We have been working on a front garden transformation on Colusa Avenue in El Cerrito, and are very excited to help bring the construction across the finish line this month. We are collaborating with Gonzalez Landscaping for this build and they have been a fantastic partner in this slightly complex project.
The front steps originally went straight up the left side of the driveway, and were a bit uneven and dangerous to walk up. And a large wall completely obstructed the view from the front door to the street. We have designed the entry to be much more welcoming and easily accessible, with a meandering concrete stairway and Techo-bloc retaining walls creating tiered planting beds up the hillside with architectural interest.
With older properties, there is always a chance you will find something unexpected under the soil. When excavation began for this project, the crew quickly discovered that the gas line was originally installed much too close to the surface – a completely unanticipated discovery that meant our tiered wall design wouldn’t be possible without lowering the gas line further below the surface. Unfortunately, because this work has to be completed by PG&E, it created a very long stall in the project, causing the crew to pause work on the southern half of the garden while we waited to get on PG&E’s work schedule.
Gonzalez Landscaping tried their best to finish as much of the north side of the project as possible, even going so far as to installing drip irrigation and planting in the north beds so the plants in that area could at least begin establishing and taking advantage of winter rainfall. We have been especially excited about the planting design on this project, because the clients are very passionate about native plants – so this garden will be planted with 100% California natives.
Three months later, we are finally back on track with the southern half of the garden, and it’s exciting to finally see the walls go up in that part of the garden, and to see the stairs begin to take shape. We know the clients will be especially excited to get the other half of the plants in the ground this month.
If you’re in the area, feel free to drive by and check out the progress! We are looking forward to publishing a follow-up blog post showcasing completed project photos.
