Hardscaping in Progress

The title of this post doesn't apply to my garden but rather to a property across the canyon, readily visible from my backyard.  I used to walk through that neighborhood on occasion but this home is located at the dead end of a spur road and I've never seen it in person.  The house was under renovation for years but, when it was put up for sale in 2021, I looked up the listing online as I was curious about the garden surrounding the house.  The only "garden" shots included in the listing were small fenced areas close to the house.  From a distance, it appears that the land is more sloped than flat and most of the plants I can see appear to be common coastal scrub.  Like mine, the property is a over half an acre in size.

Earlier this year I noticed that the homeowners were doing a bit of puttering with plants but I didn't see much in the way of significant activity until this summer.  A concrete mixer moved in at one point and it looked as though raised planters might be under construction.  I wondered if the homeowners might be planning to terrace the area below the house (which I can't see).  After a lull, hardscaping activity started in August.

Another step was added to the pink stairway extending from the driveway and rails went up in mid-August

A couple days later a raised platform was under construction

Several days later, another stairway attached to the raised platform was being constructed

By September 1st the platform had become another patio level and handrails were in place

It looked as though the new patio space was closed off on the right by a wood fence for a few days

However, instead of ending the patio where the fence stood on September 4th, work on a raised walkway began days later.

The right side fence came down and construction moved along the wall adjacent to the driveway

My latest photo on September 15 shows a continuation of the raised walkway, feet above the bare ground, just above where the slope drops further down

The workers have been there every day.  Luckily, they don't make a lot of noise but I'm still unclear on whether there are any plans for the garden landscaping around the hardscaping.  There's a lot of land to work with both below the new structure and in the upper areas of the lot.

There's a huge sloped area above the house and driveway.  The photo on the left shows another stairway leading to the upper reaches of the property and a concrete gulley.  I spotted another garden platform higher up (shown on the right).  Initially, I wasn't sure it was part of the property as boundary lines often aren't clear in our area.

However, when I noticed pots matching those on the upper outlook on the main level patio, I realized that the upper area must also belong to the same homeowners

I do hope to see some landscaping at some point.  Surely they don't plan on leaving the area below the new, lower-level patio or the new raised walkway empty to collect weeds?  

As California's Board of Forestry and Fire Protection works to complete the regulations associated with "zone zero" by the end of the year, I also had to wonder if the homeowners new patio and walkways have been checked against the draft guidelines.  (A new Los Angeles Times article concerning "zone zero" guidelines can be found here.)  Although those guidelines won't apply to existing structures immediately, it sounds as though compliance will be required within three years of their publication.  In the case of our own property, that highlights the issue of the connection between the gate and fence on the northeast side of our house.  Even if the State doesn't have the resources to enforce the new regulations, it appears that insurers are poised to take up the issue when it comes to approving fire insurance coverage.  There may be some challenges on the horizon for all homeowners in high fire risk areas like mine in the upcoming years.

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