Ray and I decided to have an island built in the center of our driveway.  After careful consideration, Ray decided that we could just do it ourselves.  We had absolutely no idea what we were doing but hey, why not give it a try?  This post is a continuation from Part 1.

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After mapping out the desired kidney bean shape, we had 5 tons of boulders delivered, Ray and I put the biggest ones around the perimeter and the smaller boulders around the inside for support.
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After getting the framework set up, we dug a small trench and ran heavy gauge wire from our low voltage lighting system located in the garage.  (I tend to do the electric stuff.)

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Ray placed CMU blocks in two diagonal rows inside of the shape to support what will become rock cliffs.  A few days later, ten tons of dirt was delivered.  We had the option to get mediocre dirt and place a layer of good soil on top but we decided to fill the entire island with all the good stuff.

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The truck was too big to maneuver around the island itself so Ray had them dump the leftover right next to the side where he shoveled it all into the island by hand.  After shaping the mounds in the dirt, we planted the standard desert plants (Texas sage, barrel cactus, etc.  We also planted a Palo Verde tree).  Then we added the outdoor lights and several loads of gravel for the top.

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And now we have and island in the driveway.  Since we love to name everything and it was right around the fall Equinox when we finished, we dubbed it, “The Isle of Equinox”.   Now we have to move on to the next project.

6 Thoughts on “The Island In The Driveway (pt. 2)

  1. Scott sez, “Oh my god, they’re so elegant”. We decided we want to be just like you when it comes to decorating and landscaping. So zen, so uncluttered and so, so stylish. You “rock”!

  2. Great work guys! And Becky beat me to the “You rock”.

  3. Bob D. on 30/09/2009 at 6:27 AM said:

    It looks and sounds fabulous, you guys. Curious though, do you name body parts?

  4. Ha ha ha Bob! I don’t name and tell. 🙂

  5. Nice job!

  6. It looks really nice.

    While you’re still at it, please feel free to come by and redo our front and back yard anytime, LOL.

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