Landscape Contractor / Design Build Maintain

MAR 2016

LC/DBM provides landscape contractors with Educational, Imaginative and Practical information about their business, their employees, their machines and their projects.

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An opportunity to dazzle customers with a a little extra display of craftsman- ship can be what sets a standard installation apart from an exceptional one. Scott Cohen of The Green Scene has been doing that for years. In his spare time he does training sessions and speaking engagements, acts as a certified expert witness with the California Contractors State License Board, has hosted programs on HGTV, and authored nine books about landscaping includ- ing "Scott Cohen's Outdoor Kitchen Design Workbook," "The Big Book of BBQ Plans," and "The Candid Contractor: Lessons Learned From The Construction Defect Expert Witness Files of Scott Cohen" (see sidebar). Above: A backyard makeover in Newbury Park, Calif., featured an outdoor kitchen with themed countertops destined to be used for cooking classes. Also included was a custom fireplace that was built following the engineering plans from the contractor, Scott Cohen's book "Outdoor Fireplaces and Fire Pits." It is made from cinderblock veneered with split-face travertine. The crew cast the hearth, mantle and cap in place using Styrofoam forms. A custom-fabricated iron door was then installed. Cohen designed the flower pot to the left of the fireplace, which was then hand carved by Mexican artisans out of a block of Cantera stone: a quarried, volcanic rock from Mexico and Central America that is durable in spite of having a softness that allows for detailed sculpting. The pot has its own drip irrigation line and a separate drainage line to prevent pooling water from causing iron stains on the hardscape. Cohen's crew built the columns of the pergola out of cinderblock that was grouted solid and reinforced with #5 steel rebar. The stained tongue and grove roof was subcontracted. Electric heaters and outdoor speakers were added. The homeowner provided the furniture, TV and chandelier. Left: To create the intricately decorated countertops and tabletop, The Green Scene crew built Styrofoam molds into which was put a very dry blend of cement-rich concrete. For a dense and strong final product, the workers employed a large concrete vibrator that removed the air and voids in the concrete. Pieces of crushed wine bottles were set into the drying surface by hand and then tamped down with a steel trowel. The 42" grill's backsplash is veneered with travertine tiles. 34 LC DBM (Continued on page 36) By Mike Dahl LC/DBM Topped Off with Flair PHOTOS: DESIGN BY SCOTT COHEN FOR GREENSCENELANDSCAPE.COM

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