Everett, Wash.
Published: Friday, April 11, 2008

Camano Oasis

Stone by stone, island homeowner creates a tranquil wonderland

By RaeJean Hasenoehrl
For the Herald

 In the story of old, David conquered Goliath with a single stone. Tim Gray conquered his goliath with a few thousand stones and a penchant for ingenuity.
In 1983, when Gray purchased his home on Camano Island, the mobile home and its surrounding 1.5 acres of property held little aesthetic appeal. Gray saw past the goliath of tangled vegetation and antiquated outbuildings. Hints of potential played at his thoughts.
Two years later, Gray’s new home — his own design — was built by close friend Gene Shaughnessy of Shaughnessy Construction, located on Camano Island.
“We’ve known each other since we were 12,” Gray explained. “There were people who, when I hired Gene to build the house, predicted we would not be friends by the time we were done building the house.”
The predictions fell by the wayside. Since then, the two have successfully completed several projects on Gray’s property, turning the jumble of plants and undiscovered potential into an outdoor oasis deserving of Mother Nature’s nod of respect and approval.
The easiest solution to Gray’s situation would have been to tear down the carport and sheds, and remove the plant life that stood in the way of progress. But that wasn’t Gray’s way.
“I build around plants without tearing them down,” he said. “It seems kind of foolish to take them out when they’re perfectly healthy.”
A paperbark maple is just one example of Gray’s tender-hearted approach to renewing his land. “This tree was planted in ’83, so when this shed and the old carport were remodeled this summer, we made sure that whatever we had to do, we saved the tree.”
The tree, resplendent with layers of wispy bark and a tousle of green leaves, stands sentry to the transformed carport. Admittedly, transforming the carport into a covered barbecue area while safeguarding the tree was easier said than done.
The same can be said of the immense grapevine that made its home on the east end of the carport.
“We had to leave part of the old carport up during the construction of the barbecue area to hold the weight of the vine,” Gray said. When the renovations were finished, the vine continued to flourish against its new support, a Northwest-style structure of warm cedar and creative design.
The main section of the building is closed in on two sides, with an angled roof to provide protection against stormy weather. The back portion opens to the heavens, with a dramatic grid pattern acting as a peek-a-boo ceiling.
The grid work is an eye-catching piece of craftsmanship. “I’m a believer that nobody designs something original, but I’ve had some landscape people that I know wonder who came up with this design. I did,” he smiled. “It’s just basically a grid of vines, my beautiful cedar, and the copper pipes wired in place.”
Gray’s love for design is witnessed throughout his property, which he jokingly calls The Compound. In addition to the carport remodel, Gray and Shaughnessy have refaced two old sheds, created an arbor to cover Gray’s hot tub, and added a staircase and landing to Gray’s home.
“It’s a true collaboration here,” Gray said. “I’m very proud of the work Gene does and I’m always honored that he can come and do a project for me.”
The large arbor that protects the hot tub from the weather and provides a sense of privacy has a touch of Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision of architecture, with sharp angles that are visually stunning from both the ground and the upper landing of Gray’s home. “I’m just a guy who comes up with a bunch of ideas that he wants to design,” Gray said. “I say what I want and Gene finds a way to make it happen.”
The angles of the arbor are created by hefty beams of Douglas fir, stained to the warm color of cedar that Gray has used on all of his buildings.
“There are 190 bolts in this structure, but you don’t see them,” Gray said. “I don’t like to see the hardware.”
What Gray does like to see is a mixture of natural elements. While he enjoys the hot tub and private outdoor shower, he also enjoys the sights and sounds of his collective arrangement of plants, pottery, statuary and stonework.
The arbor and stairway are flanked by a large pink dawn viburnum. Potted nandina (heavenly bamboo) is placed at varying intervals, softening the landscape and providing a soft hush during a gentle breeze. Native flowers and grasses are interspersed with a host of perennials, shrubs and fan palm trees.
At the back of Gray’s property, a series of apple trees stand at the ready, awaiting their season of glory. Next to them, a small vineyard, graciously poised as a landscape of textures and beauty.
“I enjoy the cadence of the vineyard, the seasons of it,” Gray said. “There’s a rhythm to a vineyard of when you can prune, when they start growing. I do it for the pure enjoyment.”
Other moments of enjoyment include canning some of the apples and pears that grow on the property. An apple press tucked into the corner of his barbecue area hints of Gray’s love of preserving the natural bounty his plants provide.
Of course, time doesn’t always allow for hobbies and relaxation. “When you’re one person with a one- and a half-acre garden, you work full time and own a business, it can be a little bit difficult to try to stay ahead of the maintenance of things,” Gray admitted, pointing out a few unfinished projects, including a small pond that awaits its finishing touches. “I do what I can as I can. It’s just going to take a matter of time.”
That “matter of time” includes finding homes for several plants living in “Tim’s Land of Misfit Plants.” Gray also has two tons of stone awaiting placement — a task Gray has a great deal of experience in.
Throughout Gray’s property, the living areas he has created are grounded by beautiful stonework. As co-owner of Pacific Stone in Everett, Gray has the knowledge of working with pavers and stacking stones. His innate sense of color and design has provided flow and transition from one living area to the next.
“I did the patio in ’05 in advance of my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary,” Gray said. “We had 110 people here for dinner, so I really dedicated a big chunk of my summer to get this area prepared for the party.”
The project took a considerable amount of preparation before the pavers could be set.
“The whole face of the patio used to be an uneven half-grass, half small little paving stone patio. It was filled with lots of gravel. It was pretty dangerous, actually,” he said. Because the ground changed elevations, a great deal of excavating had to be done.
The 1,300 square-feet project required 10 to 15 tons of stone and took nearly four weeks of hard, labor-intensive work. “I did all the stone work and the prep work. One of my employees came up to help with the laying of the stone,” Gray said. The Pacific slate pavers from Gray’s store were placed in a pattern called ashlar with Elk Mountain slate from Montana used for the borders and a low stacked wall.
“I did a different color and pattern at the entrance of my home, to make it look like a doormat to pinpoint and highlight the front door of the house,” Gray said. “I’ve also got a little offset area that is an elevated patio.”
The stair treads leading to the house are cut Pennsylvania sandstone. The hot tub stands on sturdy concrete pavers set alongside a landing of mortar-set quartzite flagstone.
Just as with any homeowner, the voice of experience has played its hand. “I’ve learned a few things over the years,” Gray said. “My first patio that I put in is a good example of a patio put in wrong.” Years ago, Gray installed a small sand-set patio at the edge of his property. “I thought, we have rock-hard soil out here, I don’t need to do a gravel base. I’ll just do my native soil and sand.” Within a couple of years, the patio became a roller coaster ride. “But it works fine. It’s by the woodshed and not in a spot that is heavily visible,” Gray said.
“I sell an awful lot of paving stones to people who do this type of work for a living, and I have a lot of respect for those people because it’s an amazingly difficult job to do,” Gray said. “It’s worth it when you’re done. I’ve transformed my back yard. I had a nice, cozy, quaint back yard before, but now I have something to be really proud of. It’s something I enjoy sharing with family and friends.”
Would he recommend that a customer do this? “Absolutely!” Gray said. “If a homeowner wants to do this, they absolutely can do it. No doubt whatsoever.”
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA