We're starting to get into some really cold weather now and Great Oaks has delivered some of the stone that will be used for the retaining walls. Particularly, the caramel mint stone for the two retaining walls next to the house, used to hold the driveway/motor coach area. Boulder stones still need to be delivered but some backfilling was completed behind the concrete wall. Trusses haven't been delivered yet and we're still determining an ETA. I'm hoping the wall installation progresses fast enough so they crews aren't stepping on each others toes.
One of the large piles of recycled crushed concrete that is used as a drainage behind the concrete retaining wall. This is going to be the same stuff that goes down as a base for the driveway. It looks like there were two or three piles to begin with. The small bobcat that was used to move the stone is still on site. I'll have to make sure the grass in this area is stone free in the spring and throw down some new seed, since it's not really my property. The driveway is currently in a frozen state so I'm not sure if we'll need to lay down rock or now. I guess we'll see how the trucks tear up the ground as the building progresses.
There were a few stacks of the caramel mint stone lining the driveway leading up to the house. It doesn't seem like much at first considering the cost, but looking at the area it will be installed, it's probably enough. The stones are about 10"-12" high and span a few feet in width. Definitely irregular shapes, which is good. I think the thing that bothered me most about the Rosetta stone (concrete product) was that it was too regular. Great for installation, but bad if your eyes are prone to picking up patterns, like mine are.
I'm not sure why they're called "caramel mint" because they just look gray to me. I think the color is perfect compared to the proposed color of the house. Not sure how it will match with the granite cobble and boulder stone, but I think variation is better than monolithic uniformity. I'm really glad we decided to get these stones.
Even though I love the natural stone, it doesn't make for great steps. The variability in the thickness doesn't lend itself well to even steps, so we are using the Rosetta for the stairs that cut through the walls. They're a little browner than the caramel mint, but I think it will be okay. Here are are wrapped up on a pallet. It's a part of their irregular stone steps line so it's a more rustic look than the cut stone they also offer.
Here's a close up of the Rosetta stone. It's not a bad product, but you can really tell the difference between it and natural stone. The corners aren't as crisp, the surface looks more porous. There's a little bit of chipping on the corner, and you can see the concrete aggregate underneath. I'm not sure if this product needs to be sealed to protect the color, but it's something to look into. Although the cost of the material is more than the caramel mint, since they're consistent dimensions, they're easier to install. The wall stones have a "lug" formed into the back edge of each stone so they lock into each other. So the material cost is more expensive, but the labor is less. I think a comparison between the two is almost a wash.
Another pile of caramel mint stone. I didn't count how many pieces we have but judging by how smooth the driveway was due to the numerous trips the bobcat had to make, it's a significant amount. My harvested logs are still on site. I'll have to give a call to the sawyer again.
The last pile of caramel mint stone. In all, they're pretty uniform in size considering they're a quarried stone. There's one stone that's fairly large and dissimilar in shape, but that will add to the charm of the wall. I can't wait to see how the installation is implemented.
Here's some of the concrete aggregate installed and left uncovered. This is closer towards the end of the wall, away from the house. I'm not sure how the boulder wall is constructed; if it will need a similar draining treatment, but this might not be completed because it will tie into the boulder wall. You can see the landscaping fabric they use to cover over the stone to keep it separated from the fill dirt. I first thought that there would be perforated pipe behind the wall, in the stone, but it seems like it's not necessary. The stone goes right up to the drain holes. I guess if water reaches that level, it will "naturally" drain out through the weep holes.
Great Oaks did backfill some of the wall to help move the dirt piles for access to the house. There are still large piles in front of the house, so I don't think it will be enough for trusses to be installed. Once they get all the walls installed, there will be a lot more room in front of the house to work with. You can see the landscaping fabric covering the crushed aggregate before backfilling. Notice how high the garage door is from the current grade. Enough fill dirt and driveway will need to be placed to make up this difference. Oh, add three inches for the garage slab too. The concrete will be capped with bluestone slabs so the height of the wall will be just shy of the driveway, for proper drainage slope.
Another angle of how the wall is backfilled. There has to be enough room from the top of the wall to the gravel to account for the roots of the plantings. It's a good three or four feet from the top of the wall so I don't think we'll have any troubles there.
One last shot from above. The ground is frozen pretty solid so they'll need to use heavy machinery to fill and grade. I noticed all kinds of material in the crushed aggregate. Some ceramics, brick, stone. Didn't see any rebar, but it's possible. Some of the aggregate spilled onto the driveway on the trip back to the site and it was near impossible to chip out of the frozen sand. I didn't venture driving back because I wasn't sure if the aggregate would contain something that could puncture my tires.
Shot from below. After backfilling, there won't be such a drastic difference in the height of the wall, but it will still be over 6 feet. The backfill will go up 1 foot off the footing. I think there will be some low plantings, but nothing that will require a very deep root base. This face will be covered in the same granite cobble and may seem like a waste. Besides being an HOA requirement, I think I'll enjoy them as I walk the perimeter of the woods.
So we're expecting trusses to be delivered some day now and hopefully that will go up fast. Cabinet prices are going to increase at the end of February, so I hope we can get some stud walls installed so we can get our order in before then. Upcoming costs? Roofing and landscape completion.
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