METICULOUS

A Selection of Recent Projects

Including Process & Design Notes

Backyard with green lawn, trees, shrubs, and two white houses in the background.
Trench with white PVC drainage pipe installation in progress
A landscaped area with a wooden border containing gravel and surrounded by green foliage and grass, set near a chain-link fence.
Backyard with stone patio and wooden border, surrounded by trees and foliage, including a wooden fence and neighboring structures in the background.
A patch of bare soil in a lawn next to a street, with visible manhole covers. Nearby, utility poles, orange traffic cones, and a caution tape can be seen. Residential houses and trees surround the area.
Backyard with green lawn, overhanging tree branches, and a fence bordering trees in the background.
Wooden shed in backyard with green grass, surrounded by trees and white fence
Wooden fence in front of a white stucco building

Coming Soon: Fences!

Backyard Grading & Natural Turf Establishment

Backyard garden with freshly laid sod and a blue wheelbarrow containing rolled grass. Mature trees and shrubs border the area, with a house and construction site in the background.
Backyard with cleared soil, surrounded by mature trees and shrubs, and a white house visible in the background.
Backyard under landscaping with fresh soil, a large tree, lawn roller, and surrounding bushes near residential house.
Backyard with neatly mowed grass, trees, and shrubs, bordered by a white fence and a house with a gray roof. Several houses are in the background.

  • Once existing lawn/vegetation is scraped up and removed, work can begin on establishing an improved grade. For this project, the yard was gently sloped in two directions to take advantage of existing in-lawn catch basins that help evacuate storm water.

  • Additional soil is added in small increments (lifts) rather than all at once. It is rolled and watered in between lifts to minimize future settling. Once the finished grade is achieved, existing sprinkler heads are brought to the correct height and dialed-in to optimize efficiency.

  • When the weather is ideal, Kentucky Bluegrass sod is brought in and placed by hand. Favorable weather is important not just on the day of installation, but in the days leading up to installation as well. Optimizing the moisture content in the sod ensures pieces won’t dry out in transport, or fall apart from over-saturation while being handled.

Downspout Drainage & Planting

Brick house foundation with a newly installed white PVC drainage pipe running along a dug trench. Cans for pipe adhesive are nearby, and plumbing tools are scattered on the soil. A downspout is connected to the pipe, directing water away from the house.
Brick house with landscaped garden and lavender plants
PVC pipe installation in a trench with exposed soil and grass
Brick house with white French doors, black shutters, landscaped garden, bushes, and flowering plants in the front yard.

  • Existing shrubs and vegetation are removed down to the roots. In this case, the existing corrugated drain pipe that ran through the shrub bed was clogged and invaded by roots. Schedule 40 PVC pipe with a smooth interior is used as a replacement to allow for easy maintenance in the future, and will provide significantly better defense against invading roots.

  • After all digging is completed by hand, the new Schedule 40 PVC pipe is placed underneath existing sprinkler lines and landscape lighting wire. The pipe emerges through the existing stucco façade retaining wall.

  • The existing pressure treated wood retaining wall, acting as an extension of the stucco façade retaining wall, is replaced in kind to accommodate the new finished grade of the shrub bed. A combination of evergreen shrubs and perennial flowering shrubs are placed to hide drainage and other utility infrastructure. Landscape lighting and sprinklers are re-adjusted. Red Barn Stone serves as a low maintenance alternative to mulch.

Fire Pit Seating Area

Wooden-framed gravel area in a backyard surrounded by trees and grass.
Backyard construction site with wooden frame and dirt, surrounded by trees, bags of materials, and a wheelbarrow.
Wooden octagonal frame built on a patch of dirt in a backyard surrounded by trees and grass.
Landscape view of a small gravel area surrounded by wooden beams next to a grassy lawn and dense green foliage.

  • A 250 sqft area was selected in the back of this yard to serve as a seating area around a wood-burning fire pit. Great care was taken to disturb only the necessary lawn area. Pressure-treated 4” x 6” (nominal) timbers are used as the retaining structure. Individual pieces are cut off-site with angles to create a decagon shape.

  • The 4” x 6” pressure-treated pieces are stacked and fastened together using 8” structural wood screws. Additional structural wood screws are added to the inner side, and concrete is poured over and around them. This prevents the sides from heaving outwards in the future, and serves as added stability for on-and-off foot traffic.

  • The completed decagon is lined with non-woven filter fabric, and filled with 3/4” clean crushed stone. The 3/4” crushed stone is topped with 3/4” River Stone for a more decorative look. Both types of stone allow water to pass through easily. The finished seating area provides an ultra low maintenance, all-season surface to gather on.

Tiered Bluestone Patio Rehabilitation

Backyard landscaping project with wooden beams and PVC drainage pipe installation
Backyard under renovation, patio area with stone pavers, wooden fence, and surrounding trees.
Backyard under renovation with soil excavation, a patio structure, wooden fence, and garden tools visible.
Backyard with a wet tile patio bordered by wood planks, adjacent to a wooden fence, surrounded by greenery and trees. A small porch with a ladder and grill is visible on the left.

  • A natural cleft bluestone patio to be replaced in kind. The original bluestone pieces (of varying size and thickness) were to be restored and re-used in the patio reconstruction. The process begins by removing all existing pieces and placing them away from the work area, retaining their precise pattern.

  • The bluestone pieces are scrubbed and power-washed to restore their original color, which includes various shades of blue, green, brown, and rust. The borders and tiers of the patio are re-defined and prepped for the new pressure treated timbers.

  • Pressure-treated 6” x 6” (nominal) timbers are used as the retaining structure. Pieces are stacked and fastened together using 8” structural wood screws and are stepped-down where needed to accommodate the sloping yard and minimize step height.

  • A 4” Schedule 40 PVC drain line connected to the gutter downspout replaces the existing corrugated drain pipe. This pipe will discharge water onto the driveway away from the sitting area and the adjacent garden, preventing erosion.

  • The upper and lower tier of the patio are separated by a 6” step. The layout matches the original design of the patio, and allows for 100% of the original bluestone pieces to be reused. Additional landscape lighting is added to the driveway-side edge of the patio to help illuminate the step at night for safety, and to make parking easier. The original bluestone pieces, now back to their original color, are placed by hand to recreate the original pattern.

  • A rodent drain guard is added to the end of the drain pipe to prevent unwanted intrusion of small critters. Polymeric joint sand is added to fill the gaps between bluestone pieces, and the patio reconstruction is complete.

Storm Drain Tie-In

A large cylindrical pipe partially buried in the ground filled with gravel and dirt, with white piping connectors attached to its inner surface.
Excavation site with broken pipes, tools, and equipment on a grassy area
Excavation site in residential area with construction equipment and materials, including dirt piles, pipes, and concrete mix bags.
Suburban house with green lawn, white garage doors, and porch chairs

  • This property sits in a low point among the surrounding houses, and in a collection area for storm runoff during moderate to heavy rainfall. The existing drain pipe installed during the development of the neighborhood (mid-1960s) was nearly impossible to properly maintain due to its length and crossing 3 neighboring properties. The Town of Westfield installed a drainage inlet at the corner of the adjacent property with a buried stub-out that the homeowner was able to tie into.

  • Gordner’s Gardeners first locates the existing 6” fiber-reinforced concrete pipe that traversed the yard. An additional 6” PVC pipe coming from the backyard was also located.

  • Rather than using a custom pipe fitting that would be buried, both existing 6” pipes are fed into a manhole to allow for considerably easier access/maintenance. The bottom of the manhole is filled with concrete so the invert (bottom) of the pipe is flush with the bottom of the manhole.

  • A new 8” Schedule 40 PVC pipe is installed leading out of the new manhole towards the town’s drainage inlet. The increase from 6” to 8” pipe allows for a 56% increase in flow capacity. A second manhole is positioned between the first manhole and the buried stub-out to accommodate additional incoming drainage pipes. The second manhole receives two separate pipes from gutter downspouts. These originally emptied out through the curb onto the street, but were diverted to the manhole to improve efficiency and avoid clogging, especially during leaf season.

  • The buried stub-out between the curb and the sidewalk is located and uncapped. The final section of 8” Schedule 40 PVC pipe is joined to the stub.

  • The excavated work area is backfilled and compacted in 6” lifts to mitigate future settling of the lawn. The work area is boxed out and cut/prepped for new sod to match the existing level of the lawn. New Kentucky Bluegrass sod is rolled, and over-seeded with a blend of rye and fescue to eventually blend and match the existing lawn. A locking manhole cover (safe for foot traffic) provides easy access for maintenance.

Clearing, Grading, and Yard Reclamation

Backyard with fresh sod installation, trees with autumn foliage, stacks of rolled sod, and a wooden fence.
Children's playset with slide and climbing features in a backyard, surrounded by green grass and trees.
Freshly tilled dirt area surrounded by trees and a white fence, with a small yellow excavator parked at the edge.
Backyard landscape under construction with mini excavators and dirt piles near trees.
Backyard with green grass, brown soil, and trees with fall foliage
Garden with green grass, shrubs, and trees next to a wooden fence; freshly laid mulch visible along the fence line.
A grassy backyard with trees
Backyard with green grass, trees, and a wooden fence in a suburban area.

  • The back of this yard had a low spot that would become inundated with water during moderate to heavy rain events due to overflow from a neighboring stream.

  • The existing swing set is removed, along with much of the brush behind it (mostly weeds and thorn bushes). Clean fill is added in the extremely low areas. Fill is added and rolled in 3” lifts to mitigate future settling of the lawn.

  • The remainder of the fill dirt is used to create a gentle grade consistent with the existing grade of the yard. Low-hanging tree limbs are also removed to allow for better drying, and more sunlight down low. Screened top soil is added on top of the fill to achieve the final grade.

  • 4,000 sqft of sod is meticulously rolled by hand. Sod was chosen instead of seed to protect from soil erosion, and achieve a usable playing surface more quickly. The new sod is matched with the existing lawn to create a smooth transition. The perimeter is shaped with sweeping curves for aesthetics, and to allow for a mulch bed buffer beyond the grass.

  • The area is mulched and the sod is rolled with a weighted drum one last time to flatten out unintended bumps and ruts from cleanup and mulching. Additional tree trimming is completed in the side yard, and the perimeter mulch bed with large sweeping curves is extended for continuity.

Custom Cedar Shed Construction

Backyard scene with a small wooden shed, a person standing near it, various construction tools and materials on the ground, and surrounding trees and shrubs.
Partially constructed wooden frame of small shed in backyard with white fence, surrounded by tools and building materials.
Partially constructed wooden shed frame with tools and ladder
Wooden shed in backyard with white fence and greenery

  • The location of this 5’ x 8’ backyard shed was chosen to comply with property line setback requirements without adversely affecting play space in the yard. Pressure-treated wood is used to construct the frame of the shed floor on top of 3’ deep concrete footings.

  • The remainder of the shed is framed, including a functional window, gable roof, and an opening for double doors.

  • Tongue & groove cedar boards are chosen for siding. Cedar has a great natural look and is naturally resistant to rot and a variety of insects such as silverfish, termites, beetles, and cockroaches. Additional trim is added around the window, doors and corners of the shed for aesthetics.

  • Shed construction is completed with the installation of custom double doors. Plantings and mulch are added to integrate the shed with the rest of the yard’s landscaping.