As the finish line for the Courtyard nears, the team has checked off many things on the to-do list, scroll down to see what they have been up to!
Capping the Wall
After many drill bits and muscle power, the team successfully attached the galvanized channel to the concrete wall! Thanks, Horseshoe Farm Fellow, Mary for your assistance! This channel not only makes the top of the wall look finished, it serves as a connection to the soon-to-be-installed gate. The gate will be anchored and grouted to the concrete foundation below ground, and then bolted to the channel at the top.
This channel, like many details in the project, has a reveal between the brick wall and itself
View from gate threshold, looking up
For a visually cleaner connection, the team decided to use countersunk concrete anchors that fastened the channel to the wall.
Wrapping the porch
Meanwhile, the gypsum board went up on the south porch and was shortly treated to a fresh coat of paint.
It’s Been Said That “Slate is Great”
Riley spreading “trail mix” by tall screens 
Caleb putting slate in two-inch gap around concrete 
Shot of all the different ground materials, shortly after slate was spread
The ground surfaces on the south end of the site were finished one early morning in June. Thanks to the help of the whole studio and some Horseshoe Farm Fellows, both the “trail mix,” meaning the bottom layer of the slate; and the “mini-chips,” the top layer were spread and tamped down by 9:00 a.m.!
Electrical in the ground and on walls and screens
Before the final layer of slate could go down, some electrical work needed to be finished. The team roughed in all conduit work in the ground and poured concrete columns along the west wall. These concrete columns held junction boxes in place for lights and kept the cover above ground to avoid water issues down the road. The ground work also included running conduit to two of the benches for electrical outlets, as well as attaching junction boxes to the screens for the lights that will light the active space.
The outlets were lifted off the ground enough to remain above the finished grade 
From the junction boxes seen in the image above, EMT conduit ran parallel to the screens, and onto channels that cantilever from the screens and hold lights in place. While the team laid all the conduit work in place, they worked with a licensed electrician for the wiring of the lights and outlets.
The team also fastened the lights and EMT conduit to the masonry wall, following the five-foot grid.
Finishing the Benches
Once the metal legs for the benches were grouted, the sanded, routed, and sealed eight-inch square heavy timber pieces were secured to the legs.
Team installing benchtop