Preferred Items
could we grow bougainvillea on a lattice like this? we love those. also would like some hummingbird friendly plants Joe - a yard i did for friends. Yes, Bouganvillea or any training vine would work here. Love the humming birds at my house. Super simple design. The mesh is only concrete reinforcing mesh so cost is much less than "fancy wire." By the time vines cover it, paying more for nice wire didnt make sense. there was a lot of fencing to do on this job, intermixed with Ipe as well as you can see at upper left of the shot/
I don't love the look of this (some to make the fence or decking would be better) but I like the idea of a little tuck away area for the bins if it doesn't make getting to them inconvenient.. Joe - Still need to find the actual place for you cans in general...as mentioned today, they most likely will not fit under the living room deck. Question: Does the city pick up your trash on Hill street or from the Alley? ME: It picks up from the alley. They need to sit inside the back door. As far as I'm concerned, they can just live inside the fence there, right?
ME: like this size more than the rectangular one Joe. The rectangular one shown down photo stream is my design for friends...did the solid portion of the rectangle like that so people could sit closer to the flame and not right at the edge and could be treated as a table surface as well. smaller works too...
ME: lovely. what's the maintenance like? Joe - I have built them for people, but don't actually have one myself...I would imagine if in the right location, and plants are doing well, 2 times a year cleaning up the overgrowth would be it. as long as it gets hosed down during the summer, the plants should do well.....did you see how robust some of the succulents in the Tellus sign were doing...the sign laying in the dirt of your backyard.. ME: yes, I did, amazing! He said they'd keep watering that in case we want to grab any of them.
composite decking in fences ME: cool! Joe - a yard i did for friends. I would construct the gate and fence a bit differently than this...Its stayed together fine for 7 years so far, the gate is really heavy, so i would beef up the steel. I think this is the only color of composite decking i like....all the wood ones look cheesy to me...even the super expensive ones. I figure if you are using plastic, go neutral tones...you aren't fooling anyone that it is real wood.
ME: very cool! Yeah this looks good and feels cozy. It also captures that urban sanctuary feel. Joe - I sent it for the wall and bench....I do not recommend or like firepits or water features flush with the ground...We all have that friend who comes over and has a few too many cocktails and thinks he can walk on fire.....not cool for the dogs either....Love the bench and cushions. ME: hahaha, omg, totally! the bench and cushions are great
ME: lovely Joe - a yard i did for friends. I got a bit overgrown a few years later. my friend didn't really keep up on the garden...she wanted it "Packed' with stuff to start, forgoing my advice that everything would grow into the space...A lot going on in a very small space.
ME: like the concrete and wood together Joe - a yard i did for friends....Fire pit is stucco over concrete block...raised wood framing for the decking and in the background you can see the black metal bench brackets before i set the bench wood...super cool and strong too...love not seeing the legs on the bench. ME: yes, that's a great look!
is this kinda of lattice for plants to grow on it. f so this might be a good after inspection add-on to give us a bit of extra fence height. Joe - The is same job of mine referenced above...this might be cool on the west side yard where the plastic fencing is now...There are no windows on your house there...and as show, the existing star jasmine never had a trellis to grow on....that wall is covered now with it thanks to the mesh. ME: Great idea!
this non-linear pathway complete with succulents feels good Joe - a yard i did for friends...Same house and the Wire fencing and fire pit....Love these native plants...they really grew in on this south facing side yard...the planting area to the left my friends used as a seasonal vegetable garden...This was before their first planting...but they grew a lot of stuff there...i made the batch of soil for that area a different blend than the area with the natives and pavers. ME: we were originally thinking to have some raised beds for growing veggies outside the bedroom but it seems like that space won't be good for that. not enough light and greater need for privacy / trellis because of those upstairs apartments across the alley
ME: beautiful! are water features like this easy to maintain? Joe - Depends on the system and material. Concrete, stucco and metal fountains stay in good shape if there is enough water to cycle through and a good pump system. Also depends on how much yard litter/leaves end up in the trough...Not bad if kept clean of debris occasionally.
we want a way to hang lighting like this - also I like how this has an off the grid urban sanctuary feel. would definitely like to capture that feeling. Joe - a yard i did for friends. You should have seen this space before... the table and Space heater mounted on the Shade Pole are really nice at night time...the orange shades above swivel on the pole to move in and out as needed during the day for shade, and night to open up the space. However, this was taken right after i finished and the homeowner didn't maintain the plantings. ended up loosing a bunch but supposedly she straightened it out....Don't over-plant is my recommendation. ME: good to know. definitely want the hanging lights
Trellis idea...off you master bedrm deck...to hide the view across alley ME: love this idea! Joe - The more I think about a trellis...I think you really need one off the bedroom...I think Steel frame...Not a Bulky as wood, but use wood in it as accent...Maybe even incorporate some raised seem roof panels above your sliding door, then a open trellis section out beyond toward the alley to get some bougainvillea on ME: yes please!
backyard lawn? ME: we were thinking some k9 fake grass with good drainage in areas for the dogs. want to stay away from having to water too much Joe - Think about a dog poop area with fake grass on West side...There is no windows over there ...Fake grass companies have a version suited to dogs...all on a beg of crushed rock for drainage...and they add an enzyme to the underlayment to help with smell...still needs to be hosed down every once and while during the summer...the ammonia smell can get pretty bad...I should know...my neighbors fake lawn stinks...... ME: good to know. Yes, that west side of the house would be great since we don't have windows there. It should be easy to hose that down with the hose that'll be on the back yard side of the house. Or maybe it'll even be situated on that west-facing wall near the back yard. I don't remember!
cant find any pics of the "Heal w/ Heat - Sactuary 2 outdoor sauna." ME: here's the link: Joe - sorry. I meant I couldn't find any on Houzz by this company. I found the website and read about the product. I mentioned to Marie today some of the info that I saw...Including that they say you need to by the canvas cover if its outside...funny, because its their "outside" model...might be cute with a little shed roof over it... https://www.healwithheat.com/sanctuary-outdoor-2/
it looks like this is on a deck would we need to put ours on a deck or to elevate it in some other way? Joe - Definitely on a slab of cement or a strong deck...this one looks like a custom job, not a kit or premanufactured...cute though...notice the shower to the left...cant see it, but i bet that what the cool tile is there for.
this kind of sauna would be great be it looks good and provides privacy Joe - Yes. these saunas are cool...i bet pricey... I think we can arrange the one you are looking at in a similar manner...again, like the one previous, this looks custom, not a kit. ME: think it's best to stick with a pre-made one and cover it as needed Joe - yes Joe - Definitely buy a pre built/Kit Sauna…City probably wouldn’t let you…It would be considered a true auxiliary building.
I like the concrete texture here but smooth would might feel nicer on bare feet in the backyard Joe - Never too rough, but NEVER too smooth...concrete walkways that are like garage floor smooth are like ice rinks when wet. This is called a "Broom Finish"...done well I might add. There are other ways to get some texture for non slip surfaces: Salted, Sand Finish and Hand Trowel Pattern. all are cool..I try to find some samples. ME: thanks
I like the warmth of the wood and the integrated bench with railing Joe - yes. The wood railing as discussed today on site might not be right for the railing at dining room. Would block your view to the yard. Doesn't mean we can"t use this look elsewhere. ME: good thinking, thanks. Joe - There will be a good mix of wood and metal on the handrail. We will need to pick a wood type. And whether to use a cable system or something else in between posts.
I like the pattern that the wall and door make here. Joe - Love this too...interesting for a side yard gate
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