Flagstone sitting area… Still being laid out, but you can get a sense of the flagstone color and sizes. They were nice enough to use the table and chairs as a guide for setting the stones for minimizing awkward dips and bumps.
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Playground Bark! As for that weird box sticking up in the foreground, it controls the pool lights. Was it put in a dumb place? Yes. You know those hokey fake rock covers? That’s what I’m thinking of “disguising” it with.
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An Impulsive bit of lawn!
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The cool thing about not working from a plan is that you can design in real space and real time! When I decided to add a small patch of lawn between the pool decking and crushed gravel paths around the rectangular veggie beds, all we had to do was lay out the shape we wanted with a hose!
BTW, I plan on growing veggies in the “flowerbeds” along the house and fence too, so I’m not limited to the 2 4 x 10 ft. rectangles. They’ll come in handy for sprawling things like melons and squash, though. Mmmm… ‘Ambrosia’ cantaloupe and yellow crookneck squash… Get this– the veggie rectangle beds each have their own spigot, AND will be tied in with the irrigation controller. This means flexibility for watering (by hand, drip, etc.) and freedom to leave town without losing everything or having to hire a plant sitter!
The foreman and his assistants are being very accomodating and pleasant, especially considering the last-minute nature of some of my requests. I’m having a blast!
The mow strips are in!
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There were a few unexpected glitches, the worst part being that they occurred before I was properly caffeinated, but in the end everything went well! The mow strips are curing (it was hot today, so we had to mist them a bit) and most of the irrigation is in. I like the color of the mow strip… “Flagstone Brown.” Yay! The pool decking is “San Diego Buff”, which you can see on the same page as the “flagstone brown” link. We’re probably going to have the pool decking sealed, which will restore some of the richness and darkness of the San Diego Buff.
The mow strips were the most critical aspect of the job because nothing else is “set in concrete.” The flagstone sitting area will be in d.g. and edged with Epic Bender Board, so we can scoot things in here and there. The veggie beds (2 @ 4 ft. by 10 ft.) will also be edged in Epic.
On Playground Bark and Concrete Tinting
Decided not to use recycled rubber mulch under the play structure. At first glance, it seemed like pretty neat stuff… comes in fun colors and is nice and spongy… but guess what it smells like? Tires! Duh…
Imagine how it smells on a hot day! No way. Also, a little online sleuthing dug up the fact that rubber mulch is toxic to plants, which will be nearby, gets hot enough for there to have been a lawsuit in which a child was burned, and the fumes aren’t so healthy either. Back to good old playground bark.
I picked a color for the concrete mow strip: Flagstone brown! The mow strip will be poured or, rather, extruded on Monday.
Angela’s Stock Photography
