Three kinds of Belmont yard
Belmont changes a lot in a few miles. Out on the South Point peninsula and down the coves, lots fall toward the lake. Around downtown and the old mill neighborhoods, the lots are smaller, the trees are bigger and the hardscape has been there for decades. In between are the newer subdivisions, where the builder left sod, a slab and not much else.
Each one needs a different approach, so the first thing we do on a Belmont visit is figure out which of the three we're standing in.
Lake lots: level the ground first
If your backyard runs down toward Lake Wylie, you probably don't have a flat place to put a table. A retaining wall, or two shorter terraced walls, turns that slope into level ground you can actually use. Then the patio, fire pit and planting go on top.
Water is the other half of it. Rain moves fast down a slope, so every wall gets clean drainage stone behind it, and taller walls get perforated pipe run out to daylight. We place the patio and seating so they face the water, and keep anything on the lake side low enough that it doesn't block the view from the house.
In town: small lots, old hardscape
Closer to Main Street, the problems are usually old ones. Brick walks have heaved over tree roots, a front step has settled, or the beds haven't been touched since the house changed hands. Side yards are often too narrow for big equipment, so we plan the job around the access instead of tearing out a fence to get a machine in.
On a small lot, a well-placed patio does more than you'd expect. A 12-by-14 paver patio off the back door, with a seating wall and a little lighting, can make a backyard you never used into the room you sit in most.
Recent Belmont work
- A raised paver patio held up by a block wall, with a fire pit area, landscape lighting and new planting
- A paver front walkway with a new plant package
- A backyard paver patio off the house
What we're usually doing in Belmont
- Terraced retaining walls on lots that slope to the lake
- Paver patios, fire pits and seating walls
- Replacing heaved walkways and settled steps on older streets
- Front-yard beds and curb appeal near downtown
- Drainage fixes where water collects against the house
- Landscape lighting on steps, walls and patios
Cramerton and McAdenville too
Cramerton and McAdenville are right next door, so the same quick visit and quick answer applies there. That whole stretch between Gastonia and the river is home ground for us.
