Rock Your World

As more and more of today's property owners discover the significant value a thoughtfully designed landscape adds to a home, they're turning to two time-tested building materials-natural rock and stone. They know there's no landscape material that beats the look, longevity and durability of hand-hewn rock. And they're finding more choices than ever before in the types of stone and rock available.

What kinds of features are savvy homeowners seeking out? According to the landscape professionals at the California Landscape Contractors Association, at the top of the list of outdoor structures and surfaces are sidewalks, pathways, retaining walls, splash pads that surround fountains, poolside copings, terraces, stairways, retaining walls, seating areas, privacy walls and planters. But that's just scratching the surface. Stone and rock have always been the construction companions of all kinds of other hardscape elements: timbers, stamped and colored concrete, terra-cotta and ceramic tile, brick and mortar and even ornamental iron.

"I would say there's some type of high quality masonry on about 95 percent of the jobs we do," says Mike Hertzer, president of Modern Landscaping Inc., based in Campbell, Calif. "About 65 percent of our total cost of a job is for the hardscape, which would include the concrete and rock walls we do." Modern Landscaping is well known for its hardscapes and water features and has garnered dozens of awards for them. Founded by chairman Klaus Hertzer in 1972, the company specializes in high-end residential landscapes and has four expert stonemasons on staff. There are also specialists who take on drainage, planting, irrigation, soil preparation and lawn operations. But it's the hardscape crew that handles all the concrete work, masonry and construction of the water features. "They do some of the softscape elements, too, if they need to," Hertzer says. "We work as a team. We're all constantly working on projects together."

Despite the fact that stone and rockwork can be pricey, Hertzer says he has seen an increase in the number of clients looking for high-quality features. Klaus Hertzer, Mike's father, agrees. "Oh, yes," he says. "We think people are getting more sophisticated about knowing what they want. They definitely see the value in it."

The rock materials used in the Hillsborough project shown in the photographs here were mixed and blended with an eye toward color and texture. Caps of stucco on the walls, for example, incorporated an architectural element from the home into the landscape. Classically designed concrete urns accent column tops. The gates and ornamental iron all combine to create a sophisticated presentation for the craftsman-style residence. Landscape architects were Donald D. Boos of Murphys, Calif., and Paula Blanchfield of Ransohoff Blanchfield Jones in San Mateo. Modern Landscaping was the landscape contractor. Their expert crews installed everything from the terrace steps and walls to the caps on the columns.

Even though traditionally used stones such as Arizona sandstone and Connecticut bluestone are still in high demand, today there are dozens of rock varieties to choose from. Banded Hollow was the choice for this multi-faceted project. "The Banded Hollow is coming out of Jackson (California)," Mike Hertzer says. "It was used to build canals during the Gold Rush, and now it's being dug out of those weed-covered fields and shipped to us."

Other rocks and stone used were Kennesaw Mountain flagstone from Montana and freshwater schist (also from California's Gold Country).

Mike and Klaus Hertzer advise homeowners to take a look at a number of projects before they settle on the contractor they want to hire to install rock or stone. There can be a huge difference in the quality of the work and craftsmanship from mason to mason. "Some masons do mostly brick and concrete, and others are expert at using natural stone," Klaus says. "When they're working with natural stone, it can be quite difficult to get the stones to fit together just right so the joinings are as small as possible. Sometimes we have to discard as much as one-quarter or one-third of the stone and use it in other places."

Nevertheless, Hertzer adds, "People who want natural stone know there's nothing like it," he says. "They definitely know the difference.".

— Joan Waters