The moment we pressed post on our front yard transformation, we were flooded with questions and comments about our fence and address monument.
"Stunning!" "Gorgeous!" "What is it made of?" "How did you build it?"
With over 6 million views and counting, we knew we were ahead of the trend with these eye-catching home features.
And now, we're thrilled to share the full story and answer all of your burning questions about our modern fence and address monument. So, if you're eager to know the details behind our viral creation, read on.
Concrete Address Monument
As landscapers, we've always dreamed of having a stunning entryway to welcome us home. But let's face it, our old yard was lacking in coolness. Don't believe us? Check out the depressing "before" photo here. That's why we turned to the expertise of Max Vedder Land Design to help us transform our entrance into a real showstopper.
One element that often gets overlooked in yard design is the address monument. Many of us settle for simply slapping some numbers on the side of our house and calling it a day. But with Max's help, we were able to go above and beyond with a beautiful board formed concrete address wall. Not only did it give our guests and delivery dudes a clear visual cue of where to find us, but it also added a little something special to our overall design.
The Construction Process: Challenges and Solutions
As landscape designers, we strive for perfection, even if it means making adjustments along the way. When we first formed the address monument up it looked way too tall so we lowered it by a foot, creating (what we thought was) a more balanced and better looking structure.
Of course, as with any project, unexpected challenges can arise. During the installation of our fence, Blake and his team at California Deck Pros discovered that the monument was actually too short. But instead of settling for a less-than-ideal result, we came up with a brilliant solution - wrapping the fence around the top to bridge the gap. The end result? A stunning entry that happily exceeded our expectations.
To us plans are always fluid. Flexibility is key to creating exceptional landscapes. So, whether it's adjusting the height of a monument or getting creative with fence placement, we are always ready to pivot and find the best solution for our clients.
Address Monument FAQs
How did you get vertical sectional lines in the concrete? Looks amazing !!!
It’s called board-formed. We use 2" x 6"s to create a mold and the boards create a wood-grain imprint texture on the concrete.
The vertical lines on the concrete is intentional?
Very much intentional, if you look closely you will see the wood grain pattern in the concrete.
How many yards of concrete?
I don't have the exact amount because it was poured with the rest of the yard renovation but I'd say about 2 yards. The wall is only 36" but the footing beneath is another 18" so it uses more concrete than meets the eye.
Modern Cedar Fence
One of our top priorities for our landscape renovation was to add a fence to our corner house for some much-needed privacy. We couldn't be happier with the result - thanks to the masterful work of Blake and his team at California Deck Pros, our cedar fence is an absolute dream.
Not only does the fence provide the desired privacy and a stunning framework for our yard design, it also created undeniable curb appeal. With over13k likes and numerous client requests to recreate the same fence for their yards, our friends on Instagram fell in love with this fence just as much as we did!
The Construction Process: Challenges and Solutions
Max did a phenomenal job laying out the fence perimeter on our landscape plan, but left the material choices up to us. With so many fencing options available, we wanted to make sure our choice was not only unique, but also complemented the coastal vibe of our home.
After much consideration, we decided on vertical pickets for a sleek and modern feel. When it came to the frame, we knew that a steel one would offer the durability we needed. However, we were torn between using ipe wood, which we had for our decks, or cedar, which we had seen and loved in our weekly Pinterest inspiration search. (Check out our inspiration boards here.)
Consistent material choices tie a landscape design together. In this case, we weighed the benefits of ipe and cedar and ultimately chose cedar for its cost-effectiveness (compared to ipe) knowing that eventually both wood materials would fade to a similar hue.
Cedar Fence FAQs
Nice. What type of wood is that?
Western Red Cedar, S4S. Which means "surfaced four sides".
This is rad. What size are the pickets? Spacing on the pickets is 🙌🏻🙌🏻.
Pickets are 2" x 2" and spacing is 2.25 inches.
Did you seal/stain the cedar or is that natural?
It’s unstained cedar.
How are the pickets held up? Like is that metal behind? I really like it and wanna do this just trying to get an idea how to do the fence part.
2" x 2" welded steel frame
It looks like you did a face screw through the wood. What did you do when the self tap screw strips out. Which had to have happened many times.
Been doing this for years never had a screw strip but we recently switched to AnchorMark S2-TTM Fence screws - a self-drilling hardened carbon steel screw with Delta Seal coating (clean and easy self-drilling screw for steel up to 1/8”) and they are a game changer.
Y’all stain the wood in place?
No stain.
How did they connect the wood slats?
Self tapping screws.
Gorgeous! Is the black part of the fence metal? Or wood?
Steel
Is the cedar sealed at all? Cedar fades doesn’t it ?
No the cedar is not stained and yes it fades. It's been over a year since installation and it's faded to beautiful, warm driftwood color.
Does that steel rail for the fence have pre drilled/punched holes?
No. They drill them when installing the fence
How high is it?
Highest point is 54” lowest 38”
Fence looks amazing. Where can I purchase those strips/wood for my fence?
Special ordered through J&W Lumber. They have multiple stores across San Diego County. Tell them we sent you. ;)
That looks super fresh. Expecting to see more of those around. This will definitely take off as the new fence trend.
I agree!
What was done to the steel to prevent rust below ground?
The steel is in concrete with a slight dome shape at the top so water will not sit at the post and rot.
Did the metal get powder coated prior to install?
Primed and painted. We use a marine grade paint.
How long did it take to install this beauty?
Approximately 4 days.
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