Thanks to all for your feedback; in short: - the property is City-owned, but the maintenance of same is left to the home owner. The City does not maintain residential sidewalks and generally does not deal with them unless public construction requires it, a homeowner requests assistance, or a formal complaint is lodged. - the width of 3' is considered standard for sidewalk cut-outs, as far as I can tell. The City of Los Angeles, among other municipalities, approves of this width as a standard minimum for pedestrians, strollers, wheelchairs, etc. - I decided to try using plastic paver edging, which is held in by metal stakes. This seems to be a standard solution and should provide a solid edge next to the pavers to prevent wash-out. - I've decided to forego the construction of a retaining wall, as the landscaping is really secondary to the sidewalk pavers. Construction of this terraced "box" is probably an extraordinary effort for what is a public walkway. - I may use gravel in place of the mulch in the landscaped area, as it should be more resistant to wash-out and allow some dispersion of the water flow. Thanks again- -m-

Hello all. I have 8 acres of bush in south east Queensland. We have had a dam dug and are having a few problems with erosion of the dam wall when it rains. From all that I have read, it would seem planting some sort of matting grass would be the best solution. Anyone have any suggestions for matting, fast growing, native grasses or groundcovers for a dry, clay soil in full sun? Thanks in advance. -mrsxtro

Hi, I have a 21 ft Esther Williams pool I had inherited about 5 years ago. When I had set up the pool back then I had noticed that there were dozens and dozens of tiny holes in the bottom of the wall. When I had helped the previous owner dismantle the pool I had seen that the rocks around the pool had a lot of dirt/sand mixed in with them so I figured the moisture over time corroded the wall. I spent a good amount of time epoxying as many holes as possible before setting up the wall and I also ran a length of sheet metal around a foot high along the bottom inside (not sure how helpful that was but figured it couldn't hurt. I also glued a layer of foam all along the inside of the wall before I put in the liner. This all seemed to have worked great as I have not had any issues near the bottom of the pool wall. In my early learning days with the pool the water had gotten so bad I had to drain it completely and refilled it immediately. Unfortunately the liner probably shrank a bit because within the last couple of years I noticed some tearing under the return and the skimmer. I had patched under the skimmer. All was well for some time until recently I noticed the pool was losing water. That happening along with discovering other holes I have found on the bottom and sides of the liner have made me decide I would change my liner next spring before I open the pool. The problem I am having now is about 3 tiny holes formed under the skimmer, one under the return and one other a couple of feet to the right midway on the wall and were streaming water outside the pool. I have plugged them up but obviously the water is still getting between the liner and the wall causing corrosion and potentially many more holes in my wall! I am not sure of the best way to approach this. Should I drain the pool down and pull the liner away in that area so the wall can dry out and then replace the liner next spring and get a fresh start then? I was considering securing the walls with tethered rope to the ground so the walls don't cave in without water in it (sound crazy?). My greatest concern is getting the moisture out between the liner and the wall as soon as possible to avoid further corrosion. Any advice is greatly appreciated. thanks, Mark

Salt is extremely corrosive to all materials with the exception of porcelain and glass. I refuse to do a salt water pool unless my clients sign a waiver. Porcelain or glass would be a good choice for the waterline. Cleaning and then sealing the stone on the raised beam will help. Even if you use a good sealer that says it will last for 10 years don't always take the manufactures word. Some 10 year sealers haven't actually been out for 10 years yet. They do lab testing that simulates time. I would keep on a sealing regimen every two years. I have used a 10 year sealer and within a year the salt started to pit the travertine coping. Luckily I had warned my client about it so the expectation was set but that tells you how corrosive salt is. A good quartzite stone very durable. Some stone may look like quartzite but may have sandstone or limestone in the mix. A picture would be helpful. Hope this answers helps.