The devastating firestorm of October 2017 left thousands of homes burned to the ground and facing the long arduous prospect of rebuilding. Fire relandscaping was a brand new experience for Details Landscape Art. In fact, we had designed and built several beautiful gardens in the Fountaingrove neighborhood over the last ten years, and, sadly, most of them burned.
In ‘Tuscany’, one particular section of Fountaingrove, all the homes had burned except one, although almost all of his landscaping was gone. This homeowner called us in December 2017 to ask for our help in developing an estimate that he could submit as part of an overall insurance claim to recoup damages to his home, fencing, and landscaping.
Without photos of what had been there, we were limited to projecting a reasonable estimate of the elements needed to build a new garden.
Upon receipt of insurance funds, we were hired to proceed with the installation.
Fire Relandscaping in an Empty Neighborhood
It was an eerie project. Working in a neighborhood with no other standing homes was an unsettling feeling.
There were hundreds of trucks working day and night, clearing, excavating, hauling, and basically reducing the burned rubble to bare ground. The Army Corps of Engineers was doing most of this work, seven days a week.
Restoring the Front Yard
The front yard, which remained somewhat intact after the fire, required only a moderate amount of fire relandscaping.
There had been two large lawns and a few plants and burned trees. The three irrigation valves had melted, as had many of the lawn sprinkler heads.
Since the PVC pipes survived underground, we were tasked with finding where they were located in relation to the burned valves, and with a little detective work, we were able to install new valves and connect to the existing underground pipes.
We suggested to the owner that one of the lawns be removed in favor of plants, and he agreed.
The melted sprinkler heads were replaced, the lawn was reshaped and edged with benderboard, and all that remained was to install a beautiful low maintenance tapestry of plants.
A new drip irrigation system watered all the new plantings, and all was dressed with a layer of mini-fir bark.
A new exposed aggregate walkway was poured from the driveway around to the side garage door, with a small extension for garbage can storage.
Fire Relandscaping the Backyard
The back yard was on a steep slope and extremely rocky.
There were the remnants of three olive trees that had survived the fire, but required some pruning—and prayers for recovery.
We installed a small ten-foot diameter stamped concrete patio. To prepare for this patio we excavated the slope to create a flatter area, leaving room behind the circle to install a low twelve-inch fieldstone dry stack wall to retain the excavated slope.
We replaced damaged drainpipes and cleared loose rock and burned debris to prepare for planting.
Since the back yard abutted a natural open space, the homeowner agreed to plant sparsely, using native and deer resistant plants to enhance the natural setting.
Rebuilding After the Fire
Our first experience with fire relandscaping proved to be a successful and beautiful adventure.
The North Bay fires changed Sonoma County forever, but they also demonstrated the resilience of both people and landscapes.
Sometimes rebuilding a garden is about more than replacing plants and irrigation. It is about restoring a sense of home and moving forward.