RemodelingGarden.html

Gordon Wells

REMODELLING THE GARDEN:

A MULTI-YEAR PROJECT

We moved into our current home in November 2000. During its fifty years, it had received some additions - a "garden room" overlooking the courtyard in which stands an ancient, statuesque pepper tree, and a cabin in the garden, which had served the previous owners as a rough artist's studio, and an above-ground swimming pool surrounded by a wooden deck. But the property as a whole had been neglected for quite some time and did not look very prepossessing.

Front Entrance View from Garden Room

Beyond the Pool Cabin and Site of Pool (removed)

The inside of the house was livable but not very conveniently laid out. The kitchen, in particular, was unsatisfactory. The fixtures were original 1950s, including a very large Wedgewood gas range (said to be worth thousands!); but in previous remodeling, the room had been enlarged by incorporating the second bedroom and so it was an odd shape with most of the space unused. The bathroom, on the other hand, while equally antique, was so small that the tub took up about a quarter of the total space. One interesting feature, though, was the window. When the garden room was added on the side of the house that included the bathroom window, the original glass was replaced with a stained glass panel that allowed light in and also created an interesting feature in the garden room, particularly in the evening when the bathroom was in use. Another interesting feature was the "family room" created through the (illegal) conversion of the garage. The up-and-over garage door was still in place (on the outside) but the inside was panelled in pine on all walls and on the sloping cathedral ceiling.

The pictures below were taken from the advertising brochure ("Banana belt period cottage")

Garden Room Dining Room

Two Views of Kitchen Bathroom (too small to photo)

We decided to start on the garden and the cabin. Our plan was to convert the cabin into a guest suite so that we could sleep in it while the house was being remodelled.

Demolition Sewer Work

Unfortunately, a building inspector happened to be in the adjoining street while the plumber was fixing a vent pipe on the roof of the new cabin bathroom. He was round at our house like a shot. "Red tag: No further work to proceed until plans have been submitted and approved."

Brought to a Halt

This turned out to be a much longer and more frustrating experience than anybody could have imagined. First we had to get plans drawn up, showing that we were not adding to the square footage of building on the property, which in fact we were - a 5ft x 10ft bathroom on the end of the cabin where the part we had demolished (owing to its decaying state) measured only 3ft x 8ft. A further problem was that we had planned a three piece bathroom, but the regulations only allowed two pieces: we could have a washbasin OR a shower, but not both, as the cabin was not permitted to be "habitable." OK. We agreed; only two pieces (we could add the shower later!).

But just as work was starting again, about four months after being red-tagged, a different building inspector came to check on the new plumbing. Unfortunately, as she walked along the side of the house, she looked through a french window into the converted garage and saw Mari sitting working at her desk. Red tag again. The study must be converted back into a functioning garage before any more work could be done on the cabin.

In fact, the previous owners had decided the garage was unusable because the slope of the drive to it, and the angle at its foot where it meets the road, were too great for any normal vehicle to make it to the top. A surveyor was called in and he officially certified that the slope at its steepest point was 40°, whereas the code only allows up to 25°. We asked for a variance, permitting us not to have a garage. The planning office was not persuaded. At least, they argued, we could create a flat parking place at the bottom of the drive. A hearing was called, to be held in the city hall, at which neighbors could offer their opinions. Fortunately, a couple of weeks before the hearing, one neighbor recalled that the drive was constructed in its present form when the road was widened. Apparently, the city had taken about 12ft from the front of the property to accommodate the road widening and it was they who had created the unusable drive. In the event, the hearing was very straightforward. The city planner did not think the city would accept my proposal that, since the city had created the problem, they should pay to create a usable drive. Instead, he granted the requested variance. After months, we were able to finish work on the cabin.

This delay on the building did not stop work on the garden. The first task was to get rid of a number of unsightly, dilapidated structures. Then I got together with one of my neighbors to replace a rotting party fence. Simultaneously, I worked on creating a small gopher-proof vegetable garden and put together a new tool-shed to replace the demolished add-on to the cabin.

With the considerable slope of the whole garden downhill from north to south, we decided that the best solution was to terrace. With six tons of Sonoma Fieldstone, I started building the retaining walls. The first was built at the highest level, around the giant redwood tree.

Then, about six months later, the wall building was completed,closely observed by Sappho, our oldest kitten.

Meanwhile, a start had also been made on the deck. The contractor filled in the hole left by the pool, which had been removed; he and his team also constructed the sub-structure. Then, over the spring months, I laid the surface and built a trellis for roses at one end and a kind of pergola, now covered in grape vines, at the other end.

Deck and Vine Arbor in Progress

Work on the garden continued throughout the remainder of 2002, with a small lawn being laid in the early months of 2003. Although there will no doubt be changes in the future, this brought the work on the garden to a conclusion. By this time, in addition to a variety of flowers, we had inherited a peach and a plum tree, and had added a fig, an apricot, an avacado, and a variety of citrus. We had also planted vines to grow over the pergola to provide summer shade as well as, hopefully, a crop of grapes. The following capture some of the different perspectives on the garden as a whole.

The Guest Cabin/Office View from the Office

Over the next two years a few refinements were made: a shaded eating area under the pepper tree, twom new fountains, and more trailing geraniums.

Fruit, Flowers and Vegetables

After a few months of relaxation (while we worked on the inside of the house!), we started work on the front garden. As part of the difficult-to-obtain planning permission, we had secured a variance allowing us to do without a garage and, furthermore, to remove the concrete drive and landscape the area. We started this project in spring 2004.

Removing the drive was the most difficult part. With that gone, we started on the retaining walls and preparing the slope for plants and a side path for getting bikes and wheelbarrows in and out.

Out with the Drive In with the Walls

While this had been going on, we had a sewer emergency. Apparently, the roots of the liquid amber tree on the other side of the front steps had blocked the sewer and caused a messy back-up inside. When this had been fixed, we decided we had better have the tree removed and take the opportunity to improve the layout of that part of the garden.

Here again, the preparation was the larger part of the job. The tree was cut down in the late fall and the stup ground out in early February 2005. Having had much of the root system broken up, we set about replacing the sewer pipe and installing a new main water supply to the house. Then it was simply a matter of digging over the whole area to remove as much of the remaining root system as possible. The final stage involved the removal of a wall at the side of the steps, in which I received valuable help from Jay and Tamara, the latter being my most talented doctoral advisee.

Clearing the Ground Tamara at Work

With help from Alison, one of my colleagues from UCSC who is a very knowledgeable horticulturalist, the final stage was choosing the plants and deciding how to arrange them around the fountain. As in the previous phases,the UCSC Arboretum and the San Lorenzo Garden Center provided a wide array of plants to choose from, backed up by Master Gardener Landscaping and great ideas for fountains at Garden-Fountains. This final stage of remodeling the garden was completed in April 2005, just over four years from beginning to end.

And now two years later

(September 2007)


		Gordon Wells REMODELLING THE GARDEN: A MULTI-YEAR PROJECT We moved into our current home in November 2000. During its fifty years, it had received some additions - a "garden room" overlooking the courtyard in which stands an ancient, statuesque pepper tree, and a cabin in the garden, which had served the previous owners as a rough artist's studio, and an above-ground swimming pool surrounded by a wooden deck. But the property as a whole had been neglected for quite some time and did not look very prepossessing. Front Entrance View from Garden Room Beyond the Pool Cabin and Site of Pool (removed) The inside of the house was livable but not very conveniently laid out. The kitchen, in particular, was unsatisfactory. The fixtures were original 1950s, including a very large Wedgewood gas range (said to be worth thousands!); but in previous remodeling, the room had been enlarged by incorporating the second bedroom and so it was an odd shape with most of the space unused. The bathroom, on the other hand, while equally antique, was so small that the tub took up about a quarter of the total space. One interesting feature, though, was the window. When the garden room was added on the side of the house that included the bathroom window, the original glass was replaced with a stained glass panel that allowed light in and also created an interesting feature in the garden room, particularly in the evening when the bathroom was in use. Another interesting feature was the "family room" created through the (illegal) conversion of the garage. The up-and-over garage door was still in place (on the outside) but the inside was panelled in pine on all walls and on the sloping cathedral ceiling. The pictures below were taken from the advertising brochure ("Banana belt period cottage") Garden Room Dining Room Two Views of Kitchen Bathroom (too small to photo)
	We decided to start on the garden and the cabin. Our plan was to convert the cabin into a guest suite so that we could sleep in it while the house was being remodelled. Demolition Sewer Work Unfortunately, a building inspector happened to be in the adjoining street while the plumber was fixing a vent pipe on the roof of the new cabin bathroom. He was round at our house like a shot. "Red tag: No further work to proceed until plans have been submitted and approved." Brought to a Halt This turned out to be a much longer and more frustrating experience than anybody could have imagined. First we had to get plans drawn up, showing that we were not adding to the square footage of building on the property, which in fact we were - a 5ft x 10ft bathroom on the end of the cabin where the part we had demolished (owing to its decaying state) measured only 3ft x 8ft. A further problem was that we had planned a three piece bathroom, but the regulations only allowed two pieces: we could have a washbasin OR a shower, but not both, as the cabin was not permitted to be "habitable." OK. We agreed; only two pieces (we could add the shower later!). But just as work was starting again, about four months after being red-tagged, a different building inspector came to check on the new plumbing. Unfortunately, as she walked along the side of the house, she looked through a french window into the converted garage and saw Mari sitting working at her desk. Red tag again. The study must be converted back into a functioning garage before any more work could be done on the cabin. In fact, the previous owners had decided the garage was unusable because the slope of the drive to it, and the angle at its foot where it meets the road, were too great for any normal vehicle to make it to the top. A surveyor was called in and he officially certified that the slope at its steepest point was 40°, whereas the code only allows up to 25°. We asked for a variance, permitting us not to have a garage. The planning office was not persuaded. At least, they argued, we could create a flat parking place at the bottom of the drive. A hearing was called, to be held in the city hall, at which neighbors could offer their opinions. Fortunately, a couple of weeks before the hearing, one neighbor recalled that the drive was constructed in its present form when the road was widened. Apparently, the city had taken about 12ft from the front of the property to accommodate the road widening and it was they who had created the unusable drive. In the event, the hearing was very straightforward. The city planner did not think the city would accept my proposal that, since the city had created the problem, they should pay to create a usable drive. Instead, he granted the requested variance. After months, we were able to finish work on the cabin. This delay on the building did not stop work on the garden. The first task was to get rid of a number of unsightly, dilapidated structures. Then I got together with one of my neighbors to replace a rotting party fence. Simultaneously, I worked on creating a small gopher-proof vegetable garden and put together a new tool-shed to replace the demolished add-on to the cabin. With the considerable slope of the whole garden downhill from north to south, we decided that the best solution was to terrace. With six tons of Sonoma Fieldstone, I started building the retaining walls. The first was built at the highest level, around the giant redwood tree. Then, about six months later, the wall building was completed,closely observed by Sappho, our oldest kitten. Meanwhile, a start had also been made on the deck. The contractor filled in the hole left by the pool, which had been removed; he and his team also constructed the sub-structure. Then, over the spring months, I laid the surface and built a trellis for roses at one end and a kind of pergola, now covered in grape vines, at the other end. Deck and Vine Arbor in Progress Work on the garden continued throughout the remainder of 2002, with a small lawn being laid in the early months of 2003. Although there will no doubt be changes in the future, this brought the work on the garden to a conclusion. By this time, in addition to a variety of flowers, we had inherited a peach and a plum tree, and had added a fig, an apricot, an avacado, and a variety of citrus. We had also planted vines to grow over the pergola to provide summer shade as well as, hopefully, a crop of grapes. The following capture some of the different perspectives on the garden as a whole. The Guest Cabin/Office View from the Office Over the next two years a few refinements were made: a shaded eating area under the pepper tree, twom new fountains, and more trailing geraniums. Fruit, Flowers and Vegetables After a few months of relaxation (while we worked on the inside of the house!), we started work on the front garden. As part of the difficult-to-obtain planning permission, we had secured a variance allowing us to do without a garage and, furthermore, to remove the concrete drive and landscape the area. We started this project in spring 2004. Removing the drive was the most difficult part. With that gone, we started on the retaining walls and preparing the slope for plants and a side path for getting bikes and wheelbarrows in and out. Out with the Drive In with the Walls While this had been going on, we had a sewer emergency. Apparently, the roots of the liquid amber tree on the other side of the front steps had blocked the sewer and caused a messy back-up inside. When this had been fixed, we decided we had better have the tree removed and take the opportunity to improve the layout of that part of the garden. Here again, the preparation was the larger part of the job. The tree was cut down in the late fall and the stup ground out in early February 2005. Having had much of the root system broken up, we set about replacing the sewer pipe and installing a new main water supply to the house. Then it was simply a matter of digging over the whole area to remove as much of the remaining root system as possible. The final stage involved the removal of a wall at the side of the steps, in which I received valuable help from Jay and Tamara, the latter being my most talented doctoral advisee. Clearing the Ground Tamara at Work With help from Alison, one of my colleagues from UCSC who is a very knowledgeable horticulturalist, the final stage was choosing the plants and deciding how to arrange them around the fountain. As in the previous phases,the UCSC Arboretum and the San Lorenzo Garden Center provided a wide array of plants to choose from, backed up by Master Gardener Landscaping and great ideas for fountains at Garden-Fountains. This final stage of remodeling the garden was completed in April 2005, just over four years from beginning to end. And now two years later (September 2007)