Sometimes I have a picture in my head of what would be PERFECT for the landscape design project I’m currently working on. I search and I search but it doesn’t exist. Over the years I’ve developed quite the network of skilled tradespeople who can turn my drawings into real, physical items. Last year I went all in and founded Ranunculus Jones, my fabrication and architectural salvage business. Here are some custom landscape products we’ve made so far.
Custom cedar gates
Because we were enclosing a good-sized bit of backyard, we opted for a simple three board fence. A simple fence doesn’t have to equal a simple gate, however. Watson and I built this pair of entry gates and used hardware from 360Yardware for easy, reliable operation. The lumber is Eastern cedar (Juniperus virginiana) from a mill right here in Culpeper County and walnut for the pickets.
Custom garden planters
These clients wanted a decent sized, useful garden area that also looked cool. I anchored the space with a galvanized steel stock tank and then designed custom landscape products (planters) that matched the curves off the same radius point. The planters were constructed using pressure treated lumber for the framing and then covered with AZEK pvc trim sheet material fit to the curves. We worked with a sheet metal shop to fabricate galvanized steel pans to hold the soil. This protects the framing from water. It also isolates the growing medium from the pressure treated lumber.
Custom live edge bench
My clients were looking for a simple bench that would play well with their live edge, modern outdoor dining table. I took a field trip to my favorite local slab mill and picked up a couple of pieces of cedar of Lebanon. I used my CNC machine to carve matching legs and used some slabs of sapele mahogany for the stretchers. And then, the sanding started. I sanded the top of the bench to a glassy smooth finish, then applied twelve coats of exterior polyurethane, sanding between each coat. Finally, I routered a groove at the back of the bench and inserted LED strip lighting. I was honestly sad to send this piece out the door.