There are many people whose dream is to live next to a body of water and here in South Central Texas there are plenty to choose from. We encounter many beautiful natural landscapes along the banks of our various rivers and lakes but the challenge lies in how to create easy access to the water that is often at the bottom of a steep and sometimes treacherous slope.
This client’s Guadalupe River property is a perfect example. The lot is narrow and very steep and at the very bottom is the lower Guadalupe river. In order to create easy access, we worked with the existing but rudimentary and in places crumbling steps to wind down to the river where we added a small landing that also serves as a patio.
We took the existing uneven native stone steps and enlarged them on either side and then made the risers all the same height which took much of the precariousness out of the walk down. We capped each of the steps with mortared flagstone to increase their stability and created a look of continuity. We made sure to add in weld plates at even intervals for the railing that was to come later.
Once the new steps were in place, we added a half-moon-shaped landing at the very bottom. This landing also serves as a small gathering place and seating area. Since the landing sits in the water when the flow is normal, we knew that it would be subject to periodic flooding when the dams is opened so we took every precaution to make it as strong and stable as possible. We tied in rebar to the bank as dead men and then used wire re-mesh to add more stability. The foundation of the patio was created using bar-wrapped bags that were also re-bared together.
It’s still a long trek down to the river but the steps are easy to traverse and the landing at the bottom makes a great place for outdoor living next to the water.
Call NativeScapes Landscaping at 830-608-0204 for new innovative ideas!