LOCATION: Pittsburgh, Pa.
COMPANY: Local Roots Landscaping
The client approached Local Roots Landscaping to overhaul their front yard from concept to completion. The homeowner wanted privacy from the neighbors and a grand entrance.
Kenneth Deemer, managing partner of Local Roots, says a three-dimensional design helped this client understand how the project would look once completed.
The property is in a historic neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Many of the homes are 100 years old or more. Staging proved to be a major challenge for this project due to its small footprint.
“Selecting the right equipment was very important because we had to lift some very heavy things,” he says, noting the project features 7-foot sandstone steps that weigh 900 to 1,200 pounds.
MQuip’s vacuum lifting equipment helped the Local Roots team place the heavy steps throughout the property as part of the grade change and transitions. Deemer also says utilizing Smart Level, a precision altimeter, helped the Local Roots team accurately capture the dimensions of the project.
“In order to estimate accurately and quickly and understand how many steps we are going to need to put in and how tall the walls are going to be, altimeters are great,” he says.
Other details include a sandstone retaining wall to achieve the desired grade, five sandstone pillars, 17 sandstone steps, a bluestone walkway and patio with landscape lighting, a planting section with drip irrigation and a sodded yard.
For this project, Local Roots Landscaping won a Bronze Award from the 2022 National Association of Landscape Professionals’ Awards of Excellence program.
The bluestone patio features custom sandstone planter boxes to match other design elements of the project.
Crews used MQuip’s vacuum lifting equipment to put the sandstone steps in place.
A bluestone patio creates a grand entrance to the home.
Details include custom sandstone columns and 7-foot-long sandstone steps.
A sandstone retaining wall addresses the grade changes on the property.
Local Roots added planting beds to the front of the home.
An overhead view of the bluestone patio.
A design rendering of the project.
