The Garden Room

Bees at work.

Bird's-eye view of the garden from the studio.

Planting the maple.

The Trompenburg Japanese Maple was chosen for its three-dimensional

leaf shape and fall crimson colour.

Preparing the custom steel planter box for a new tree.

Gravel for drainage and foam insulation are used.

The natural stones are laid and fitted dry.

Different-sized stones are fitted randomly. Edge stones are cut to fit.

The stones are dry laid in a random pattern.

Louie makes minor adjustments by hand.

The fine limestone layer is levelled by Louie of Louie's Landscaping Inc.

A layer of crushed limestone is laid over the pea gravel.

Mike and Julio arrive and begin off-loading cut stone for the garden.

Garden with pea gravel and planters.

Woodwork & Garden Wall

The walnut-veneer kitchen pantry is complete.

The design inspiration for the staircase

handrail was a piece of spaghetti.

The 2-inch solid oak handrail wraps

up the staircase wall like a large noodle

supported on stainless steel offsets.

Woodworker uses a laser level to locate the handrail

for the floating solid white oak staircase.

The last frame is shifted into position before being welded

to the post. The frames will be bolted to the two buildings on

each side, then painted. When painting is complete the

entire framework will be covered with horizontal

cedar planks to create a privacy wall.

Hoisting the heavy frame into place.

Welding the frame.

Metalworker grinds the welds.

Steel frames are assembled onsite.

Two steel posts embedded in concrete form the structural basis

for the garden wall. Twenty-foot-high steel frames are

welded to the posts.

Appliances Installed

After inspecting the stove gas line, water

and electrical hook-ups, the appliances can be installed.

The Sub-Zero fridge fits tightly into the walnut cabinetry.

Sub-Zero fridge, Wolf gas range, fan hood,

and Asko dishwasher are all installed.

Wrangling the heavy Wolf gas range into place.

Engineered White Oak Flooring

Engineered white oak hardwood flooring being laid.

Laying boards on second floor hallway.

Boards are laid parallel to a chalk plumb line.

Installers use a wooden block and hammer

to push the wood into the interlocking joints.

Engineered flooring is glued to the sub-floor.

German engineered white oak flooring is packaged in small bundles.

Carerra Marble

Powder room entryway with vanity and oak panelling.

Powder room sink and faucet with carerra marble counter.

Powder room counter before holes are cut for sink.

View of kitchen with marble installed.

Entrance floor of carerra marble.

Kitchen with counter tops and backsplash installed.

Placing the counter tops and backsplash.

Nudging the heavy sheet of carerra marble into place.

Off-loading the counter top sheet cut in one piece 11'6" in length.

Marble arrives for kitchen counters and backsplash.

Trees Arrive!

Detail of garden planter.

Garden view with European Beech trees.

Atrium view with English Columnar Oak and yews.

Tamping down the soil in the bed.

Adding more soil to the atrium planting bed.

Wrangling the Columnar English Oak tree into the atrium.

Finishing the tree bed with soil.

Removing the top of the burlap covering.

Cutting away the top of the burlap root ball covering.

Landscapers place the last beech tree in place.

Checking and adjusting the depth and position.

Using a level to calculate the depth for the tree planting.

Digging the holes for three European Beech trees.

Positioning trees and marking the ground.

Landscapers move each tree carefully into position.

Rolling the first tree off the truck.

Garden trees arrive!