The Field Journal

In the middle of July, when we are designing a driveway, it is easy to suffer from "Winter Amnesia." We look at the beautiful pavers, the lush planting beds, and the elegant retaining walls, and we forget one massive, heavy reality: In six months, we are going to need a place to put 40 inches of snow. Most landscape designs fail in January. They box the homeowner in. They place walls too close to the edge, leaving no room for the plow blade. They create bottlenecks that trap

The Verdict Slopes in Southwest Michigan are liabilities; they are dangerous to mow, they channel water toward your foundation, and they represent square footage you pay taxes on but never use. A tiered hardscape system solves the drainage crisis immediately while creating flat, usable "rooms" for fire pits or seating. However, if you build this wall without accounting for the Hydrostatic Pressure  of wet clay, the freeze-thaw cycle will push it over within three winters. The

The Summary A patio is only as stable as the subgrade beneath it; in Southwest Michigan, a standard 4-inch base is a guaranteed recipe for frost heave and settling. We excavate 11–13 inches deep to install a hydrostatic barrier  (geotextile fabric) and an 8-inch compacted aggregate base that bridges soft clay soils. If you cannot drive a truck across the base material before the pavers are laid, the foundation is not ready. The Anatomy of Movement (Why We Dig Deep) Homeowners