combination of both. I saw the opportunity to add a greater sense of elegance with a sunken patio in an already stunning location. It took a bit of convincing for others to see my vision but I think everyone really likes the result. We should wrap it up this week. Charlene and Larry will be grilling bunnies on the patio for Easter .

Progress at Jane and Craig's has been stellar for the painters, they are mostly finished and have produced the warm and cozy background that is the foundation for the interior decor. I did learn a new unique method of painting doors from the painters. The barrel roll porch has been framed and the concrete steps and porch have been poured. We will be installing pavers over the concrete surfaces. The siding is progressing and should be complete this week. Our final hurdle is waiting on the dredging of the channel between the shoreline and the island, the state of Michigan has been holding this up since last fall in the Never Never Land know as the permitting process.

A New Outdoor Room

One of our first projects this spring will be to install a flagstone patio for long time customers Larry and Charlene who live in beautiful, pristine location on Snow Lake. Their addition really started to take off about 15 years ago and we were privileged to landscape many of those new homes. As I have said before we can do all or part of the landscape installation and fifteen years age this couple still had lots of energy, and less aches and pains so they did a lot of the work themselves Millgrove helped with design and some of the heavier projects. They have added beds and changed their outdoor space over the years. Larry built a great little arbor as a garden entrance and they have grouped some of the largest trees into well tended beds. Despite living on a heavily wooded lot the grass is strong, evidence of the couples meticulous care of their lawn and gardens. Someone is always out with a rake chasing the nuts and leaves that are the entertainment of early spring clean up. There is an easement next to this property which makes access go from extremely difficult to a near cake walk. Without the access much of this project would have to be accomplished with wheelbarrow power and the Dingo. There is room now to even use our big Deere. Charlene and Larry chose a flagstone called "Rustic" it is sandstone with a variety of tan, dark brown and a light rust colors. Our original plan calls for medium size stone (2-3" thick and 16-24" length and width) but we may change and up size the individual flagstone pieces if it is within our budget. With the scale of the house, yard and porch steps we can easily use larger flagstone.