A Modern Hillside Garden

Day One

The crew removes the overgrown rosemary bushes that surround the patio, which makes the area feel much larger. They level the dirt flower bed because the mounded bed also made the area feel closed-in.

Day Two

Contractors Fred Norgaard and Mike Meehan buy a sheet of zinc, which is cut and bent for the bench seats, for only about $50. They build wooden benches up against the railroad tie retaining wall that surrounds the patio. Eagles-Smith says that the benches are the most important part of her design, yet are easy to install and inexpensive.

The simple benches are 18 inches high, the standard height of a chair. The benches are composed of redwood 2x4s attached to the retaining wall and the wall posts, with a redwood plank on top.

To help the flow of the fountain, a piece of zinc is attached, using a water-resistant glue, to the top of the fountain, for the spillway (figure E). The white PVC irrigation tubing that runs along the retaining wall to the fountain is painted brown to blend in with the retaining wall.

Next, the concrete patio is pressure-washed and stained to brighten up the area (figure F). At only about $80 for this patio, this quick fix is much less expensive than a new patio.