White Gardens [Archive] - Page 3 - LawnSite.com™ - Lawn Care & Landscaping Business Forum

Bird21

07-01-2010, 11:31 PM

Is the fire pit built on a footing? Is there a drain system within the center? Are there weep holes for air to keep the fire from burning itself out? I agree larger stones for the cap would have looked better. What mortar did you use to keep it from cracking with the heat from the fire?

I am only asking to help you out, I have done dozens of these and there are a few simple extras that will make you stand out from the other "contractors".

When the fire gets hot I have noticed that the mortar joints will crack. Mix Type N with some fire clay and that seems to help that from happening.

You seem to take alot of pride in your work and in this industry that will set you apart. I am more of a lurker that a poster I will ahve to post some of our hardscape work soon.

Stillwater

07-02-2010, 01:30 AM

weep holes to keep the fire from burning out..... I never have

White Gardens

07-02-2010, 07:33 AM

I would have gone with larger flagstone for the cap. To me it looks disproportionate to the limestone and circle. The circle looks good though. What is going around it?...hardscape wise?

Maybe out of proportion, but it looks good in person. Around the pit is that Arizona sandstone that I laid in the rest of the project. I was going to use it as a cap but I felt the sandstone was too "soft" and wouldn't hold up on the top of the fire-pit. The flagstone for the top is a fondulac flagstone and came in two big sheets. I started to break it with a hammer, but it broke in smaller chunks than I wanted. I tried to use a chisel, score it with my diamond blade, and chip it with a rock hammer and it was extremely hard to control the breaks. That's why there are more smaller pieces in the top than I intended. The only bonus is that flag won't crack from the heat or at least it will be resistant. I went back and forth on what to use for the top and this flag was harder than any other product, including the wall stone that I used.

Is the fire pit built on a footing? Is there a drain system within the center? Are there weep holes for air to keep the fire from burning itself out? I agree larger stones for the cap would have looked better. What mortar did you use to keep it from cracking with the heat from the fire?

I am only asking to help you out, I have done dozens of these and there are a few simple extras that will make you stand out from the other "contractors".

When the fire gets hot I have noticed that the mortar joints will crack. Mix Type N with some fire clay and that seems to help that from happening.

You seem to take alot of pride in your work and in this industry that will set you apart. I am more of a lurker that a poster I will ahve to post some of our hardscape work soon.

It's on a 3 inch concrete footer with 40 ft. of 3/8th re-bar in footer. The fire-brick in the center was built with Fire-mortar that was 70dollars for a 50 pound bag. The mortar on the flag is type S mortar with the fiber reinforcement that I use for a lot of stuff for the strength value. The mortar for the flag towards the center fire-brick is a fire stop-mortar, but the rest is type S.

The center of the pit has a 6 inch wide, 18 inch long piece of PVC that is capped on both ends, and multiple holes are drilled in it. It is also filled with washed gravel, and I glued some thin landscape fabric around the pipe to keep the silt out of it. It's basically a void to get the water below the hard-pan.

The void between the fire-brick and outside stone is filled with a combo of type S and concrete along with a ring of re-bar around the middle course.

The wall of the pit isn't high enough to warrant any "weep" holes or air holes to fuel the fire. I discussed that with the HO as they were worried if it was too tall, if the wood on the bottom would burn without proper air-flow.

Any more questions, keep them coming. Thumbs Up.

Thanks for the compliments guys.

I also want to add is that if the the flag ever starts to pop on top, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to repair it and make it blend in to what is already there.

White Gardens

07-02-2010, 10:12 AM

I also wanted to add that I really contemplated hard on doing a one inch overhang on the flagstone and adding three step lights under the lip or overhang similar to what I did on the exposed walls on the beach.

I would have then had to run conduit through the center void and fill concrete around that to hide the wire.

Even with the fire-brick in the center, I didn't feel confident that there would have been enough heat protection to keep the wire from melting. And, all it would take is one big raging log, or a little brush that spills over the top, burns on the ground and thus scorching the lights.

White Gardens

07-02-2010, 10:14 PM

Final Photos. Got all my crap cleaned up from the jobsite. I plan on going back and taking more photos when the grass fills in some.

Turned right around and headed to the next job. Small rock removal and new fabric, some brick edging and 5 tons of rock put back.

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White Gardens

07-02-2010, 10:17 PM

More Photos.

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bobcat48

07-03-2010, 12:38 AM

Wow it looks great.

White Gardens

07-03-2010, 08:27 AM

Wow it looks great.

Thanks, Thumbs Up

All in all I feel it turned out pretty good. It looks much better out there to say the least.

When it comes down to it, there is still some things that I would do a little differently if I had to do it again.

Stillwater

07-03-2010, 12:31 PM

When it comes down to it, there is still some things that I would do a little differently if I had to do it again.

That always happens

twcw5804

07-06-2010, 06:05 PM

That place is awesome, I'll bring some beer.

White Gardens

07-07-2010, 07:59 AM

That place is awesome, I'll bring some beer.

Yes it is. Luckily the HO is a semi-distant relative of my wife and this property is outside of Danvers where I live.

The Husband who owns the spraying and spreading business is a really nice guy and people hang out there pretty regularly. So needless to say I can go out there whenever I want.

On top of it he offered his shop if I ever need it to work on my equipment.:cool2: Basically the front third of that big building has a concrete floor, drain, and is heated. If I have a breakdown in the winter I can go out there and work on my plow equipment. He also is my back-up in case we get a blizzard in the winter and I can pay him to use his wheel loader to move snow out of parking lots.

Needless to say I gave them a little bit of a discount because of all that, but, I still charged what I needed to in order to survive the time I worked on it. Basically you can't give your services away.

As a little update, I removed 10 tons of rock from a property and installed 44 feet of brick edging, and new fabric over the weekend. I'm still waiting for the new shipment of rock to come in so I can finish the last two tons that I need to put in.

I turned around yesterday and bed-edged part of the farm property and installed some hydrangeas to finish off the landscaping around the paver sidewalk I did last fall. I also started prep on the beds to get ready to do 15 yards of mulch out there before their party on Saturday.

The farmhouse is looking great this year, and I can't wait to take pics when I'm done.

White Gardens

07-09-2010, 02:01 PM

Crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ran over my FS 90. :hammerhead::hammerhead::hammerhead::hammerhead::hammerhead::hammerhead::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cr y::cry::cry:

Right now parts are half of what a new trimmer will be, I might just fix it for now.

White Gardens

07-09-2010, 09:45 PM

Farm house is done. 20 yards of mulch, a mow which took 4 passes to chop up the grass. They mow at something like 6-7 inches so knocking it down for their party took some time.

Trimmed, edged the beds, expanded a couple of them in order to show the mulch and create a better buffer between the plants and the cut edges, and also some tree pruning from the ground.

3.5 days and luckily not much rain during that time. I was freaking out as they are having a party tomorrow and was wondering if it was going to get done in time.

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White Gardens

07-09-2010, 09:47 PM

More photos

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White Gardens

07-09-2010, 09:49 PM

More Photos

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White Gardens

07-09-2010, 09:49 PM

Final Photo

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grassman177

07-09-2010, 10:33 PM

White Gardens

07-09-2010, 10:49 PM

great work man, i am finally getting into more of these installs and upgrades, but on a smaller scale. i have a few perreinnial beds i have done this year, and last that are doing pretty well now. one i did on a commerical property is now almost a bit too much. i may do some thinning for the first time in 5 years. i have maintained it the whole time, but it is very mature now. i did some cutting back on flowers and shrubs this week there.

I can't take all the credit for the plantings at this property. Many things were there when I started, but I added the sidewalk, and a few more beds around the house and other random places on the property. The HO is wanting one of hitching ledges done this year and we'll see how it goes.

She keeps telling me how great the place looks now. I told her the same, I can't take all the credit for previous work, but she insists I've taken it to a whole new level.

All in all it's a great place to work, and I wish everyone could be so lucky to have a client like this.

Funny you mentioned thinning. Before I left I realized that might be on the list of things to do there next spring as many of the perennials are starting to spread and over fill the beds.

Thanks for the compliment by the way. Thumbs Up

bobcat48

07-09-2010, 10:54 PM

As again,u do really nice work.

White Gardens

07-10-2010, 10:16 AM

As again,u do really nice work.

Thanks, I'm super anal about what I do, so I'm glad I'm getting good results.

bobcat48

07-10-2010, 10:51 AM

Thanks, I'm super anal about what I do, so I'm glad I'm getting good results.

No problem, Thats good it pays off,i can tell,keep it up:usflag:.

White Gardens

07-10-2010, 06:21 PM

So on Saturdays I mow three yards. One older couple and one for Project evergreen, green care for troops.

The third yard is my in-laws house. I use his mower and mow every week in return for storing my machine and any other miscellaneous crap at his house. I had just got started mowing when all the sudden the mower died. I proceeded to try to re-start it, and WOOF!!!!. I felt the rush of air from the fuel igniting and instantly got off the mower. From what I saw initially the fuel hose came off the carburetor and spewed fuel all over the exhaust.

Needles to say it was a fire-ball instantly and there was nothing to do but call the fire-department. We dumped an extinguisher on it to no avail.

Luckily it just barely singed the hair on the back of my head. Could have been way worse.

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bobcat48

07-10-2010, 07:46 PM

Hope your ok.

grassman177

07-10-2010, 09:01 PM

damn, i hear this is common. i am sorry man, so glad you made off with yourself

White Gardens

07-10-2010, 09:37 PM

Hope your ok.

Ya, I'm OK, just a few singed hairs.

damn, i hear this is common. i am sorry man, so glad you made off with yourself

Me too, the rush of air that hit me when the fuel ignited was pretty intense.

Mower manufactures need to come up with better clamp on their hoses to keep this from happening.

YardFarmersLLC

07-10-2010, 09:42 PM

The mortar is between the back 2/3rds of the wall, so you can't see it in the front to give the apearance of an old-world dry laid wall. I just new in that location, next to the driveway, that it needed to be solid. Also, if the block was a little more flat and uniform, then I would have done a base and used block adhesive for each course.

The base is three inches of concrete with re-bar running the length of the base for extra support. I didn't want to do a deeper base as I was running into massive tree roots.

Yes, the uneven block sucked hard. They look great, but I had to use a firm mortar to keep as level as possible with each course.

All in all I like it. I can't decide if I should continue the last course to the garage or not. With the step-down on the upper end, I think it looks O.K. the way it is.

Any thoughts????

Here are the current pics, the wall is going to look great when it's washed down. Right now there is a lot of dust from my cuts.

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I was just wondering why it did not return to the side of the house in these pics??

White Gardens

07-11-2010, 01:56 AM

I was just wondering why it did not return to the side of the house in these pics??

Not sure what you are talking about. The Garage is attached to the house so a strait line from the sidewalk to the garage worked out.

I still should have finished off that last course though.

YardFarmersLLC

07-11-2010, 07:55 AM

It looked like in that last pic that the wall ended out a few inches out from the corner of the house. Maybe my eyes are bad? =) either way, it looks nice.

White Gardens

07-11-2010, 12:25 PM

It looked like in that last pic that the wall ended out a few inches out from the corner of the house. Maybe my eyes are bad? =) either way, it looks nice.

I see what you mean now.

Basically I wanted a bit of a gap. The wall would of ended up hitting the siding on the garage. If it was a foundation, or brick wall, I would have butted it up tightly.

Thanks, Thumbs Up

kb9nvh

07-11-2010, 07:08 PM

I've never heard of one of these catching on fire before??? :-)

LushGreenLawn

07-11-2010, 10:57 PM

Not only is it not the first time I've heard of it happening, it seems like everytime I hear about it its a dixie chopper. Is yours a dixie chopper?

kb9nvh

07-11-2010, 11:17 PM

My comment was "tongue in cheek"...So far, aside from my scag which I think was the newest of all the flamers, I've heard of a Gravely and now a dixie chopper. The dixie (white gardens), knows for sure his fuel line came loose so it was either an old line or loose clamp or both.
The Gravely was hella old so fuel line issues should be on the short list of things to keep ahead of.

There was a guy in Carmel Indiana who died from his mower that caught fire. I still don't know what brand that was. He was the maintenance guy for the school system up there.

Anyone know of any others??

Not only is it not the first time I've heard of it happening, it seems like everytime I hear about it its a dixie chopper. Is yours a dixie chopper?

jelgan

07-12-2010, 06:28 AM

Dixie Chopper? We just had a guy in Indianapolis died from the same thing--and a DC

Stillwater

07-12-2010, 10:36 AM

White Gardens

07-12-2010, 11:29 AM

Something like an 04-05 Silver Eagle with 250 hours. It was only used once a week, and a couple of times I would rent it from the in-law to do larger one-off mows for my maintenance clients when they were out of town and such.

White Gardens

07-31-2010, 09:30 AM

I've had some installs fall off on me for the year but the customers have stated that they want them done next year for various reasons.

They are tearing up the road at the Farm House for the new Wind-Mill farm going in that area, so the hitching ledge might be put on hold.

A church liked a wall I estimated for them, but they want to get other projects done first.

So I've been doing a lot of smaller stuff such as summer maintenance, tree/shrub trimming, lawn grading after concrete installation, and request for lawn spraying for Crab Grass that has gone out of control this year.

Next week I'll be starting on a simple little retaining wall for the mother-in-law and after that a drive-way widening with a retaining wall. Nothing huge, but sometimes I prefer how the small stuff adds up.

White Gardens

08-07-2010, 08:54 PM

I nice little retaining wall, and flagstone path at the mother-in-laws house. I picked the perfect time of year to do the job, as it's been fairly hot out here. So ultimately I have an air-conditioned house, and a pool to take a dip in if I get hot.:cool2:

I call this place my second office too. When I'm in Bloomington and I need to do some cpu work, etc... then I just go there.

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White Gardens

08-07-2010, 08:55 PM

Last photos..

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bobcat48

08-07-2010, 09:37 PM

Looks good.

White Gardens

08-12-2010, 09:10 PM

Looks good.

Thanks. Thumbs Up

It's been flippin hot out and it seems like it's taking forever to get each step of the project done. 95* with heat indexes of 105*. The AC unit keeps kicking on and jumping the ambient temperature up about 20 degrees. That and the side of the house becomes a freakin oven when the sun gets over there. Basically I've been working early in the mornings till about 4:30 - 5:00 p.m.. At that point I'm usually completely soaked from sweat, The heat I can deal with, this high humidity is killing me.

Ultimately I'm taking more breaks, drinking over a gallon of water a day, and it seems like it just takes more energy to do anything.

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White Gardens

08-12-2010, 09:11 PM

More Pics.

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bobcat48

08-13-2010, 12:59 AM

Progess is coming along good,still lookin good

White Gardens

08-13-2010, 08:21 AM

Progess is coming along good,still lookin good

It's going smoothly, just slow because of the heat. Hopefully today will be the last real hot day in this stretch and I can get it done at the first of the week.

Lawn Freak

08-13-2010, 10:11 AM

That looks really good, you do nice landscape work.

bobcat48

08-13-2010, 10:26 AM

It's going smoothly, just slow because of the heat. Hopefully today will be the last real hot day in this stretch and I can get it done at the first of the week.

Yeah u can say that again,im mowin today,when i was out yesterday it was bad and today same thing.yeah next week the heat i think will be gone,well lets hpe.sounds good:usflag:.

White Gardens

08-14-2010, 09:03 AM

Wall Drainage and back-fill installed right before it started to rain. I still have a couple of wheel-barrows of fill to put in the corner, but my main concern was to make sure that any dirt behind the wall didn't erode into my back-fill void over night.

Hopefully I'll have the caps done today, and I might go over there tomorrow to build the new fence panel and gate. All that will be left is a bit of scaping and the path. That should go fairly quick.

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White Gardens

08-15-2010, 09:41 AM

More wall photos. I might go over there today and get the back fill finished and get the section of fence and gate rebuilt. Where the wall ends, I'm going to take caps and set them in mortar to finish off the run up to to the driveway.

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bobcat48

08-15-2010, 10:07 AM

Very nice,you always do nice work,very nice i like it.

DLAWNS

08-15-2010, 10:33 AM

Work looks great as it always does. Keep it up Nick!

White Gardens

08-15-2010, 09:57 PM

Very nice,you always do nice work,very nice i like it.

Work looks great as it always does. Keep it up Nick!

Thanks Guys, Thumbs Up . I'm extremely anal about my work, so I'm glad to know that the quality shows.

I went ahead and worked today to try and get the back gate closed off before the local code enforcers threw a fit. The gate needs to be in place because of the pool, and is supposed to be replaced every night after the workday. I had it open for 3 days getting the wall done. I had been replacing it with the old panels, but they were starting to fall apart.

I might not get the job completely done this week. I have Danvers Days coming up this weekend and I need to get my booth stuff together. That and I need to get 4 other bush jobs and other maintenance done this week. The current project is for the mother-in-law, so she knows I need to get other stuff done and actually brought it up before I mentioned it to her.

Regardless, the rest should be fairly easy. The rest of the backyard between the wall and pool is getting rocked, and the path should go quickly as it will be just tightly places flagstone with pea-gravel in the joints.

Congrats Bill on the baby! Hope you get some sleep at some point. At least you didn't have twins like my neighbor did. :dizzy:

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bobcat48

08-16-2010, 12:21 AM

Yeah that is good,yeah u can say that again,the quality u do is excellent.

White Gardens

08-21-2010, 06:07 PM

At Danvers Days this weekend.

Link to my FB page, I don't want to re-size the images.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Danvers-IL/White-Gardens/185135107642?ref=ts

bobcat48

08-21-2010, 06:33 PM

Nice,looks like a fun event.

Junior M

08-21-2010, 06:51 PM

ever thought about using the PVC fitting for tying into downspouts?

They look alot cleaner..

White Gardens

08-21-2010, 07:07 PM

ever thought about using the PVC fitting for tying into downspouts?

They look alot cleaner..

Yes, yes they do. The reason for the black expanding coupler is to give the HO an opportunity to pull the connection out easier to clean out the pop-up if they need to. Basically it looks like cheesy black tile pipe, but it isn't.

I really need to find a supplier though that has the white expanding couplers and that should look better if I do more in the future.

White Gardens

08-24-2010, 10:23 PM

Back to the wall job. I took last week away from it to do a few shrub jobs and to do my booth at Danvers Days last weekend.

It's going smooth now. Should have it done on Thursday. Right now I'm trying to get the back finished and then move to the front.

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White Gardens

08-24-2010, 10:24 PM

Started setting the flagstone this evening.

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bobcat48

08-24-2010, 10:27 PM

Sounds good white gardens..u did a real nice job on all the landscape wall,putting down the rock around the pool.real nice work.

PerfectEarth

08-24-2010, 10:32 PM

Wall looks very nice, smooth and simple. Good work.

White Gardens

08-24-2010, 10:50 PM

Sounds good white gardens..u did a real nice job on all the landscape wall,putting down the rock around the pool.real nice work.

Wall looks very nice, smooth and simple. Good work.

Thanks Guys.

The wall of course is the biggest expense of the project so the walkway is just a simple stepper path.

Looks like the plants will probably be put in next spring also. It's getting a little late in the season to put in the perennials that I want to put in.

Jpeg lawn maintenance

08-25-2010, 05:01 PM

Looks very nice. CAnt wait to see final product.

Mondragon Lawn Serv

08-25-2010, 05:19 PM

hey white gardens just want to great job on your work. your thread is one of the few that i like following. Keep it up bro

White Gardens

08-26-2010, 08:19 AM

Looks very nice. CAnt wait to see final product.

Hopefully it will be done this weekend. I had about 350 square feet of bed to do yesterday around the backside of the pool, so I didn't get the back completely finished. All I need to do back there is lay some more flag and throw down more rock. Looks like 6-7 tons of rock when done. Some of the rock is being re-cycled from the old bed on the side of the house. Some dirt in it, but I'm hiding the bad rock under the deck. I'll shoot pics today.

hey white gardens just want to great job on your work. your thread is one of the few that i like following. Keep it up bro

Thanks for following and I'm glad you like my work. I've had some neat jobs, but nothing that I would call awesome. Well, maybe the farmhouse and the sidewalk there I did last fall.

It just comes down to budgets, and what the HO wants. Someday I'd like a project that didn't necessarily have a budget and I can have free-reign to do what I want.

Money is the only limit to the imagination....

Cloud9Landscapes

08-26-2010, 04:36 PM

White Gardens

08-26-2010, 09:25 PM

Looks good! But I do have a prejudice against those NDS pop-up drainage emitters. IMO a french drain system should always be ran into a gravel pit like a drywell or a cesspool. Ideally it should be ran to the street where it can drain into the gutter. That is not always possible due to existing hard scapes.

Ya, in this case there is no way that I could have gotten to the street. The area all runs down hill and the top of my wall drainage would have been somewhere around 20 inches below the curb.

There is some crazy drainage in the neighborhood. There is no sump pumps in the houses in the area (which is unheard of around here), and there is drain tiles running in between each house.

I did add extra holes in the end of the pipes of the pop-ups and put 6 inches of rock underneath them.

I seriously doubt that the wall drainage will ever pop up the drain, but the other one for the downspout is a gusher. It is all the water on that side of the house. It would take at least a 50 gallon barrel sized pit to hold all the water that comes out there.

I do know what you mean though, I personally don't care for them either, but they do come in handy in situations like this.

KE-llc

08-26-2010, 10:50 PM

a lot bigger then 50 gallons my friend
Posted via Mobile Device

White Gardens

08-26-2010, 11:04 PM

a lot bigger then 50 gallons my friend
Posted via Mobile Device

Oh, I'm sure. Just trying to paint a picture.

orlawncaresvc

08-26-2010, 11:26 PM

You do awesome jobs with your hardscapes. We are trying to do more hardscaping ourselves. We really like you work. Keep it up.

White Gardens

08-27-2010, 08:42 AM

You do awesome jobs with your hardscapes. We are trying to do more hardscaping ourselves. We really like you work. Keep it up.

Thanks, it's a lot of hard work. Walls tick me off because it seems like they take forever to do right. Everything else is usually fairly easy.

I should have the job all but finished tonight. I need to do 45 feet of brick edging for the path, and lay the rest of the flag and river rock. I need to go do some maintenance on a couple of accounts this morning to stay caught up on those, so I'm not sure if my supplier will still be open to get the rock I need to finish tonight, so I'm guessing tomorrow I will be finishing it up.

I'm getting excited about the plantings. Even though it won't be until next spring, I'm starting to get a visual on the final product and I can see where things will and can fit.

The place definitively needs some plantings and color to break up all the rock and the wall.

grassman177

08-27-2010, 06:34 PM

White Gardens

08-27-2010, 10:39 PM

as always, i love your work, and is exactly how i would want it done if to hire, do or have my workers do a project like that. i dont get enough into it as i am mainly on the turf side of things besides landscape maint.

Thanks Grassman. Thumbs Up

Close to done, should be done tomorrow by noon.

I got the brick edging in, but the curve is bugging me. It seems a little off. If I leave it, I'm hoping that the rock and path will draw your eye from the curve.

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White Gardens

08-27-2010, 10:41 PM

and the final pics of the night.

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bobcat48

08-27-2010, 10:46 PM

As again white gardens really nice..hey thats my wheelbarrow lol..for a while looked at it..im like it looks very similar to mine i think we have the same one 90% sure lol.

White Gardens

08-28-2010, 08:36 AM

As again white gardens really nice..hey thats my wheelbarrow lol..for a while looked at it..im like it looks very similar to mine i think we have the same one 90% sure lol.

Ha!, I've had that thing for like 6-7 years. Can't believe it"s still around. I figured I'd have crushed it by now or something.

bobcat48

08-28-2010, 10:21 AM

Ha!, I've had that thing for like 6-7 years. Can't believe it"s still around. I figured I'd have crushed it by now or something.

Yeah haha..ok same amount too..idk even know what brand it is..my dad bought it..i asked him what the brand was didnt know..all he said it is a contractor grade one idk if it is dont use it alot..looks like it is.

White Gardens

08-29-2010, 08:35 AM

Project finished yesterday. Pictures tonight. I'm going to head over later to pick up what's left of my crap and shoot pics.

White Gardens

08-29-2010, 05:24 PM

Project done. All my crap is gone.

We decided to use mulch instead of rock in the upper bed along the house as we agreed that it would like way too flat and hard with all the rock and wall blending together.

I'd say the mulch looks great.

I'll take better pics when I can. I need a really good cloudy day and a couple of rain showers to wash the rock down good.

As I left, the last thing I did was take the mini and the forks and "fork" the yard to lift the sod and my compaction. Worked well. Ended up punching about three dozen holes in the yard.

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bobcat48

08-29-2010, 05:27 PM

Man looks real good..turned out real nice.

White Gardens

08-29-2010, 05:38 PM

Thanks Bobcat, Thumbs Up

mshane

08-30-2010, 08:04 AM

White Gardens

08-30-2010, 08:36 AM

Very elegant house indeed, it could have been more pretty to look at if the surroundings of it are cleaned up well. It is where the professionals in landscaping come in to the rescue.

landscaping (http://www.lilandscapedesigns.com/)

Ya, not too bad of a place. It sits in a middle-class neighborhood close to an elementary school, so the HO will get something back in property value from the job.

The side with the gate was just a no-mans land on the property. You couldn't really get to the back very well and the slope went to the property line.

The only thing left to really do there next year is to clean up the front of the house and get it looking completely done. It's all getting done in phases. This was the biggest one.

This is also the house I did the small water feature last year. I ended up throwing my extra mulch in the bed around it to clean it up.

This photo came from page 11 in this thread.

http://www.lawnsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=158032&d=1249871562

White Gardens

09-05-2010, 11:05 PM

Been doing a bunch of random stuff lately.

This is the current project. Just a simple natural stone wall, mortared, next to a driveway.

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bobcat48

09-06-2010, 09:24 AM

Looks great.nice job again white gardens.

KE-llc

09-06-2010, 10:21 AM

nice 98-01 3500hd? dump

White Gardens

09-06-2010, 10:14 PM

nice 98-01 3500hd? dump

It's an 01. It's a great truck for me, except it's lacking 4wd. It came with an under the tailgate salt spreader, central hydraulics, and a 10 foot fisher trip edge plow. That and it was built by a local truck builder who beefed up the suspension and such.

Got a great deal as ISU was unloading it last spring when they replaced it with a new F-550 (which I want) with 4wd and a replacement tailgate salt spreader. I think new they paid 50k for the 550.

White Gardens

09-07-2010, 09:11 AM

Wall finished, back fill today and schedule the asphalt company to come in and re-surface the area between the wall and driveway.

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KE-llc

09-07-2010, 12:43 PM

It's an 01. It's a great truck for me, except it's lacking 4wd. It came with an under the tailgate salt spreader, central hydraulics, and a 10 foot fisher trip edge plow. That and it was built by a local truck builder who beefed up the suspension and such.

Got a great deal as ISU was unloading it last spring when they replaced it with a new F-550 (which I want) with 4wd and a replacement tailgate salt spreader. I think new they paid 50k for the 550.

they paid a lot more then 50k for a truck up fitted like that. yah 2wd sucks but with weight in the bed you'll be fine...with that setup you should try and sub for your town plowing or sub for a guy with some large commercial lots, you should be able to pull in between $100-120 an hour with the salter and 10' plow.

the chevys didnt offer 4x4 in their HD 3500s until I believe 02/03??

oakwdman

09-07-2010, 12:47 PM

they paid a lot more then 50k for a truck up fitted like that. yah 2wd sucks but with weight in the bed you'll be fine...with that setup you should try and sub for your town plowing or sub for a guy with some large commercial lots, you should be able to pull in between $100-120 an hour with the salter and 10' plow.

the chevys didnt offer 4x4 in their HD 3500s until I believe 02/03??

They didnt offer it factory but monroe makes a 4x4 conversion for them. If you have the $$ thats one badass truck!

White Gardens

09-07-2010, 01:40 PM

They didnt offer it factory but monroe makes a 4x4 conversion for them. If you have the $$ thats one badass truck!

That might be something to look into.

KE-llc

09-07-2010, 02:29 PM

That might be something to look into.

if you want to spend like $10k haha

White Gardens

09-07-2010, 03:34 PM

if you want to spend like $10k haha

Na, I'd do it myself and come up with the parts. I probably could do it for 2k.

bobcat48

09-07-2010, 05:43 PM

Wow that wall looks so nice,nice job again white gardens.looks great.

White Gardens

09-07-2010, 06:05 PM

Wow that wall looks so nice,nice job again white gardens.looks great.

Thanks man. I love the look of natural stone, but I hate the mortaring you have to do to make it.

That thing shouldn't go anywhere. There is geo-grid holding it in place, 4 inches of concrete for the footer around the culvert, and two 4 inch holes, 18 inches deep filled with concrete on each side of the culvert, all on the clay layer that is there.

bobcat48

09-07-2010, 08:17 PM

Thanks man. I love the look of natural stone, but I hate the mortaring you have to do to make it.

That thing shouldn't go anywhere. There is geo-grid holding it in place, 4 inches of concrete for the footer around the culvert, and two 4 inch holes, 18 inches deep filled with concrete on each side of the culvert, all on the clay layer that is there.

Aytime,..yeah it is real nice...hey want to come and do some work at our house.if you were little closer..yeah tell me about this clay maybe its cause where in il idk lol..

White Gardens

09-07-2010, 10:26 PM

Aytime,..yeah it is real nice...hey want to come and do some work at our house.if you were little closer..yeah tell me about this clay maybe its cause where in il idk lol..

Hey, if the price is right, I'll go anywhere. payup

bobcat48

09-07-2010, 10:36 PM

Hey, if the price is right, I'll go anywhere. payup

Yeah.im in tinley park.dont know if you heard of it im north of you.yeah well that sounds good.we dont need nothing now.but thanks.ill keep that in mind.Thanks,Nick.

White Gardens

09-08-2010, 09:28 PM

Yeah.im in tinley park.dont know if you heard of it im north of you.yeah well that sounds good.we dont need nothing now.but thanks.ill keep that in mind.Thanks,Nick.

Oh ya, I know where Tinley Park is. That is where I saw my first concert back in 97. It was the Lolapoloza tour and Tool was the headliner. Got to see Devo too, that was a riot.

The burbs are about a 2 hour drive and to get closer to downtown it's about 2 hours and 45 minutes if the traffic is light.

bobcat48

09-08-2010, 09:44 PM

Oh ya, I know where Tinley Park is. That is where I saw my first concert back in 97. It was the Lolapoloza tour and Tool was the headliner. Got to see Devo too, that was a riot.

The burbs are about a 2 hour drive and to get closer to downtown it's about 2 hours and 45 minutes if the traffic is light.

Yeah..haha lol..kool the kiss concert was just last friday.i didnt go my parents went.ok..thanks Nick.yeah i know next year in spring we will need some work for our house my dad wants to change stuff around.as long as you dont mind coming up here..i know with gas.yeah thats what i was thinking at least 2 hour drive.ill keep u updated and will tell u like march time.we wont plan on it.until late spring.i could do it.but i dont do landscaping really.just cut grass.so would mnot like to mess with it.well its taking out the plastic edging we got all in the front and around the whole side of the house and there is a little in the back.and we want paver type edging..thanks Nick.sorry for the long reply.:usflag:

White Gardens

09-16-2010, 09:21 AM

Just keeping the thread alive right now so I'm bumping it up.

I've got a couple of projects lined up to help finish out the season strong. I'll post info when I can, I'm trying to keep one semi-hush until I know for certain I have it.

bobcat48

09-16-2010, 06:09 PM

Sounds good nick.

White Gardens

10-07-2010, 02:46 PM

Finally,

The decision has been made to do a late season install. I'm stoked as it is the local Elementary School in Danvers IL, where my home and business is located.

Not the biggest or most complicated job in the world, but it's an honor to some degree to be able to do a school that will hopefully be standing for years to come. The exposure will be nice also, highly visible on the main road, and I'm going to stick my sign out by the road also.

This is at least phase one. They originally had nothing but a bunch of trees in the original blue-prints. Phase 2 and 3 might just be large shade trees around the property, but being a school, budget is an issue. Also, I might bring to their attention that there is a non-profit organization that does install natural groves in the area. I'm all about saving money for the kids education.

So ultimately my goal was to take advantage of the shape and colors in the building, along with not adding to much to the contrasting colors of the building. The gym was originally part of the old school, and they built off of it, so that's why there is so many different colors.

I tried to break it up visually as possible so the color changes weren't so visible.

Before Images

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White Gardens

10-07-2010, 02:50 PM

Final Design Photos

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bobcat48

10-07-2010, 08:15 PM

nice nick.im sure it will turn out nice.how you been.

White Gardens

10-07-2010, 10:22 PM

Good, been busy with a lot of random busy work. Aerations, overseedings, rock removal/hauling, grading, small 1 day renovations.

How about you.

bobcat48

10-07-2010, 10:32 PM

Good, been busy with a lot of random busy work. Aerations, overseedings, rock removal/hauling, grading, small 1 day renovations.

How about you.

Yeah thats good.glad to hear that nick.ive been good thanks for asking all as usual lol.

JimLewis

10-12-2010, 02:44 AM

Looks good. In the other thread in the landscaping forum, you asked for some constructive criticism, so as long as you've dragged me over here to this forum, I might as well take the time to offer a little.

I like the way you've softened the larger open wall spaces on the building. And the way you brought in different sizes and textures. Nice mix of color, deciduous and evergreen. And I like the way you added some curves to the corners, etc. Brings interest into the landscape.

A few things I noticed..... First, do hydrangeas do well in full all day sun there? Because they don't here in Oregon. And I consider ours a pretty mild climate. Usually we try to put them in partial shade here. Seems like some of those areas might be kinda sunny. But then again, I don't know how plants do in your climate.

The other thing I noticed was the use of Juniper. I think there is pretty much a universal dislike for junipers. Most people I know can't stand them and pay us to remove them. IMO, I think another evergreen shrub would be better for that area.

The only other suggestion I have is to place a few large boulders throughout those areas. They don't cost much and make really nice accents for landscapes. Might want to see if that's something that could be worked into the budget.

Good luck! Always nice to get big jobs near the end of the year.

White Gardens

10-12-2010, 09:16 AM

Thanks Jim, I appreciate the comments. Thumbs Up , sorry for dragging you over here.:laugh:

The Oak leaf hydrangeas in the pictures are in mostly shade so they should be fitting for the situation.

The Pinky Winky Hydrangeas will get the most sunlight on the section of the building facing to the east. They should be OK though as they don't seem to take the heat stress the same as a traditional Annabelle, or a colorful hydrangea such as the endless summer hydrangea.

The side of the building I'm working on faces the north and the building is positioned for optimal sun exposure on the south side. So ultimately the side I'm working on is going to get the most shading.

I agree about the junipers, and the fact they aren't the most popular plants in the landscape anymore. I looked up and down my supplier sheets to find good evergreens for that side, but couldn't come up with anything that wasn't a Juniper or Yew that was going to give me the height and spread. So ultimately I went for the juniper to get enough height and width to break up that side of the building.

We went through about 4 different designs for that larger side against the gym. They settled on the final image posted above, not my first choice, but theirs non-the less.

Of course being a school budget was a factor, and on top of it they wanted as many hardy plants that weren't going to take a whole lot of effort to keep in shape. Generally I had to choose plants that would hold a good natural shape to them if neglected.

I like the rock idea. When I was on-site marking out the beds, I noticed that there will be a couple of blank spots that will be visible until some of the plants get mature, so the rocks would fill in the voids. I will mention to the contact person on this job, but I have a feeling that they won't want to add anything else to the final bill. I had actually come up with three estimates that included brick edging, and more shade trees around the property. Even thought there wasn't much of a price difference, they wanted to keep it as low as possible.

Another thing too, is that larger Stones are extremely expensive here, only because we don't have an endless supply of them like other regions of the U.S. To put 4-5 large boulders in would cost at least 600- 1000 dollars more. :dizzy:.

Thanks again Jim for the comments, you do some great work and I appreciate the input.

DLAWNS

10-12-2010, 09:25 AM

W.G. what's up buddy? I think the design looks really nice. When do you get started on this project?

White Gardens

10-12-2010, 10:07 AM

W.G. what's up buddy? I think the design looks really nice. When do you get started on this project?

Doing pretty good man. Can't complain considering the state of the economy. Even though business didn't " Blow Up " like I hoped, it still grew, and I'm more comfortable looking into the future.

Read you post in you thread about the employee situation, too bad it had to go south on you, but at least your getting through this year. Love the FB picture of the kid holding the football.

The project is actually started, I've gotten all the beds marked out and the only thing I'm waiting for is the all clear from the utility companies, which is officially tomorrow at 9:45 a.m. I'll go in today though and scalp the grass in the beds with my trimmer and get them sprayed with roundup. I just plan on tilling the sod over and doing a follow up spraying next spring.

DLAWNS

10-12-2010, 09:49 PM

Doing pretty good man. Can't complain considering the state of the economy. Even though business didn't " Blow Up " like I hoped, it still grew, and I'm more comfortable looking into the future.

Read you post in you thread about the employee situation, too bad it had to go south on you, but at least your getting through this year. Love the FB picture of the kid holding the football.

The project is actually started, I've gotten all the beds marked out and the only thing I'm waiting for is the all clear from the utility companies, which is officially tomorrow at 9:45 a.m. I'll go in today though and scalp the grass in the beds with my trimmer and get them sprayed with roundup. I just plan on tilling the sod over and doing a follow up spraying next spring.

Haha thanks about the pic. Glad to hear you were able to start the job, I'll definitely look out for updates!

White Gardens

10-13-2010, 05:32 PM

Beds tilled, 4 yards of ISU compost tilled in, and all dirt was filled in where needed.

Not to shabby. It took a long time to till. I actually started on it yesterday afternoon. About 70% of it tilled good, and the other 30% I had to take a maddox pick to break the compaction so the tiller would work.

All I need to do now is edge the beds for a clean cut and then install the plants. I'll bring the mini in to move the bigger B and B trees and probably dig the holes for those also.

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White Gardens

10-13-2010, 05:33 PM

Last two pics of the evening.

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bobcat48

10-13-2010, 05:36 PM

Its lookin good nick.

Jpeg lawn maintenance

10-13-2010, 05:51 PM

It looking very nice. I am excited to see final product. I have a question if you dont mind answering. Where did you get that computer program to place shrubs and stuff.

White Gardens

10-13-2010, 07:57 PM

It looking very nice. I am excited to see final product. I have a question if you dont mind answering. Where did you get that computer program to place shrubs and stuff.

Pro Landscapes Image Editor from Drafix.

http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=77756

.

Jpeg lawn maintenance

10-13-2010, 08:22 PM

Thank you very much.

atasteofnature

10-13-2010, 08:37 PM

Looking Good!

White Gardens

10-15-2010, 10:18 AM

Thanks Guys, it is looking fairly good.

I ended up finishing the beds next to the building yesterday. I originally was going to rent a bed edger to cut the edge, but the ground was extremely hard. I figured by the time I went and got the edger, I would have half of it cut with a shovel. I also figured the bed edger would just bounce around and have problems cutting a good edge.

So, using a shovel gave me a deeper trench to deal with, and if the school wants me to come back in the future to either re-cut the edge, or install brick edging, then I figure I'd be ahead of the curve.

I'm a day behind on this project, just from the tilling process. This soil is the hardest I've dealt with in 5 years. Being a day behind though isn't so much of a big deal. It gives me an opportunity to bring my mini and backhoe over the weekend to dig the holes for the B&B trees without having any kids, or vehicles to get in my way.

Originally I was going to rent a 34" auger for the B&Bs, but the soil is way too compacted. I think my backhoe attachment will work better and I can semi-over dig the holes to help the roots go somewhere.

Pics tonight, I didn't finish what I was doing until dark last night.

This is the longest post I've made in a while, and sorry to anyone if I haven't responded to any personal mails, or in this thread more thoroughly. I've had to deal with a sick kid, multitudes of estimates, consultations, and a couple of designs. Free time has been few and far between.

Never did I expect to be this busy this fall. Almost makes me want to hire someone just to finish out the season.......... Probably wont though and I can focus on expanding a bit over the winter. Luckily all this work I'm lining up now can be done next spring as most people who are calling now have mentioned if it's too late to wait until then.

bobcat48

10-15-2010, 09:22 PM

Sounds good nick.caint wait to see more pics.real good.

White Gardens

10-15-2010, 11:35 PM

Recent Pics from today.

I'm short a Diablo Ninebark, 2 pinky winky hydrangeas, and 4 hostas in the main landscape area. I can't decide if I want to drive a couple of hours tomorrow round trip to go get them or wait until they come in on my suppliers truck on Wednesday.

Otherwise, my B and B plants will be picked up tomorrow, and hopefully installed by the end of the day. If not I'll just go out there Sunday and finish those up.

Mulch on Monday.

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bobcat48

10-15-2010, 11:44 PM

Looks great nick.

White Gardens

10-18-2010, 09:52 PM

Mulch installed today. Pretty Well Done!

All I'm waiting for is tree stakes/cables, and tree gators to make sure they keep getting water for a couple of weeks. Those should be here via UPS tomorrow.

Lots Of Photos.

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White Gardens

10-18-2010, 09:54 PM

More.....

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White Gardens

10-18-2010, 09:56 PM

More.....

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White Gardens

10-18-2010, 09:59 PM

More......

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bobcat48

10-18-2010, 10:03 PM

Wow nick as again real nice work.it looks great.turned out real nice.

KE-llc

10-18-2010, 10:36 PM

i woulda went a lil larger on plant material...looks tiny compared to the building

White Gardens

10-18-2010, 10:38 PM

i woulda went a lil larger on plant material...looks tiny compared to the building

It was all a matter of budget.

White Gardens

10-23-2010, 10:21 AM

Wow, first real rain we've had in almost 6 weeks. It's been pretty dry here this year, a far cry from the wet weather we've had for the past 3 years.

It's amazing how a little rain can make a huge difference in attitude.

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White Gardens

12-14-2010, 09:12 PM

Been a while since I've updated my thread.

Super busy with plowing and I'm already getting burned out. 3 storms in just under 2 weeks. The 3rd storm is set to come in tomorrow night into Thursday.

Here is the link to the Central Il thread in which I post.
http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=111125

Happy Holidays!, and Merry Christmas!

bobcat48

12-14-2010, 09:20 PM

I will say its been a while too lol.thats good.yeah we had a few good troms already too.like u said.we got more snow i think tomorrow and thursday im pretty sure.and if i dont talk too you.happy holidays to you.

Steiner

12-14-2010, 10:26 PM

White Gardens

12-20-2010, 09:17 AM

Looks great, but a little smoothing of the mulch with the back of a fork or plastic rake would help your job image a ton. Jump over to one of perfect earths posts and you will see what I mean. We have done it like that for years and it really helps.

-chris

Ya, I do that occasionally, but in all honesty, all it takes is one good rain, or one good watering and it settles down.

Call me weird too, but I kinda like the "texture" that is left if you don't smooth it out.

White Gardens

01-07-2011, 12:24 PM

DLAWNS

01-07-2011, 02:01 PM

J & D Greens

01-08-2011, 11:46 AM

Just a little Winter Bump it up.

Getting sick of Snow removal. We had one of our snowiest December on record.

It's a love-hate relationship. I only do it because I made the decision to be a scaper in the summer and I need to make sure I keep money coming in during the winter.

I'm itching to get out and do my early spring cleanup stuff. Only 10 more weeks!:laugh:

Is'nt it strange how things go, this is the first season I offered my clients snow clearing, I don't expect to make bank on it (and I am not). We have only had one snow fall that warranted me going out and working so far. I know that future winters we will be the ones asking for a little mercy, But it has been kind of nice working on my place and the Jeep Cherokee (our father son project, his future vehicle) It is calling for a 30% chance of snow Sunday so we will see.

White Gardens

01-09-2011, 10:50 PM

Yeah man....Nick! I'm gettin bored outta my mind! I set up a whole bunch of stuff to do all winter and I'm already done with all of it and then some!

Ha! Previous to the last 2 snow seasons I would have been in the same boat. I'm itching to get a break and get stuff done. Another 2-4 inches is in the forecast and more chances in the next 15 days.

Is'nt it strange how things go, this is the first season I offered my clients snow clearing, I don't expect to make bank on it (and I am not). We have only had one snow fall that warranted me going out and working so far. I know that future winters we will be the ones asking for a little mercy, But it has been kind of nice working on my place and the Jeep Cherokee (our father son project, his future vehicle) It is calling for a 30% chance of snow Sunday so we will see.

I hear ya, I'm definitively crying mercy. I think the odd sleep schedule is what is getting me the most. Even when I feel caught up and normal in the head again, we get dumped on.

J & D Greens

01-10-2011, 06:18 PM

You know we are lucky the weather fronts that roll up from the coast are cutting across our rocky mountains and the snow pack for the ski industry is phenomenal. Where as it is not making it over those mountains into our Denver metro area. At least not to much yet. We have only had two snow that have had measurable snow this winter down here. I got to admit the past two days have kick me rear. I can't imagine what you feel like.

White Gardens

01-10-2011, 07:59 PM

We average around 23 inches of snow a year and right now we are at 26 with at least a good 8-10 weeks of winter left.

Tonight we are looking at another 3-6. I think the record is around 45 or more and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if we hit that mark.

Denver usually gets dumped on. I have a customer that just came back from CO where he spends time with his daughter over the holidays. He always snow shoes up there and he had to go to some crazy elevations in order to actually do it this year.

J & D Greens

01-10-2011, 09:29 PM

Sometimes we do get dumped on but for the most part we don't. Now I've done it Next week we will probably get 2-1/2 feet. :laugh::laugh::laugh:, but seriously I can remember only 8 times in 40 years that we have had those kind of storms . Grant it there was on season about three or four years ago we had about 5 big storms hit Denver, three of them a week apart (consecutively). Then the fallowing year every Joe in town went out and bought equipment to take care of those type of storms and the next 2 season were as dry as can be.

bobcat48

01-11-2011, 07:45 PM

Happy New Year Nick,how have u been.yeah about the snow thats is true,yeah its about 26 and we did get about 4 inches already.i was out when i came home from school and now done 3 hours of doing it aint to bad,my hands just hurt from the snowblower haha lol..but have fun playin in the snow.

White Gardens

01-11-2011, 08:11 PM

bobcat48

01-11-2011, 08:22 PM

Your just a panzy. :laugh: J/K

I quit having fun about 4 weeks ago.:dizzy:

Haha right,yeah im sure your kidding lol.oh ok.

chris@perfectlawncare

01-11-2011, 09:08 PM

Just a little Winter Bump it up.

Getting sick of Snow removal. We had one of our snowiest December on record.

It's a love-hate relationship. I only do it because I made the decision to be a scaper in the summer and I need to make sure I keep money coming in during the winter.

I'm itching to get out and do my early spring cleanup stuff. Only 10 more weeks!:laugh:

I'm feeling the same way. Just re-branded to kind of match what your image is (not advertising for the mowing, simply pushing the landscape side of things). I am really interested in doing what you're doing -- I just need to learn more! How did you learn how to do that?! I'm thinking about taking an ICPI course -- any other recommendations?

Thanks!
Chris

White Gardens

01-31-2011, 09:21 PM

Bump.... (Chris, I"ll answer your questions whenever I get some free time)

We are getting, possibly the worst snowfall for our area since the 1800's.......

I really want winter to be over.....

Here is a link to plowsite if anyone is interested in seeing what's going on in the area.

http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=111125&page=19

bobcat48

02-03-2011, 09:35 AM

^^Oh yeah,it was very bad here,it was a blizzard.i was busy snowblowing and helping out neighbors.

White Gardens

02-08-2011, 10:45 AM

Here is some photos of the recent snow activities.

http://www.plowsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93066&d=1296953700

http://www.plowsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93067&d=1296953709

http://www.plowsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93068&d=1296953724

http://www.plowsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93198&d=1297092776

http://www.plowsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93199&d=1297092784

http://www.plowsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93200&d=1297092798

http://www.plowsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93201&d=1297092806

http://www.plowsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93202&d=1297092921

http://www.plowsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=93203&d=1297092936

grassman177

02-08-2011, 02:57 PM

White Gardens

02-08-2011, 04:30 PM

at least you have the tools to do it.

truck still looks great now you have done the work to it.

have not been on your thread for a while. we are gearing up for the ending of winter as our work typically starts in 4 weeks. getting last minute things taken care of and beginning to market soon.

been leveling the decks this week to account for tire wear. it makes a huge difference. i found my decks 1/4 on average too low from tire wear

The paint has held up fairly well on the dump bed. It is starting to rust in a few places again, but that's to be expected when I've had salt sitting it in practically the entire season. That and I have had only one chance to wash it this winter as it's been relentless.

I've still got a good 6 weeks until I really get started. If you get a good snow melt in a couple of weeks, I'll be able to go ahead and do early spring cleanup stuff, but I'm not holding my breath.

Normally this time of year I'm done with my winter busy work, and that definitively hasn't been the case this year. I'll be lucky to get started on it soon.

As for the equipment, yes, very fortunate to have the tools I need. The mini skid proved invaluable after the 12.5 inches we got. It cleaned up some really small lots I do, and was even more awesome on sidewalk detail.

Thanks for Chiming in Grassman! Good to hear from ya! Hope your next season is looking good. Thumbs Up

bobcat48

02-08-2011, 05:22 PM

White Gardens

02-08-2011, 05:58 PM

Nice pics,like your fleet for plowing.the vermeer is kool.nice see you still use the old shovel and snowblower on few accounts since i dont have a truck or plow,thats what i use and gets thee job done.until the truck comes later on this year.

That driveway is in an older neighborhood in Bloomington, close the the hospital.

1.) barely could get my truck in there if I tried.
2.) Plow is too wide
3.) The mini would have worked for only half of it as the grade is to steep from the house to the street. There was at least an 8' grade change from the bottom of the backdoor to the street.

I did one property that I normally blow (too narrow even for a 6.5 foot plow) half with blower and the front half with the mini. The apron at the front of the drive was newer concrete and an 8" drop over 6 feet. A couple of times I was afraid I was going to slide into the busy street. The key was getting a good scrape as you go downhill to get better traction on the pavement.

I started with a blower, and even still blow most of my driveways to keep the heavy truck off of them. In this storm though, most drives got the truck if I could maneuver in them, and I was really surprise at how well Heavy D can turn and push most of the snow off the side of the driveways.

bobcat48

02-08-2011, 06:07 PM

That driveway is in an older neighborhood in Bloomington, close the the hospital.

1.) barely could get my truck in there if I tried.
2.) Plow is too wide
3.) The mini would have worked for only half of it as the grade is to steep from the house to the street. There was at least an 8' grade change from the bottom of the backdoor to the street.

I did one property that I normally blow (too narrow even for a 6.5 foot plow) half with blower and the front half with the mini. The apron at the front of the drive was newer concrete and an 8" drop over 6 feet. A couple of times I was afraid I was going to slide into the busy street. The key was getting a good scrape as you go downhill to get better traction on the pavement.

I started with a blower, and even still blow most of my driveways to keep the heavy truck off of them. In this storm though, most drives got the truck if I could maneuver in them, and I was really surprise at how well Heavy D can turn and push most of the snow off the side of the driveways.

Ok i see then,ok then.Kool then so at least u started like me with a snowblower and shovels,ohh yes for sure on this past storm it was just too hard for the blowers and shovels even some of the little bit bigger blowers,the guy across from me went and bought a 25''blower and still was having a bit of a hard time but mine is so so not a huge one average its kinda like the toro u have but a two stage ariens of the regular 21' size it did pretty good.and that does save alot of time since u got the dump with the meyers plow,do u salt also?

J & D Greens

02-09-2011, 02:20 AM

Hey White Gardens,
We finally got some snow storms that have been keeping us hopping. I like the plow you have, I'm just using snow blowers, but I mostly do side walks so it works for now. I'm with you, can't wait for spring!!!

White Gardens

02-09-2011, 06:24 AM

Thanks JD! Thumbs Up

It's not a bad setup. The truck is actually 2wd, and did way better in the 12.5" than I originally thought it would. Not too many inclines to actually deal with so that helps out a lot too.

White Gardens

03-15-2011, 11:58 AM

Supposed to get some comfortable temps finally around here this week, but that means the chance for rain also.

Been trying to get my spring cleanups accomplished, but it's either been too wet or too windy to move leaves around. Hopefully I can get them squeezed in this week along with spring fert and pre-emergence applications.

Here is some pics for fun. Took a trip last week to help my dad move a set of saddle tanks for spraying and a 1500 gallon water/nurse tank. We ended up taking them to a consignment auction. Below are some of the pics I took while we were there.

Averted disaster with my tiller head also. I took it apart to clean it and put fresh grease in the box. Turns out the bigger bearing towards the top was shot. Cheap fix, and I bypassed the dealer and went to Motion Industries to replace the bearings with a better quality bearing. Ultimately I'm glad I caught it as I probably can get another 2-3 years out of it before the worm gear and ring gear wear out.

Also picked up my old IH Die-Cast peddle tractor from home so my son can enjoy! I did a lot of farming on this thing growing up. Hopefully I get the time this summer clean and paint it to make it look new again. As far as I know, my dad still has a set of decals for it somewhere, so hopefully he can locate them.

He's already getting the hang of it.

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Equipment at the auction. My dad is looking for a Verti-Cutter like this one to help break open the soil in the spring without actually tilling it for no-till applications. He's had nothing but super wet springs the last couple of years, and he wants to be able to get in the fields faster.

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Look at that Brass gear shine! Luckily the lash between the worm gear and ring gear is still tight.

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J & D Greens

03-16-2011, 10:26 AM

White Gardens

03-16-2011, 04:56 PM

Well I know you have had a long winter, so it will defiantly be nice to get out their and work on the lawns now. Our temperatures have been climbing steadily. We are topping the 60% mark now on a regular basis. I did most of my clean-up work for my clients in the fall. So any spring clean-up work I will be including in their first cut. It will just take a little longer, but I will be able to let half of my lawns go two weeks before the weekly mowing season begins. I look forward to seeing the work you do this year, hope this season is very successful for you. David

Thank you, and you too! Hope the season goes well for everyone considering it's rough out there.

I've got a lot more little work lined up this year, and a couple of random installs. Hopefully the owner of the farm house will want to go ahead and put the hitching ledges in, but we'll see. They just got the Windmills up in that area and the view isn't quit what it used to be.........

Doug Price

03-23-2011, 01:09 PM

Few More.........

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What materials did you use as a base for this wall. I am doing a very similar project and need to know what material to use.

White Gardens

03-23-2011, 02:37 PM

What materials did you use as a base for this wall. I am doing a very similar project and need to know what material to use.

Because it is a natural stone wall, the base consisted of a 2-3 inch footer of type-S mortar with two sections of re-bar running the length of it.

While the mortar was still soft, I placed my my first course in it. After that I used more Type S-Mortar between each course, keeping the mortar towards the back 2/3rds of the course to give the appearance of a dry laid wall. The backside of the wall got about a 1-1.5 inches of mortar to help keep it in place.

The same method was used in this project too. The link below is the first posts to that project.

Beach (http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=272897&page=49)

Good Luck!

White Gardens

04-03-2011, 01:57 PM

Can't complain. A lot of little stuff to do that includes some lawn repairs, shaping up an old house in a historical district in Bloomington, lawn fert applications, a couple of small installs, and some random other busy work.

Ultimately I'm about 2.5 weeks ahead of where I have been the last two springs. Just the type of work and a bit of volume to get me through this transition period between snow and summer work.

I also want to thank everyone who has ever posted in this thread. I appreciate all the input and compliments on my work and what I do. Thumbs Up And also thanks to the people who just follow my thread.

Regardless, have a great season everyone! :waving:

White Gardens

04-03-2011, 05:10 PM

One days worth of work over two days. Approx. 6 hours total. 1.5 tons of rock and dirt removed along with the old fabric.

There was also Sedum ground cover that was overtaking the beds and making a mess of it.

Hostas were split, thinned and moved, some silver mound and regular clumping Sedum were also salvaged.

No after pics yet, I will post them tomorrow.

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KE-llc

04-03-2011, 10:54 PM

6= two days? that's like half a day for us...the design looks good. Not a fan of the spruce though.
Posted via Mobile Device

White Gardens

04-03-2011, 10:58 PM

6= two days? that's like half a day for us...the design looks good. Not a fan of the spruce though.
Posted via Mobile Device

I could have busted it out in one day, but we had some rain showers that slowed me down, and I squeezed in some other work too. Yes, agreed though, easy enough project to knock out quickly.

Got rid of the Spruce in the design, put in an Emerald Arb instead. Might become an issue height wise in about 20 years though.

White Gardens

04-05-2011, 11:31 PM

After photos.

Nothing crazy cool, just cleaned it up to look better. I'll be taking better photos in about 4-5 weeks when everything starts to pop and fill in.

The first photo is the right side of the front entrance. In the center is a larger perennial hibiscus with large red saucer shaped flowers. Also a couple of clumps of hostas were split and placed around the hibiscus.

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Stillwater

04-07-2011, 05:30 PM

Hey Gardens what software are you useing?

Jpeg lawn maintenance

04-07-2011, 08:25 PM

Hey looks nice you got my vote on the poll to!

J & D Greens

04-07-2011, 08:49 PM

Hey you got my vote! You do great work and it is nice to see how you do it also.

White Gardens

04-08-2011, 09:53 AM

Hey Gardens what software are you useing?

Pro Landscapes by Drafix. I use the image editor primarily, and honestly haven't had to do a planner/blue print style design in 5 years as there hasn't been any request for one.

Hey looks nice you got my vote on the poll to!

Hey you got my vote! You do great work and it is nice to see how you do it also.

Thanks for the votes guys! Too bad I didn't get to be a finalist. That out-door living space looked great and it's hard to compete against something like that.

I might enter the next couple of rounds too just for giggles. I know there are lot of guys on this site that have done more detailed an intricate work, so at least it good to know I lost to an excellent project.

I'm just waiting for someone to request an outdoor space also. I've got a lot of neat ideas I would like to incorporate into an outdoor living space. In our Market, there isn't a lot of people that would want one and I feel it primarily due to our climate and conditions. It's hard to keep them looking nice and not deteriorate due to the harsh winters we can get.

White Gardens

04-09-2011, 10:19 AM

Nice little mulch job earlier this week. Took a day total. Just involved cleaning up the beds of old light mulch material, re-cutting the edges, and placing new mulch.

Half of it went fast, the other half sorta slow because I had to surgically placement of the mulch in some areas as the HO had ground-cover that I didn't want to cover up and a few places where they have perennials that they are trying to self seed and spread.

I also ordered my first semi-load of mulch from a supplier in the state to try it out. Don't know if I like it or not. Seems to have a bit bigger chunks in it than I like. It also hasn't been aged much at all, but that seems to be the norm right now as every supplier in the state is complaining that they are shipping out so much mulch that they haven't had a chance to let it sit at all. Regardless, I'll have plenty left over in my pile to turn it and let it decompose some more and hopefully darken up some. When this load is gone, I might try a different supplier until I find a good one I'm happy with.

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White Gardens

04-09-2011, 10:20 AM

Last before photos of the job.

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White Gardens

04-09-2011, 10:34 AM

After Photos

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White Gardens

04-09-2011, 10:39 AM

Final Photos

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Lance712

04-09-2011, 05:44 PM

Did you do the hardscape?
Posted via Mobile Device

White Gardens

04-09-2011, 06:03 PM

Did you do the hardscape?
Posted via Mobile Device

No. But I would say that it's one of the best looking ones I've seen any of my competitors do. They did a great job.

Lance712

04-09-2011, 10:20 PM

No. But I would say that it's one of the best looking ones I've seen any of my competitors do. They did a great job.

Yeah I really like that design.
Posted via Mobile Device

DLAWNS

04-09-2011, 11:53 PM

WG- Stop playing with the sidewalk chalk during jobs!!! :laugh:

White Gardens

04-10-2011, 09:23 AM

WG- Stop playing with the sidewalk chalk during jobs!!! :laugh:

Good Eye! The kids of the home decided they needed to play a bit! Thank god it wasn't a dead body. HA!

White Gardens

05-19-2011, 10:48 PM

Been a while since I posted, so I thought I'd bump it up so this thread doesn't die.

Busy, Busy, Busy. A few minor installs, mulch installations, lawn applications, edgings, mulch bed tillings.... The list goes on.

Some pics coming soon.

Also, the owner of the Farm House is going ahead with at least one hitching ledge and also wants to dress up the front steps with some wall block and limestone caps. :clapping:

Drainage project slated for next week also. Phase one of a patio project. Not sure if the patio will be done this year or not though.

J & D Greens

05-19-2011, 11:07 PM

It will be good to see your thread active again, I love to see your work in progress, I learn a lot from your thread. I got a new to me truck for my business a couple of days ago. I will be updating my thread soon with pictures of it included. Talk to you later, David

White Gardens

05-30-2011, 01:50 PM

Lets see here. Lets start off with a couple of mulch tilling pics.

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White Gardens

05-30-2011, 02:41 PM

Job I completed 1.5 weeks ago. Picked up this client through a bit of advertising that I've been doing. Direct Marketplace (http://ohsave.com/)- I had a 2 yards of mulch free installed with a minimum of 6 yards per job coupon that I received two jobs from. There was also a 1/2 price landscape design coupon, but I have not had any calls for that. The first job I showed recently on this thread and this is the second job I did.

There was a lot of add-ons with this job. He has had some other work done by other companies in the past from what I could tell. (at least for the mulch applications and back-yard lawn renovation.) He had been wanting to make changes but work has tied him up so he has gotten behind on some landscaping projects.

The HO liked my coupon and I did some pop-up drain repairs to make them work correctly again. Had to move some small blue junipers from the front to the back, add an Alberta spruce and one more blue juniper. (the name of the juniper is escaping me right now.) Transplant a couple of bushes. Re-install some boxwoods, extend a bed, install new plants, Trim shrubs by hand etc..

The Stihl tiller is getting a major work-out this year. Glad I replaced the bearings otherwise I would have trashed it by now.

Bed depth expanded by 18 inches or so. I just re-set the flagstone with only having to cut a couple of them. No mortar, just dry laid. The HO might change that bed again down the road as I tried to talk them into making one whole bed that incorporated the pine tree.

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Bed edges cut with the tiller head. Even ran on the inside of the existing flagstone edging.

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White Gardens

05-30-2011, 02:43 PM

more photos

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White Gardens

05-30-2011, 02:45 PM

Final Photos

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Stillwater

05-30-2011, 02:58 PM

looks sharp...............

White Gardens

05-30-2011, 03:07 PM

looks sharp...............

Not too bad, could have cut my lines on the edges a little better though, but over-all it turned out pretty good. Thanks Stillwater, Thumbs Up.

Hope you aren't too stressed this year. I've had some realizations this last year about trying to just go with it and not stress considering it's been the rainiest 4 years in a row that I think I've ever experienced.

White Gardens

05-30-2011, 03:24 PM

Kinda sad that I'm done with this lawn. The Reservist who owns this property just got back from his 1.5 year deployment.

Wish I had some before photos of the place. It looked rough. I've made sure to mow higher and have also put it on a fertilizer and weed control program. Really what the lawn needs though is a double aeration, top-dressed and aerated again to really bring the lawn back into good over-all health.

But, I got the weeds under control and the over-all health back in order. The owner stated when he got back that it looked better than it ever had. I ended up getting a thank you note and a 100 dollar bill. I appreciated it, but it wasn't needed as doing the work for a soldier was enough gratification for me.

Basically I took care of the lawn and landscape including weeding the small beds and edging the sidewalk and curbs.

I'm going to miss that long curved stripe more than anything.

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andyslawncare

06-01-2011, 02:01 AM

I would like to hear more about your 'passive worm food'... I have a worm bin that kitchen scraps go in for compost, vermiculture! In turn, I breed red wigglers; thousands of worms... I'm always interested in other peoples use of worms and 'worm food', so please tell what you do.

White Gardens

06-01-2011, 06:43 AM

I just throw all my clippings and leaves in the fall on my garden and just let the pile sit. Basically the worms in the environment have at it.

Each year the pile(s) are in different places in the garden so it's always shifting so the worms are fertilizing my garden.

I mean passive as a pile also as I don't necessarily turn my piles so it's not an active compost pile.

In a nutshell, it's like finding a pile of old leaves on the pavement. When you disturb the pile after it's been sitting for a long time, you'll find worms in it.

White Gardens

06-03-2011, 11:43 PM

Phase one of a drainage project/patio install.

The patio will be coming next year, for now they want to fix their down-spouts, re-grade the back in order to help with water issues in the basement.

First was to remove the old patio. The previous owner installed it and did a horrible job grade wise. He had the water running back towards the house and basically used what little soil for digging to fill around it. Basically it was sitting on top of the grade.

They did build it strong though. Big aggregate and also wire-mesh re-enforcement, so needless to say it wasn't very easy to take out. Normally I can lift the old concrete and break it with a sledge hammer, but that wasn't working. I ended up having to rent a jack-hammer to break it up into manageable pieces for the mini.

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White Gardens

06-04-2011, 01:45 PM

Let's give this thread a good Saturday bump!

jeffslawnservice

06-04-2011, 06:09 PM

I am on a similar project right now, the grade slopes towards the house severely and the patio is covered in mud. I am fixing the grade and installing sod now, patio to come later in the summer. Those mini skids are great I used one on a few jobs last month and should have rented one for this job now. Work looks good too.

shovelracer

06-05-2011, 05:42 PM

Please explain your use of a 45* coming right off the leader instead of a long sweep 90*. I can see pros and cons to that way.

White Gardens

06-05-2011, 09:41 PM

Please explain your use of a 45* coming right off the leader instead of a long sweep 90*. I can see pros and cons to that way.

I just feel that the 45* fitting allows for debris to move through easily without getting hung up. I also feel the more length of pipe coming off the leader will help if there is a back-up in the system and it will create that much more water pressure to push the blockage through.

A long sweep 90* would probably be just as sufficient though.

What cons do you see with the 45* fittings. (they are actually 22.5* fittings mostly.)

YardGal

06-13-2011, 03:37 PM

very nice!

White Gardens

06-14-2011, 10:54 AM

very nice!

Thank! Thumbs Up

I haven't been taking too many photos lately of other stuff I've been doing as I haven't had much time to re-size them, let alone up-load them.

The drainage project turned out good to great. There might be some minor issues with the catch-basin drain in heavy rain-falls, but a small diversion berm should correct it. The water is going to run 15 feet into the neighbors property. There isn't much else I could have done due to the property, adjacent property, and the grade of the neighborhood. Needless to say it was poor Sub-Division design in the 50's.

Did some work at the farm-house this last week and I might have time in the next couple of days to post photos.

Also one of the Hitching ledges is going to be installed in a couple of weeks out there! The block and pavers are ordered and in, but I'm waiting for a dead elm tree to get taken down first so there is no damage to the walk and ledge when I'm finished.

White Gardens

06-20-2011, 11:02 PM

One of multiple Bush trims I did last week.
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White Gardens

06-20-2011, 11:03 PM

Last two Photos.

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White Gardens

06-20-2011, 11:06 PM

Rained another 1/2 inch of rain today. That makes a total of 1.25 inches the last two days.

Needless to say it didn't dry out until 3pm, so I decided to take the time to clean Dupe. There was some nasty oil/dirt going on in the engine compartment.

Here's some shot's of the cover panels off so I could access the inside.

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Stillwater

06-20-2011, 11:10 PM

NICE!.... gardens whats going on?

White Gardens

06-20-2011, 11:35 PM

NICE!.... gardens whats going on?

Not much! Just Super Busy! If it's not work, it's family life, which is quit OK with me.

Dodging tons of R*%$. (We'll just call it the "R" word as I don't need to say it out-loud considering there are tons of people who are in a drought this year....)

So needless to say I'm doing lots of small work in-between the storms. I've got a few medium installs to do when it dries out enough.

How's it going with you? Are you keeping the stress down?

White Gardens

06-20-2011, 11:42 PM

Here's some more photos. Had 3 reputable tree contractors come out and look at taking down a tree in my yard. All 3 gave me a quote, then looked at me and said they wouldn't touch it.

It has been topped multiple times, limbed up by the power company, was 15 feet from main power lines, 15 feet from my house, and 20 feet from my feeder line to my house.

So, I hounded the power company to take it down out of safety for them as it would have fallen on the lines. They agreed, no cost to me. Thumbs Up.

I didn't even have to haul off my logs, one of my neighbors came down to haul them away and use them to heat his garage. I made out like a bandit!

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Stillwater

06-21-2011, 12:09 AM

ochosdaddy

06-21-2011, 12:15 AM

Silver Maple?

White Gardens

06-21-2011, 07:58 AM

Nice No cost to you..I love it when those cards fall like that.

I am busy as hell... Stress can happen at times But i manage it, been in this a long time and it always happens days where you need to be 2 places at the same time but I truck on. past few weeks have been pond maintenance water features and irrigation work.

Good to hear. Glad your getting by good and I hope you can keep your work-load under control. I've made it a point this year to not be so stressed. Luckily the wife is working again, so that makes a huge difference.

Silver Maple?

Yep, silver maple. Right towards where all the main branching was occurring, most of those bigger branches were starting to rot from the previous cuts. So, even if the trunk was still good, and the upper limbs were still good, there was really no saving it. That and we found two big colonies of carpenter ants in the tree. They have been getting in the house during the spring time and the wife wasn't having it.....

White Gardens

07-21-2011, 03:56 PM

Busy Busy Busy.

Just hired on my first guy. I've done a lot of work this year I should have taken pics of, but have been too busy to even think of it.

At least I'm making sure to get good photos of this project!:clapping:

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gdguth

07-21-2011, 06:29 PM

White Gardens

07-21-2011, 06:32 PM

Looks good so far, and that corn in the back ground is looking pretty good as well. You been getting rain or have you missed it all as of late like over near peoria/washington area? It lookes like you guys might have gotten a little more than us to the west.

Just been real spotty on the rain. We got 1" in Danvers the other day, and this place is outside of Carlock and it's only had a couple of tenths in the past week. There is only a difference of 5 miles or so between the two.

Bloomington is about the same for a little moisture, but then you head to LeRoy and Downs and they got around 4" the other afternoon.

......

gdguth

07-21-2011, 06:38 PM

Ah good old Carlock, It seems as if it has been forever since i have been over that way. My wife and I lived in Congerville for a short time and I always drove thru there on my way to ISU.

White Gardens

07-21-2011, 06:47 PM

Ah good old Carlock, It seems as if it has been forever since i have been over that way. My wife and I lived in Congerville for a short time and I always drove thru there on my way to ISU.

Ha! I actually get my stone from Goodfield, and the three caps in the picture are actually engraved by a guy in Congerville. (I photo-shopped out their last name in the block out of privacy.)

....

White Gardens

07-28-2011, 09:29 PM

Final Grading left to do. Should be done tomorrow.

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White Gardens

07-28-2011, 09:31 PM

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Swampy

07-29-2011, 12:24 AM

looking good. You still planning on make those beds on the end?

White Gardens

07-29-2011, 07:45 AM

looking good. You still planning on make those beds on the end?

No, probably will get seeded in a month or so when the weather cools off.

I might play around with some designs down the road and line both sides of the sidewalk with some dwarf ever-greens.

We've talked about doing a bed on each side of the sidewalk, but she's all about doing this place in phases.

The next job is to put a small ledge wall of sorts on each side of the steps up next to the house. It will be custom built, so the caps will be special ordered limestone caps to fit correctly and not get seams.

...

2brothersyardcare

07-29-2011, 08:49 AM

hate to be the bearer of bad news but why is it slanted down?

White Gardens

07-29-2011, 10:26 AM

hate to be the bearer of bad news but why is it slanted down?

Ha! Oh young one, It's not.:laugh:

It's perfectly level. The sloping grade is throwing you off, that and the fence is following the grade. The only way to correct that is if I used optical refinement to visually get it looking flat, but I'd rather have a level wall than an un-level wall just to make it look visually good.

...

2brothersyardcare

07-29-2011, 06:47 PM

i was looking at the pavers lol what kind are they i never got a response on fb

White Gardens

07-29-2011, 08:16 PM

i was looking at the pavers lol what kind are they i never got a response on fb

Hmmmm. Must have missed that comment on FB.

Ya, when you look at the pavers it does look slanted, but again it's the fence that throws off the perception. I've actually had a handful of people ask me if there was a slope on them or not because of that reason.

Next time I'm out there I might throw a level on it to confirm that I did it right. The sloping comments have bugged me a bit as I try to be a perfectionist.

Also, you can see the pavers on the ledge and they look tilted slightly forward and actually that was done on purpose to get the water to run forward and off the wall.

The pavers are a Whitacre/Grier clay paver. #32 and #33.

....

White Gardens

08-06-2011, 09:29 AM

Before Photos are on this page. http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=272897&page=3

We were working on a property just next door and I decided to go over and check out how this backyard has turned out over the last few years.

Since the original installation, the homeowners took out the pool and installed a small patio in that area themselves. Overall the back-yard looks pretty good. I'm glad the colors came together well.

The silver mound could have been planted another 6 inches or so from the walk, but over-all they're spaced pretty good. I really like that silver color and how it breaks up the rock and softens it up.

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GLS

08-06-2011, 06:29 PM

Watch out for the dog in the 3rd pic!

What kind of ornamental grass is that? Almost looks like purple fountain grass but without the poofy flowers. Are they hardy there?

Looks good

White Gardens

08-06-2011, 07:50 PM

Watch out for the dog in the 3rd pic!

What kind of ornamental grass is that? Almost looks like purple fountain grass but without the poofy flowers. Are they hardy there?

Looks good

Yes, watch out for that little thing. :laugh:

Ruby Ribbons Switch grass.

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Snyder's Lawn Inc

08-07-2011, 08:31 AM

That is a really nice wall White gardens :)

What? No Mortar?

White Gardens

08-07-2011, 08:40 AM

What? No Mortar?

4" footer of 6000 psi concrete with 3/8 re-bar. The first course was then set in type-S mortar. The voids were then filled with more 6000 psi concrete. The original ledge stood for 100+ years and I plan on this one to be there for 100+ years. That and the wall was only two courses and a cap. I didn't want any flex or movement over time.

Due to industry standards, snap edging was used for the paver restraint. I have seen mortar restraint on paver sidewalks fail at the edges as it doesn't allow the edges to move and float with the rest of the sidewalk.

Single brick edging always gets set in mortar to create a "curb" without the look of curb edging. It allows the edging to stay in place, and also a barrier to keep grass from encroaching into the beds.

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Snyder's Lawn Inc

08-07-2011, 09:02 AM

So, in person, the job looks great. The homeowners are happy and that's all that matters.

I choose my plantings and spacing to allow a little room for the HO to piddle around with. She likes to do some gardening, and I'll I was trying to do is give her a good start.

I got the mulch down today before it started raining. Then I took pics after the rain. While I was there I was able to observe the function of my french drain and I couldn't be happier. In one pic is a puddle, and at the right edge you could see the water hit it and disappeared. The main source of the water was from the driveway, so there was a lot and the trench absorbed it with ease.

The other pic of the pipe is the outlet, ten minutes later and it was flowing twice as much.

Yes, we decided not to continue the last course on the wall. I really wanted to to help hid the downspout, but they were happy. If you were there in person it doesn't look bad at all.

The Easter Island guy was made by a local man, and I'm not sure if he is still around or not. The HO bought it 3 years ago, and I gave him a good home.

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Say no mortar?
The grade is all wrong looks like all the water is going to run towards garage instead away from thing going make problem with seal plate

White Gardens

08-07-2011, 09:39 AM

Again, my short walls are set in concrete and type S mortar.

This wall was intended to look like a dry stack wall. The mortar is on the back 2/3rds of each course. If any mortar is showing, then I use a wire or point-tuck trowel to remove any mortar showing.

Notice the bags of concrete and mortar sitting on a tarp and pallet in one of the photos.

Take a close look and you might see mortar in my joints.

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http://www.lawnsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=148862&d=1242909734

http://www.lawnsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=149031&d=1243044329

http://www.lawnsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=149032&d=1243044365

http://www.lawnsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=149033&d=1243044378

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Swampy

08-08-2011, 01:13 AM

You don't worry that the freeze and thaw is going to crack and heave that wall?

White Gardens

08-08-2011, 01:18 AM

You don't worry that the freeze and thaw is going to crack and heave that wall?

Possibly, but considering that a dry stacked wall would have failed pretty easily, that it should last a long time before that happens. That and the re-bar should help hold it fairly level.

That and the way I look at it, natural stone has a rough appearance, and even if sections of it move, it should still look good.

And, that wall was installed a couple of years ago, and it's still holding strong.

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White Gardens

10-18-2011, 01:10 PM

Swampy

10-18-2011, 09:30 PM

Crazy, Crazy year.

Basically plenty of work. The biz hasn't shot off like a rocket but steadily and consistently keeps growing, and considering the state of the economy, I can still look back on this season with a positive attitude.

Hired a guy, then laid him off. :laugh:. But I've got more work for him over the next couple of weeks. He is a Navy Reservist that has seen ground action in the Middle East. He was stationed in Kuwait so he didn't complain about the heat we worked through during the summer.

He can't find a real job. It's a shame as he a very talented and dedicated individual. Not only is he a physically capable guy, he is also a graphic artist. So having someone like him that has an artistic appreciation really fits in. As a reservists, I can't believe he hasn't really found a full time job, but it makes me wonder if the uncertainties of hiring someone who could be deployed again and has his duty to his country that they don't want to take the risk to hire him. Basically in essence, they probably already feel like he has a job already.

Been doing a lot of thinking on how to really ramp up production for next year. I really want to be able to keep the new guy on as much as possible and be able to pay him his worth and give him the hours he needs. I already have about 6 good to great mulch jobs (part of my 2 year mulch cycle, just happens they fall on the same year), a patio and a minor install. I just want to make sure the latter half of the season has enough work for us.

So in a nutshell, no rain means no rain days to post on my thread. Hopefully I'll be able to post photos that I've randomly taken over the past season as I get a bit of free time.

If obama's job bill goes through you'll get a tax credit for hiring a vet. It is pretty sad out there being a reservist, I should know, even when I came home from Iraq back in 2005 it was hard to even get my old job back. I can see where your coming from with not looking to hire a reservist to the fact they could be moblized and your a small company. I think alot of the reason was I suffered PTSD from being a 0311 Rifleman, the company must have thought I was going to chain all the doors shut and burn that mother F*&#^ down. You need people there that will be there, and it is a gamble that they could be moblized. The thing about reservist's is their weekends are scheduled, moblization orders are given 30-90 days out. There shouldn't be a big fear of hiring reserverists.

I hope that cleared things up a bit.

White Gardens

10-18-2011, 10:19 PM

To clarify, I have absolutely no problems hiring a reservist. I've even stated to this guy that if he ever gets deployed again, he will always have a job with me as long as I can pay him.

Basically I was just rationally thinking out-loud why other companies wouldn't hire a reservist.

As for tax credits, it don't matter, but sure would be nice. Thumbs Up I'm pretty sure that there is credits out there already for new-hires in general. I'll have to talk with my accountant at the end of the year and see how that works.

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Swampy

10-18-2011, 10:27 PM

White Gardens

10-18-2011, 10:36 PM

I wasn't dogging on you questioning on hiring a reservist, just sharing my story on trying to get hired. Actually you can get a award from the ESGR from it.

Oh I know you weren't. It just sounded like you took my post as me thinking why I wouldn't hire a reservist, and I was just empathizing with other business owners as I can't understand why they wouldn't.

Soldiers, full time, part time, reservists, etc.... deserve full respect. These are the people out protecting our freedoms and way of life, so I have no qualms or reservations about hiring anyone in the armed forces.

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White Gardens

02-18-2012, 10:52 AM

Hi Everyone!

Been a while. I've been mostly on PlowSite and taking advantage of the light winter to take it easy and spend time with the family.

Hope everyone is off to an early start this year. I've been doing nothing but estimates and designs the last two weeks. Not to mention Taxes! :cry:

Nick

PerfectEarth

02-18-2012, 12:32 PM

I've even been avoiding PlowSite... That's how depressing Winter has been. I have 8 hours in the truck salting this year.

How many times have you been out?

White Gardens

02-18-2012, 03:15 PM

I've even been avoiding PlowSite... That's how depressing Winter has been. I have 8 hours in the truck salting this year.

How many times have you been out?

About 8 times. Mostly nuisance events. Out of the 8 times I plowed my full route 2 times and one of those was almost questionable on whether to do the full route or not.

The first snowfall we got was 4", so that was the only real storm we had.

But, in all honesty I figured that we were going to have less snow this year than last, but I didn't think it was going to be this bad.

I'm also lucky enough also to have a couple of seasonal accounts, so as far as I'm concerned, this winter made up for last winter where I barely squeezed a profit on those accounts.

How is your upcoming season looking PE?

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