This was a large job where the details were critical.  The owners were fabulous at meeting with us where decisions needed to be made quickly.  The Devil (or in this case, Angel) was in the details.

We ripped down the existing deck and made a raised-mortar laid-herringbone terrace where it had been.  We made a wet lay irregular flagstone landing for a functional area near the hose bib.

Below the upper terrace, we made another brick terrace in dry lay.  A dry lay irregular stepping stone path bridges both terraces. A stacked stone retaining wall with hidden mortar capped in Hampton limestone adds a fun diagonal angle to the rectangular scheme.  A stepping stone pathway from the driveway leads to their inviting hammock.

The millstone fountain from the Yangtze River basin you have seen before at the artists’ garden, but not like this.  It seems suspended above everything in the soon to be planted berm.  As you look out the kitchen window it is what you see backed up by the golf course in the distance.

Tricky parts included…

• Creating the base of the raised deck with cemented cinderblock and 30 tons of gravel.

• Waterproofing and laying brick against the house where the siding was exposed after ripping down the deck.  It had to look the brick was always there.

• Cutting and securing the 200lb limestone tread(s) on the landing and down the 6 steps to the  terrace without breaking them.

• Cutting the driveway corner to mimic the angled seat wall in the lower terrace, and splitting their inventory of liriope so it covers the area, which will surely be trampled over in raucous games of basketball.

• Moving the huge boulder by hand around the patio and building the base of the fountain to fit into it.  We created this focal point out of thin air.

Christie lives in Manakin Sabot , Virginia where she manages a 3 acre garden. Her blogs are written from her 35 years as a personal and professional gardener.