Jim & Connie wrap up a huge backyard landscape project that took a couple of seasons to complete. See the big transformation on this show!
Last month, we introduced you to the first part of a major backyard project. Jim, this project has a lot of elements. Sure does. It’s big. So, we have multiple patios. We have retaining walls. We have rock structures. We have a water wall. We have a fire pit. Actually, a gas fire pit. We have a brand new water garden we’re putting in. Um, some p some paved walkways and of course planting and some landscape lighting. It’s a little bit of everything. That’s all. Now, here’s part two. Well, Jim, we’re back at this project and we’re at a new area that you’re working on. Well, it’s the next phase really. So, most of the work is done up above. We have to come back and do some planting and some finish work and stuff, but now we’re moving down here into the larger patio down by the pool area. So, uh, what we’re doing is pulling out all the old pavers and because of the shape of the pool, they eliminated the diving board in the one end. So, we’re cutting the concrete off there, trimming up some of the side, so it’s going to look more appropriate to the to the landscape design once we do the new pavers. So, uh, we also had to check in. We have to run a new, um, line for the water going into the pool. So, we’re digging really deep over there. We had to go down pretty darn darn far. Wow. But we’ve got to do all that before we can start putting our base material in and laying new pavers. So, uh, another exciting day and lots going on here in the project. The crew is working on removing more concrete around the pool, which requires cutting and taking out pieces carefully. They have to cut all around the pool to give it a new shape that will work with the new design. Locating the existing water line into the pool is more of a challenge and it’s not the only problem underground. We also ran into some issues as we were digging. We, you know, we have a sewer line we had to update and make sure it was not damaged. There were some water lines running in there. We still have some electric lines going into the pool house. So, these are all delicate things that we’ve got to do as we do this digging process. Once we know where everything is, it makes things a lot quicker and we can move forward. Once the new underground lines are installed, it’s time to lay the new patio pavers. The crews starts under the pool shed, laying a base stone. Eventually, the pavers are set. While that work is being done, another team works on the water feature, sealing any remaining leaks and making sure the water runs properly. Jim, what are you guys doing here today? Playing in the dirt. So, we need to do some regrading. We’re reshaping this whole bank that we created here and uh putting in some more of the boulders into the landscape. There’s going to be some planting areas around this space down here along the side of the bank. We’re actually going to tie into the the existing bank on the far end so that he can run his mower up through here. So, this will be grass down here, but then we’ll have some plantings coming down the steps and down in front of the boulders. We’ve got a couple drain things that we got to deal with. So, today we’re really just shaping everything up. We’re hoping to get some seeding done in the next day or so. We got a little bit of weather coming in next week and we want to try to get the seed down so it’ll start to grow nice. Pavers continue to be set around the pool. It’s a big project taking many days. At the same time, plants are being brought in around the water feature. Well, the weather has gotten great. The work is progressing and I really like the pavers that you chose to go all the way around the pool. Well, we’re so happy about the weather cuz it’s really been a hindrance to us for a little while. But anyway, we’re making progress here. As you can see, we had the pavers underneath the pool house there. And now we’re going to continue the same pavers we used up above in the patios that we put in last season. And this patio is going to basically run around the entire area. All the existing pavers that were there are all coming out. And this will be all new pavers in this whole area. And then when we’re all done, this is just going to be lawn out to the driveway. So, it’s going to look pretty spectacular and a lot more space in terms of the paved area for them to entertain on. Well, I see that they’re putting the flowers in now. Yeah. Yeah. We’re uh wrapping up some of the planting up on the bank in the hill around the water feature. So, let’s go take a look. Okay. Jim, I love the sound of this waterfall. And it looks beautiful. That terrific. I remember there was an existing pond feature here when we came on site originally and it was ineffective. It just wasn’t working properly and it was really honestly it was kind of ugly. So we ripped it all apart and redid it using all the existing rock. Every piece of rock and boulder that you see here was on site. We didn’t bring any of this in. So it was great that we were able to reuse it uh and repurpose it so we can make this brand new waterfall coming down into the landscape. So, they love that sound of the water, which is fantastic. And it just gives a sense of movement and stuff, too. Um, right now, what we’re doing is we’re finishing up some of the planting up here on the bank. We’re going to put weed fabric down. We’re going to mulch some areas. We’re going to have some river rock in here. And then the final touch in here is we have to add our lighting in this area. Uh there’ll be some lighting on the water coming down and on some of the shrubbery and all. And when it’s completed, it’s just going to be a fantastic look. um which is great a great background from the home from the patio here and so enjoyable. I like some of the flowers and plants that you chose and some of them are perfect for this situation because they don’t need a big root system. Well, yeah, that’s true. But the other thing what’s really a critical factor here is they have herds of deer coming through here. Okay. Okay. So, we really had to be careful what we chose to put here so we wouldn’t have an issue with the deer brunching, you know, every day on some of these plants. And for the most part, these plants that we’ve chosen are about as deer proof as you can get. I like to tell people now, nothing’s deerroof, but this is as close as you can get. And uh the other object here was to give some color. So, there’s some seasonal color, there’s some year round color with some of the evergreens, and I think it’s going to really look outstanding once it’s complete. Coming up next, work continues on putting lots of these pavers around the pool. First Northern Bank and Trust is your local loan specialist for personal and business loans. Local decision makers can expedite the approval process and customize financial solutions to help you reach your goals. At our independent community bank, you’ll enjoy friendly service and the latest technologies. From 11 convenient locations, we serve customers in Carbon, Lehi, Monroe, and Northampton counties. First Northern Bank and Trust, member FDIC, equal housing lender. New technology is evolving for home heating and cooling. Manufacturers keep updating their products. RJ Groner Heating, cooling, and plumbing constantly trains its employees, investing in virtual reality tools and in-house cooling. When you call RJ Groner for help, we send a tech who has the knowledge to solve your problem. Their skills are the best in the area. Customer service is our number one priority. Whether it’s an installation or emergency repair, call us at 5704217260. Looking to tell your story? George Roberts Productions creates TV shows, podcasts, and video blogs, video series, and customer information pieces. We also record your important events for social media releases and archiving. From writing to final production, we make you look good. Contact George Roberts Productions today, 570-6647399 or go online. Your business is important to us. Jim, I know that this pool had a weird shape around it with uh Yeah, it was really very odd. We couldn’t figure out why they did it the way they did it when they poured the concrete coping around the pool. It was a little strange. It was just big bumpout for no particular reason. Um, so we thought it really looked kind of odd. So we decided we were going to cut it out and we cut out the concrete to match basically the interior lines of the pool itself, the shape of the pool, and it’s going to look so much better once we pave it. Otherwise, we had that very strange thing sticking out there, which was very odd. So, we’re at a point now where we’re bringing our pavers in. Uh we’re just extending a little bit further. Then we have to cut in our border block, which I’ll show you over there as well. Now, the patterns are always interesting. Well, this is a modified herring bone. It’s three sizes that we use typically, but the the thing here, what we did is two things. First, we mixed up two uh uh finishes. One is a smooth finish, and another one is a textured finish. So, it just gives a little bit more shadow effect when the sunlight’s out. It looks a little more interesting. And then we also dropped in some of our large grande pavers in along the way too. Just because of the scale of the project, it made sense to put in some larger pavers as well. Um, so that kind of twists up the pattern a little bit, but in the end it’s going to look fantastic. I like it. It looks good. So the other thing we have to talk about is drainage. All right. So this is a very, very large area and the last thing we want is water sticking around in this space. Winding up in the pool, you know, because we’ve got a wall back here. Can’t go that way. We have some grade that goes this takes this out this way. But in this space, there’s another one over there and another one large patio over there we’re setting up. We have everything graded so that the water that comes into this space is going to grade right to this drain. So, if you recall, we put in all this drain pipe that goes way down to the woods down there. So, anything that falls on this surface is not going to puddle. It’s just going to come down to the drain and out it goes. So, uh we don’t have the water issue down the road. Wow. Yeah. Well, everything’s really starting to come together here. It is. And then this is what we’re doing for our border block. We’re using the gray contrast. Kind of matches the caps that we put on the wall. So, after we cut everything in, we put those in. Of course, we still have little cuts to fill in some of the blank spots. We’ll do that. And then when it’s all done, we’ll put our polyme sand down and get this thing wrapped up. Yeah. And I love the lighting already. Yeah, the lighting’s fun. You can see there’s some on the wall here. It’s all throughout the landscape here now. Uh if we take a little visit at night, you’ll see how beautiful it looks. The waterfall is all lit up in the upper area is all lit up. The fireplace up there is all lit up. Uh so it’s pretty cool. But uh again, that’s using that coastal source lighting that we like to use. And uh it just does a fantastic job. They like rocky soil, hot dry. I’ll come back over and have some good soil today. As the summer continues, temperatures get unbearably hot for several days. The crew sets up a tent to work under. There are still lots of pavers to put down on this patio. As they lay pavers closer to the house, they notice wood at the crawl space has rotted through. Work has to stop in that area while a solution is found. Coming up next, a few hurdles to overcome as the crew gets closer to the finish line. RJ Groner, heating, cooling, and plumbing staff has morning meetings where assignments are discussed. Then the crews head out to homes in the Poconos and Lehigh Valley, ready to maintain, repair, or replace your home equipment. R.J. Groner brings the knowledge, giving you peace of mind. We’ve been servicing the area for nearly 100 years. We’ll keep your home comfortable and safe year round. Whether it’s an installation or emergency repair, call us at 570-421-7260. Community. It’s where we work. It’s where we play. It’s where you’ll find First Northern Bank and Trust offering community banking services. First Northern Bank and Trust is a family-owned and operated bank. Our local decision makers offer fast approvals and customized financial solutions. Plus, we keep your money right here in the community, stimulating local economic growth and providing jobs for our friends and neighbors. First Northern Bank and Trust, member FDIC, equal housing lender. Jim, I was here on that really hot day that happened last week, but uh I saw that they were replacing the wood here on the house. What happened? So what happened here was unfortunately a lot of times when we get into older construction in a home or something, you wind up finding little things that are problematic. Okay, in this case what happened over time is this was all large paved space. It had some old pavers in it. But unfortunately everything was graded toward the house away from the pool and toward the house. Never a good idea. So what happened is after we excavated this area so we’re ready to start laying our base stone. We found that the uh timbers underneath the wood structure underneath that creates that floor joist system under there was completely rotted out. Uh so we had to contact the contractor to come in and he replaced all the boards, finished everything back up so we could come back in here, finished putting our base material, putting our sand, and now we can finalize taking the the pavers out. And again, everything here is going to go from here to the drain. Everything away from the house. Always away from the house, right? Of course, away from the pool as well. Once we get out to the far side, then we have enough drainage or grade to take it out and just have a sheet off the back end of the patio. But it’s a major consideration, especially when you’re doing a project of this scale. You definitely don’t want water laying around because it will create some real damage against the house. And we do run into this occasionally. Just one of those things. Yeah. Well, they’re doing a good job. It looks like we’re almost getting done here soon. Yeah, we’re getting ready to wrap up the paving. And this is the last section here. When we’re done with that, we’re finishing up the bank there. We’re doing some planting and then we’ll regrade. We have to bust out some more concrete, uh, which is over there. And then we’re going to regrade everything, plant some lawn, and we’re done. So, it’s been a long haul, but it’s been really, really great. The homeowners are wonderful, and the project is just turning out terrific. As more of the pavers are placed on this massive patio, sight lines are important. Time is spent making sure all pavers line up correctly, as seen from various angles. Border block is carefully installed along the patio perimeter. Piece by piece, the crew continues to place each pa in a random pattern. Thousands will be used for this project. You can finally see the whole patio coming together. Well, Jim, I think we need to bring everybody up to date with where we’re at here. Yeah. Well, we’re pretty close to the finish mark here now. We couple more days we’ll be out of here. You can see behind us, we’re just finishing up some of the paving here. That’ll complete our paving. We have most of the edge or border block in. We do have to do some work around the house and that’ll wrap up the paving. Then we’re going to install our polymeric sand and we’re done with the pave. And as you can see behind us here, we have um that area behind us here is going to be a lawn. Okay. So, there was an existing concrete structure that was there. I think originally there was some kind of a fountain or something there. Uh but it’s a lot of concrete. So, we have to bust that out first. Then this will all get graded and seated and then that’ll be the end of the project. The last piece of the old landscape is busted up and taken out. Then the crew moves in with soil and grass seed to finish this project. It’s been a two-year job from beginning to end. And now the homeowner will get to enjoy the new backyard. This awesome project is now done. It is. And we’re going to show it to you next. Still ahead, a final walkthrough of this great big project. New technology is evolving for home heating and cooling. Manufacturers keep updating their products. RJ Groner Heating, cooling, and plumbing constantly trains its employees, investing in virtual reality tools and in-house schooling. When you call RJ Groner for help, we send a tech who has the knowledge to solve your problem. Their skills are the best in the area. Customer service is our number one priority. Whether it’s an installation or emergency repair, call us at 570-421-7260. First Northern Bank and Trust is your local loan specialist for personal and business loans. Local decision makers can expedite the approval process and customize financial solutions to help you reach your goals. At our independent community bank, you’ll enjoy friendly service and the latest technologies from 11 convenient locations. We serve customers in Carbon, Lehi, Monroe, and Northampton counties. First Northern Bank and Trust, member FDIC, equal housing lender. Jim, this project turned out awesome. Yeah, it really did. So, uh, you know, it was a wonderful project. It carried over multiple seasons. Uh it was a lot going on here. A lot of different elements that we put into this project. We’re very proud of what we’ve completed here and the homeowner just loves it. So, why don’t we take a look? Okay, Jim. I remember when the old pavers were here. This is quite a difference. A huge difference. Yeah. So, the pavers that were here was a little smaller than what we’ve accomplished here now, but they were the old uh 4×8 brick style pavers. uh very outdated uh really worn down pretty good. Uh there was an old concrete pad out here in the yard which I think at some point the original owners must have had some sort of a water feature there or something. That’s all gone now. And the other thing that we did too, there were some very odd shapes to the concrete around the pool itself. And we cut a lot of that out. We changed the shape a little bit. There was a large area that came off where you see the rail going into the pool that just made no sense whatsoever. We couldn’t figure out why it was there, what the idea was behind it, and it just looked awful. So, we cut that out and shaped everything up according to the actual dimension of the pool itself. When we were done here, they had a contractor come in and resurface the concrete deck around the pool, which really made a difference. It looks like it’s brand new, so it really worked out well. So, now you’ve got all this patio space down here, which connects to the yard, to the dining area, to the grill area. You have the pool house over here. Uh changing rooms, bathroom, all that kind of stuff. So, we have multiple areas. Yeah. But if we walk around, I can show you some of the interesting things that we’ve done here. Yeah. I remember one of the things was over here with the drainage. Well, the drainage is always important. So, we have this very large flat space and we needed to understand what we were going to do with all the water that came down here. So, we had to do we there’s a lot of piping under here, a lot of drain work that we did. uh re not before we did the paving and we put in some drains. There’s one there, there’s one on the other side, and there’s one here as you can see. And everything basically is pitched just enough to get the water to those drains so you never have any water sitting on the patio. And then when you get closer to the edges of the patio, then the water just sheds off. So, it worked out really well. We’ve had a couple of good rainstorms and there’s no water sitting on the patio, which is exactly what we want to see. So, uh, that was a big deal. Well, speaking of water, let’s check out the waterfall. Okay. Well, here you go, Connie. It’s so nice to be here in the evening with all these lights. So, if you recall, there was an existing waterfall or feature here that was inoperable. Really wasn’t working, was falling apart, and it was a real mess. Um, so what we did is we deconstructed the entire thing. All these rocks and boulders that you see here were part of the original waterfall. And we took them all apart, made a big heap over in the side. We started from scratch and rebuilt this whole thing to make something that really had some sound, some great water quality and some real interest when you look at it. And we’re really very happy with the way this turned out. So we have water coming out of two different areas up top there. They kind of come together and meet come down these series of falls and down into this is a pond that’s basin. So there’s no standing water. It’s just a large basin that we created there. It collects the water and then pumps it and circulates it back up to the top and keeps it going. But it’s a pretty good volume of water. Got some great sound, which is wonderful. And of course, we’ve got some lighting in there as well, too. The other thing I wanted to point out is how you see we used a lot of these rocks, set them in there so it looks like a real natural setting, and then we did some plantings in there. So, as these plant things grow out in the next year or two, you’re going to really see some great color and it’s going to look so natural. It’s going to be beautiful. So, let’s take a walk up this step. Okay. So, Connie, this is the one way we get up. And if we stop here for a second, when we first came here, this bank came very, very close to the side of the pool house here. Uh there was just some rocks there keeping some of the soil from getting in there. So, we cut all that out. We built this retaining wall to give some relief in this space. And then we regraded this, made a flat area up top so he can have some lawn and bring his tractor up there. And behind, you can see how we had to build the other retaining wall. And we moved the entire bank back to make some room for some of the work we were doing here. It looks great. It gives it depth. We have these great natural stone steps, or they look natural anyway. They’re actually concrete steps, but they have that real natural look. And you can see we’ve got appropriate lighting all through the space. This was a little pad cuz he has some access for different materials underneath the deck here. So, we wanted to create a little pad for him. Here we step up once more. Nice little breeding planting here. And then we walk into this terrific space underneath. Wow. Wow. This looks awesome. Is this great? Yeah. This is such a wonderful space. And when I first came here and looked at this project, I I knew I wanted to do something special under here. it just um talk to me. So, we built this wall up, this uh fabulous wall. It’s a water wall. We have three sheets of water coming down that gets recycled, you know, it’s recirculated, I should say. And then we built this beautiful patio out of this great PA 30×30 PA that mimics slate really beautifully. And then we have this beautiful fire pit. I know. So, this is a propane fire pit that we uh put in here. And you can see he’s got lighting and warmth. Warm, isn’t it? Yeah. It’s nice cuz with the ceiling gear, it keeps all the warmth in this area. Works out really nice. So, this is just a perfect space to come and just relax. You got the sound of the water, you got the fire, you got the rest of the landscape around you. They love this space. And I’m really happy because this to me, this was one of the focal points of this whole project. And it came out just great. Wow. I didn’t know that this is how this was going to be in the end. This is just it was a mess on the start, right? It was a lot of work. Uh there was some existing deck in that we had to reshape and cut. There was a lot of plumbing that went in here, a lot of lighting and stuff. It was a lot. Yeah. But in the end, it just turned out absolutely beautiful. And you got a great overlook of everything down below in the the patio. And there’s so many different ways to get up here and go out back and explore for the kids to run around. A set of steps that goes up and steps that go up above here. These steps go up above. There’s a whole entertaining space up top there. There’s a grill up there. There’s water. Um really they could throw some great parties here for sure. You can see Connie, we have not run out of patios yet. So this is patio number two. Um if you’re counting from the top here, it’s another separate space that we built. And you can see we had to do retaining walls to keep all the bank back. Tuck in that lighting on the walls themselves. Make sure the steps are lit so you can come up here at nighttime. Continued our planting out from here. And this is a great space in and of itself, but it wasn’t enough. So, we need now we need patio number three. I love it. Now, this is a little different. We did a little more of a free form shape here because now we’re getting into the landscape, okay, of the entire project and we wanted to make it a little bit more natural. You can see we used some of the big boulders that were part of the original water feature. Tucked them into the landscape here, made them part of the pavecape. And then they really wanted an additional fire pit, a wood burning fire pit. So we built this for them. And we have an insert in here. It’s a basically it’s a smokeless fire pit. You can have wood fire in here and the smoke doesn’t get all over your eyes, which is great. Wow. And these pavers that you’re seeing down here, this circle, we harvested these from down below. the original pavers that were down there, this circle kit was down there, and I couldn’t resist not to use them again. So, we brought them up here, we cleaned them, and inserted them in around the fire pit, which worked out really well. They belong here. Yeah, it’s really it’s it sets it off really well. And again, you have the water feature right there, so you can hear the water. Got some great lighting and another set of those uh stone steps going down to the first patio all over again. You know, Jim, this was a great vision. This whole project looks awesome. Yeah. Sometimes I surprise myself, I think, and so grateful for the kind of clients that we were working with here. Uh they were wonderful the whole time we were here, even though this place was basically a construction zone for quite a while. Yeah. And um but in the end, it really just turned out terrific. And I think they’re going to get a long many, many years of enjoyment out here, which is what really makes me happy. Yeah, nothing stresses me out more than we do these beautiful projects and they don’t get enjoyed by the homeowners. So, I’m happy to see that happening here already. Yeah, they’re going to make great memories. You know, there’s a lot of pavers here, though. How are they going to keep them looking this good? Truckloads and truckloads of pavers. Okay. And anything that’s outside exposed to the elements needs requires some maintenance. Okay. They’re concrete, yes. But what happens again, we have acid rain in the northeast here starts to pit the surface of the PA. U so it’s really important to keep the pavers in good shape and you do that by sealing them. Uh the polymer sand that we use in the joints only lasts for so long. Sooner or later that does have to get replaced. It’s just a reality. But it’s so much better than poured concrete because if you can imagine pouring this all on concrete and then at some point, one of my favorite sayings, there’s two types of concrete. concrete that’s cracked, concrete that’s going to crack. You know, the the freeze thaw cycles that we have here, the movement in the ground, concrete slabs don’t do very well over time and then it’s a major repair. Whereas with the pavers, as long as you have a good foundation, number one, you shouldn’t get any movement. And if you do, it’s easy enough to fix. So, we’re a real proponent of of concrete pavers for sure. But, they should be taken care of. I mean, you can’t just do it once and forget about it. They should be sealed and maintained. And you have a company called the Pavers Savers. Paper Savers. That’s exactly what we do. We come in either on new uh projects like this here or we go into older established uh patios and we’ll clean them and restore them and make them look really good again. Well, you’re good at making memories for people. Love that part of it. Yeah. All right, folks. Thanks for watching. We’ll see you next time right here. Let’s go take a look at the the fountain. So, what are you going to do with this? Let’s start that again. Oh, we got a new mood. Well, you can see Patty. Uh, Patty, who’s Patty? You like dancing here. Wait a minute. You get me confused. It’s not all about me. You go your way and I’ll go. I go my way from the beginning. Can I make noise? I’m sorry. So, that’s it. All right.
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