TomG's Photos

[Murphy's Law]

Thanks for the info. Yeah the Belgik edging is surpisingly larger than I thought when I got the sample. It's 7" tall 10" wide and 4" deep. I'm definitely going with a taller edge restraint. Last question. I've only installed cobbles as garden edging before but I'm doing the Belgik edge as garden edge too. Can I install it like cobble or do I need to do a base restrain the back side real good?

[DVS Hardscaper]

Tha hardscapeing looks great.

But that gravel on that hillside by the driveway kills the job.

That hillside is perfect for pachasandra (sp). So much opportunity to give the job a NATURAL appearance. We have man made pavement and lego block - topped off with GRAVEL!!!

This is where hardscapers need to pull together and start making use out of perennials and ground cover.

We have a high end customer in Cockeysville MD. In quite a community. And in this community you won't find one spec of landscape gravel. All the properties have been designed by professional architects, and installers. Anyone on here from Baltimore county will know where I'm talking about and can vouch for me.

Tom, your pics of the work look great, but you're stopping short, you have one leg over the fence. Do away with that gravel and you'll have the other leg over. And I mean this in an upbeat, polite way. As in a coach trying to get you to see the possibilities that I SEE IN YOU.

And the excuse is always (from hardscapers in general) "the customer doesn't want maintenence".

Well, WHO DOESN'T! If that's the case then you shoulda bought a condo or a townhouse.

People that can afford to do such a job can afford to maintain it. And really, once the plants establish - the maintenance is minimal.

I'm so freakin adament about this, if this were my forum and it was an established forum, I'd start a contest and I'd give away a brand new EDCO saw to whom ever can make the best use out of integrating perennials into the hardscape.







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[PaperCutter]

DVS - I do a fair bit of planting design around newly installed hardscapes for guys, and there are a couple of things that drive me up a frigging wall.

- 3 feet wide is not a planting bed. It's a ground-level pot for annuals.
- If you're doing tiered walls and you want plantings between them, some maintenance is required. Provide a way to get to them that doesn't involve ladders.
- It's cheaper and easier to throw a sleeve under a walk BEFORE it's built. I always specify a couple sleeves on every project because you never know. It's ten bucks worth of PVC.
- If the homeowner is trying to save a tree, building your wall 4" from the root flare isn't helping it.

[TomG]

Originally Posted by Murphy's Law

Thanks for the info. Yeah the Belgik edging is surpisingly larger than I thought when I got the sample. It's 7" tall 10" wide and 4" deep. I'm definitely going with a taller edge restraint. Last question. I've only installed cobbles as garden edging before but I'm doing the Belgik edge as garden edge too. Can I install it like cobble or do I need to do a base restrain the back side real good?

You should have no problem installing it like cobble. When we use it as an edging for a garden or even a mulch bed we don't use a edge restraint. The only time we use an edge restraint is if it is up next to pavers.

[Murphy's Law]

Great! Thanks for the help and keep up the good work. Us hardscapers need to keep elevating the industry so the work keep coming down the pike. If everyone does quality work then some of the negative thoughts about pavers will be changed to positive.

[zedosix]

Originally Posted by Murphy's Law

Great! Thanks for the help and keep up the good work. Us hardscapers need to keep elevating the industry so the work keep coming down the pike. If everyone does quality work then some of the negative thoughts about pavers will be changed to positive.

I second that one.

[JoeyDipetro]

Thanks for sharing Tom. That is some good stuff right there. I like watching your operating videos too. Don't let the poo pooers bring you down. When it comes to some things, there is no right or wrong......only personal preference. Your customer is paying you and sometimes they prefer something that you would not choose. If it is not structural and won't compromise the integrity of the build, so be it. Keep doing what you're doing!

[DVS Hardscaper]

Originally Posted by JoeyDipetro

Thanks for sharing Tom. That is some good stuff right there. I like watching your operating videos too. Don't let the poo pooers bring you down. When it comes to some things, there is no right or wrong......only personal preference. Your customer is paying you and sometimes they prefer something that you would not choose. If it is not structural and won't compromise the integrity of the build, so be it. Keep doing what you're doing!

Cept Tom doesn't do the designs where he works from what I understand.

In general (based on pictures I see over and over on these forums) the problem is many guys/companies are good with running a tamper and saw, but they lack in knowledge of plant use and landscape architecture. Covering the ground may not be structural, but it sure does resemble that of a railroad bed. Thats fine for under a deck or around an A/C unit, but a whole hillside is a cop-out for those that don't know how to make use of plants.

Anytime you have a job OVER $30k - everything should be well planned and designed and be harmonious with the natural surrounding setting. I've seen $100K hardscape jobs on here with horrible landscaping. The best analogy I can think of is the $800 builder packages used for landscaping the tract homes.

In terms of customers, many of them are clueless about landscaping and architecture and trust the contractor. Simply not realizing what could really be.


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[clcare2]

Originally Posted by PaperCutter

DVS - I do a fair bit of planting design around newly installed hardscapes for guys, and there are a couple of things that drive me up a frigging wall.

- 3 feet wide is not a planting bed. It's a ground-level pot for annuals.
- If you're doing tiered walls and you want plantings between them, some maintenance is required. Provide a way to get to them that doesn't involve ladders.
- It's cheaper and easier to throw a sleeve under a walk BEFORE it's built. I always specify a couple sleeves on every project because you never know. It's ten bucks worth of PVC.
- If the homeowner is trying to save a tree, building your wall 4" from the root flare isn't helping it.

paper this is great idea for a new thread.

[TomG]

Here is a really cool project we recently did. We installed a permeable paver patio in the inner courtyard of the high school I graduated from. We also re sodded the lawn area. My family donated our time, machines and materials to this project and dedicated it to two faculty members that meant a lot to my sister and I when we were in high school. All the faculty use this area for their lunch break. I don't have before pictures but it was just picnic tables sitting on grass. We did a permeable patio because the area is completely surrounded by the school so there is no where for the water to go. We had to wheelbarrow all the excavated dirt out and wheel barrow all the stone base in. Best part was I got to drive the mini-bobcat through the hall ways of the school... who wouldn't want to do that!