Revisiting an elaborate hardscape project we designed and built three years ago
In 2021 we were contacted by a well-known entertainer in town. His family lives in a historic classically-designed house from the turn of the 20th Century on Capitol Hill, Seattle, and they wanted to enclose their existing antique stone gazebo with a grand raised stone patio. Many pallets of specially selected Pennsylvania Bluestone were ordered, and while the delivery was being shipped we built the new concrete base for it.
This required 14 pallets of specially-selected "True Blue" flagstone pavers in 18x24" rectangles and over 100 lineal feet of bluestone tread slabs. The integrated steps were a much bigger feat of engineering than they might seem: Two long, curved steps at 50' wide from end to end. The formwork needed to pour this was complicated, and the segmented curve of the stone pieces was pored over with great care and precision. It was thoroughly reinforced with rebar, as was the 800 sq ft slab base. 28 cubic yards of cement!
The existing (and somewhat dilapidated) gazebo structure needed a floor of some kind, and we opted for using irregular Pennsylvania flagstone as a slight contrast. There was no "True Blue" of this material available at the time, but I think the slight difference in tone adds a pleasant variation.
Another major element of this hardscape project was cladding their 100+ year-old staircase in stone. This leads from the expansive front lawn up to a basketball court. Though the staircase looks smaller, it required nearly the same amount of time as the patio to clad in stone. Note how the stone pattern on the columns are mitered on the corners to make it look like it's made of big blocks of stone. The flat landing at the base was added on with a new slab underneath.
This will remain one of the largest and most notable projects of my portfolio. It was very pleasant working for these clients and I hope they enjoy it for many decades in the future!
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