We rented a back-hoe/front loader to start changing the topography of the back corner of our plot of land. First leveling the site, Peter piled the clay-rich soil of the alluvial plain in a sculpted hill between the main house and the Casita. This both protected the structure from Acequia flow by directing it through a pond at the base of the hill, then out to be spread across terraced garden beds. He planned in a sunken patio with a built in fireplace and benches and herbs cascading over the stuccoed walls.
The foundation of the Casita is unique in that a third of it is open to the ground so that it is quite literally like living in a greenhouse. A sunken walkway makes it possible to garden without bending over; the garden beds are at counter level. Grandpa dug the foundation so that the back half fit as far back into the corner as we were allowed. The front of the Casita is south facing, achieved by a slight angle shift where the pad met the garden, to allow the front third of the structure to receive full southern sun exposure.
Ultimately there will be a set of French Doors opening to the sunken patio in front.
After replacing the old red fence with an adobe wall, Grandpa re-purposed the fence boards to hold in the garden fill. Thick black plastic protects the wood & holds the dirt.
VOICES 