Finished work

Eight jobs, and what each one was solving

Photographs of real Stauffer projects across the Topeka and Lawrence area. The captions say what the job actually had to deal with, because that is usually more useful than the photograph on its own.

Two course cut limestone retaining wall with integrated stone steps holding the grade below a modern black and white farmhouse

Grade work

Cut limestone wall and stone steps

A two course wall in big cut limestone holding a long fall below a modern farmhouse, with bluestone treads set into the courses so the route down to the lawn is part of the structure rather than added to it. The lawn above the wall is level ground that did not exist before.

Retaining walls

Covered paver patio with cedar posts, a gas fire pit, tiered seat walls, string lighting and a pergola beyond at golden hour

Outdoor living

Covered patio, tiered seat walls and fire pit

Cedar posts carrying a covered roof over a paver floor laid to fall away from the house. A tiered wall holds the drop to the lawn and doubles as seating, lighting is set into the wall courses, and a pergola carries the run on past the covered section.

Paver patios and walkways

Stacked stone outdoor fireplace with a live fire burning, bluestone caps and navy Adirondack chairs on a flagstone patio

Fire feature

Stacked stone fireplace on flagstone

A full outdoor fireplace in stacked stone with bluestone caps and a built in wood store, set on an irregular flagstone patio. Seat walls run out from the chimney on both sides, which is what turns a fireplace into a room.

Hardscapes

Outdoor kitchen

Stone clad kitchen island with granite counters

A built in grill island clad in stone to match the surrounding hardscape, with granite counters run to a consistent overhang and the appliance cut out detailed so the join reads as built rather than dropped in.

Hardscapes

Paver patio with a built in gas fire pit, outdoor sofa seating and stone seat walls

Patio and fire pit

Paver terrace with a gas fire pit

A paver field with a built in gas fire pit at its centre, edged by seat walls at real sitting height. The border course gives the field a defined edge, which is what keeps a patio from reading as a slab.

Paver patios and walkways

Aerial view of a large paver driveway and a circular landscape bed set into new turf

Drive and grounds

Paver driveway and circular bed

A large paver driveway with a circular landscape bed set into new turf. Work at this scale lives or dies on the base and the grading, because settling across a drive shows up faster than it does anywhere else on a property.

Sod installation

Paver driveway edged by a river rock foundation bed running along a large home

Foundation beds

River rock beds along the drive

The same property at ground level. River rock foundation beds run the length of the paver drive with clean steel edging holding the line between stone and turf, which is the detail that decides whether a bed still looks deliberate in year three.

Softscapes and planting

River rock foundation bed with a row of young arborvitae, ornamental grasses and a small ornamental tree against maintained turf

Planting

Arborvitae screen and ornamental grasses

A foundation planting of young arborvitae, ornamental grasses and a small ornamental tree, set into river rock with edging cut to a curve. Plants are spaced at mature size, which is why a bed like this looks slightly sparse on the day it goes in.

Softscapes and planting

Your property next

Every one of these started with somebody walking the ground

Drainage first, then measurements and photographs, then a design drawn back at the office and brought to you before anything is dug.

Call (785) 256-7300 or request a consultation.