Private residence, Spartanburg, S.C.

    Landscape architect Jeff Hensley of Easley, S.C.-based The Great Outdoors designed the project for a Spartanburg, S.C. homeowner looking to make better use of some of his 28-acre property.
    The designer and client first became acquainted at a home show in nearby Greenville, S.C., and Hensley says he believes what sealed the relationship was drawings the company had in its booth.
    “I also think people are getting a little more-educated about what landscape architects do,” he says. “They knew we weren’t just going to come out and do something quick. They wanted us to give them a detailed project, and one that would be nicer.”
    The client, who owns several companies, was looking for space on which to host parties, as well as act as additional living space for his family. And, because of an unfortunate accident involving a family pet and an above-ground swimming pool, another issue was to create a swimming environment that would be both child- and pet-friendly.
    Despite the fact that the property is fairly flat, Hensley utilized the difference in grade and the 5’ distance between ground level and the first floor of the client’s home to create four different levels of interest within the project.
    “Because we had that five feet and then the slope of the yard, it actually gave us quite a bit of elevation to play with,” the designer says.
    While the porch level immediately adjoining the house and a second level featuring a deck and arbor are all constructed of pine, the remaining two levels –  the patio and the pool areas – make extensive use of natural stone, which also appears as decoration on the deck level.
    “There’s stone on the patio, and all the seat walls and the spa and the coping around the pool,” Hensley explains. “We chose that to fit with the rustic atmosphere there. We like the look of stone and, by mixing it a bit with the wood and the wrought-iron gate and fencing, they compliment each other. None of it is overwhelming.”
    To serve as general contractor for the project, the client chose Aabstract Pools and Spas of Fountain Inn, S.C. Owner Billy Cribb says his company was responsible for all of the hardscape, including the natural stone, the wrought-iron fencing and the landscape lighting.
    “This is a pretty normal job for us,” Cribb says. “We bring in different subcontractors for the masonry side of our projects depending on what we’re working on and where the job is located.”
    In this case, the masonry sub was McDonald Stoneworks, a Travelers Rest, S.C.-based business owned by T.J. McDonald. McDonald, too, describes this job as fairly typical for his business.
    “We specialize in homes, pools, foundations, waterfalls and bridges,” he says. “We do a lot of high-end residential projects.”
    McDonald adds that he thinks of himself as a stone specialist, and the selection of the two types of stone used in the project was a joint effort that included the client, the landscape architect and the contractor.
    For this project, the primary stone for the walls and other standing features is Crab Orchard, a Tennessee sandstone, while the flat surfaces, including the walkways, pool coping and patio are a Kentucky flagstone.
     “The sub supplied the stone based on the client’s preferences,” says Cribb. “We pick the client’s brain ahead of time, and then we go through our portfolio, then take them to rock yards and get them acclimated to what’s available.”
    “I think I know what looks good with the house and the setting, and I go from there, although we also make sure the client’s happy, and the contractor,” says McDonald.
    Despite the inclusion of the pool and a spa with seating for six, joined by a short waterfall, the masonry highlight of the project is an 18’ tall fireplace that’s 8’ wide and 4’ deep, and incorporated into one of the seating walls of the patio. The fireplace is designed to be used for barbequing.
    McDonald, who states one of his goals with his work is to make it look old, says he was particularly interesting in achieving that with the fireplace.
    “I wanted to make it look like a house used to be there,” he says. “It’s a dry-stack with mortar and, along with the Crab Orchard, I used some fieldstone to give it color. It’s kind of like a soup mix.”
    The rest of the project, he adds, is mortared.
    “Because of the fireplace it took us about five weeks,” McDonald says. “Fortunately, the client had the money so we could make it look good, rather than doing it quick. They spent enough money for it to look very good.”
    Overall, landscape architect Hensley says the entire job took between three and four months from the time the client first met with him until the project was finished.
    “And,” he concludes, “they’re really enjoying the space.”

Client: Private homeowner, Spartanburg, S.C.
Designer: The Great Outdoors, Easley, S.C.
Contractor: Aabstract Pools and Spas, Fountain Inn, S.C.
Masonry Subcontractor: McDonald Stoneworks, Travelers Rest, S.C

This article first appeared in the April 2005 print edition of Stone Business. ©2005 Western Business Media Inc.