Tons of limestone boulders, gravel and pavers made for a dramatic transformation in the Smiths’ Donegal Cliffs back yard.
Carolyn and Rick Smith have lived in the house, which was constructed in the 1980s, for 28 years. The large patio replaced a deteriorating wooden deck and is one of the largest improvements they’ve made, second only to the just-completed overhaul of the kitchen, family and dining rooms.
“It’s more than we hoped it would ever be,” Carolyn says of the backyard renovation, completed last summer. The revamped kitchen includes an oversized window above the sink with an uninhibited view of the yard.
The couple had decided to replace the deck, which had been rebuilt once since they moved in, and they finally decided on a landscape project. The yard was “just a rectangle, really boring,” Carolyn says.
As they were reviewing various landscape proposals, none of which they especially liked, they learned of an impressive back yard in their neighborhood that reached from the house to the Scioto River. That back yard had been designed by Tom Costello, owner of Costello Productions, which finds business by word-of-mouth and its website, Costello says.
The Smiths’ home is on a lot with some slope to the rear and one side. After a tour and some consultation, Costello outlined a plan for a stone and paver patio with a curved outer edge and no railings.
“We just don’t really have a lot of vision for this,” Carolyn says of their decision to have Costello build what he felt was right for their yard that backs to a tree line.
The creation of the patio involved taking down the 24-foot-wide deck and replacing some siding that had rotted behind it.
For easy access, the installation includes a semi-circular steps at the family room sliding door rather than “short, choppy steps,” Costello says.
But that was but a small part of the work. The deck had been 4 feet above ground at the outer edge, and the new patio was to be about 18 inches lower. To do that, Costello ha
uled in gravel that is held back by large mesh sack-like containers.
The outer wall is shaped with limestone boulders Costello hauled in from a quarry. The boulders remained after being dynamited during quarry operations, and he picked the sizes needed for a project.
At one end of the patio, he built steps for better access to the walkway toward the front of the home. On the other end is an outdoor natural gas grill in a housing of manufactured stone; it’s the foundation for a 5-foot-long, 2-inch-thick reinforced concrete countertop that’s extended to allow for seating. The top is permanently anchored to the grill structure.
Costello wanted to use natural gas in the grill but the home had electric heat. That desire led to the Smiths having a gas line installed free, taking advantage of a Columbia Gas incentive, while replacing their furnace and air conditioner.
Patio floor pavers are within a “soldier course” of full-size pavers around the circular outside edge of the patio. As the floor was laid, smaller, odd-shaped pieces were cut to fit between full-size pavers so they won’t loosen.
At its widest point, the patio extends about 18 feet from the house. There, Costello built a water feature, a stream that runs over a limestone boulder and rocks. To make it, he used two pieces of culvert to form a 300-gallon, rubber-lined underground reservoir and installed a pump and water line to create a “bubbler,” a continuous stream of water that runs over the rocks and back to the reservoir.
“No mosquitoes, nothing for kids to fall into, it doesn’t take u
p space,” he says of the self-contained water system. The reservoir may have to be topped off with a garden hose twice a year.
For convenience, exterior electric outlets and low-level lighting on the stairs and pills were installed.
When Costello outlined the project, the Smiths weren’t sure of the outcome. “We gave him free rein, and he delivered,” Carolyn says. “I love our back yard. I probably have 80 hostas out there. …We’re out there all the time. Morning coffee. Evening happy hour wine.”
The couple’s two daughters and their families are frequent visitors to the patio. The grandchildren love the water feature, in particular, Carolyn says.
Duane St. Clair is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at laurand@cityscenemediagroup.com.
