Keswick Patio

So you purchased a beautiful new home, with a sloped back yard and steps from a screened porch that lead to nothing. That is where we come in.

 

Our clients needed a place to sit and enjoy a glass of wine, entertain friends and grill. They made the decision to wait until they had lived in the house for a while prior to adding this much needed patio. We had to cut and fill, build a bluestone capped retaining wall that matches the cultured stone foundation, and a lovely concrete slab patio. Yes, I said, “a LOVELY concrete slab patio.” Pavers and slabs have come a long way in terms of color, texture, available sizes and quality. If you ever turned your nose up at the thought of a concrete paver or slab patio or walkway based on what you thought pavers and slabs were, you may consider re-visiting them with fresh eyes. Blending man-made and natural materials can be done well and create a functional space with complementary and contrasting colors and textures, as you can see in the photos below.

We did this project in mid-December, and even though we had to fight the mud and cold weather, we “left no trace”. Well, no trace beyond a great outdoor space.

Graduation Party in Three Weeks? AAARRRRGGGGHHH

So you purchased 600 square feet of pavers and were gong to build your own patio? This client, who I am sure could have built a nice patio himself, realized that with his son’s high school graduation party rapidly approaching, he needed to call in reinforcements.

The image below is what I saw when I first visited the site, and we were booked solid with work at the time. I thought there was no way we could deliver a quality product on time. Fortunately, I was wrong. We worked some overtime, picked up where the homeowner left off, and build a beautiful patio with a seat wall and fire pit.

 

The mud pit shown above was transformed to become a great outdoor space in less than one week, and yes, the graduation party went of without a hitch.

Sometimes even the most capable DIY guy can underestimate the scope of a project and may not know exactly how to correctly build something like a patio, which may seem like a pretty simple undertaking after watching too much HGTV. Admittedly, what we do isn’t rocket science, but it does require the proper knowledge, equipment, materials, tools and skills.

 

 

 

If ever you bite off more than you can chew, give us a call. Or, better yet, call us first.

Grand Entry

The owners of this stunning Albemarle County home needed new parking area for guests and to extend the existing front walkway to meet the new parking area. We worked through SL Williamson, a local asphalt contractor, who handled all of the grading, base stone and surface treatment for the new parking area, and top dressed the entire driveway with tan tar and chip.

We found and installed reclaimed granite cobble for the curbing, extended the seven foot wide bluestone front walkway and added a new bluestone seating area adjacent to the stunning front gardens.

Now this home has a driveway, parking and entry to match its scale and beauty.

Before and After

 

 

 

Something Missing

We designed and built an expansive, multi-level patio complete with fire pit, seat wall and a roof structure in 2013. One thing was missing. An outdoor kitchen.

We had recommended including a built in grill and counter space when we initially designed the project, but there was no room in the budget. Knowing that our clients may one day want to build and outdoor kitchen, we ran propane and electric during the first phase. This past fall we returned to design and build an outdoor kitchen with a granite counter top, built in grill, built in Green Egg, built in refrigerator and storage. The kitchen was veneered with stone to match the seat wall and fire pit, and looks like it is part of the original build. In conjunction with the outdoor kitchen, we replaced wood stringer steps with segmental block to match what was used in the first phase of the patio build. We also replaced all of the wood porch and stair railings with composite railings.

Tough Site

Central Virginia is a beautiful place, but it is anything but flat. Many of us have beautiful homes with virtually no usable back yard. There are creative solutions to remedy this and create flat areas for patios and terraces, planting beds that are easy to maintain, and to create a connection between interior and exterior spaces.

This home in Ednam Forest was recently renovated, and the back yard was an over grown, unwelcoming space. We designed and built brick retaining walls capped with bluestone, a pattern bluestone patio, an IPE deck,   and integrated the existing master bedroom terrace into the new hardscape. This was a challenging project to design and build, and we had to make a few changes as the project progressed. Now this beautiful home has an exterior that fits the site and structure beautifully.

 

Spring Will Be Here Before You Know It

So where will you spend your leisure time outdoors this year? All too often, as homes are under construction, all of the attention is focused on the interior, and the outdoor spaces are merely an afterthought. Beautiful exterior doors frequently open to an undersized, bland patio, and otherwise welcoming entry doors are approached via a narrow concrete front walkway.

Fortunately, it is never too late to remedy this and create outdoor spaces that are functional , comfortable and beautiful. Give us a call to begin planning and designing your project.

If your builder left you with this

Let us transform it into this

Time to Begin Planning Spring and Summer Projects

I know that it is cold outside and the furthest thing from most people’s minds is soaking up the sun beside the pool, hosting a barbecue or simply spending time on the patio on a beautiful, warm, sunny day. However, now is the time to begin planning and budgeting for that new pool deck, patio, outdoor kitchen or other outdoor space that you want to enjoy this year. Don’t let another season slip by and lament not having the outdoor space you have been dreaming of.

Just think. Another season with this

 

Or, would you rather have this?

 

Back to the Blog

It’s a bit chilly outside, and the perfect day to stay in the warm office! We had a very busy 2014, and I woefully neglected the Evergreen Hardscapes blog. Over the next several weeks I will be posting photos and descriptions of 2014 projects. We recently updated and completed our Houzz profile, and I would love it if you could check it out, give me feedback and consider following us on Houzz.com.

For those who don’t know Houzz, it is a great tool for consumers who are looking for ideas for new home construction, renovations, outdoor living spaces and just about anything one can do to improve their property. There are many thousands of images which can be added to “idea books”, which one can share with friends, architects, designers and contractors to guide them in terms of style, design elements, mediums, color, texture and scope.

Click the link below or the “Featured on Houzz” button at the top right corner of my homepage to see our profile on Houzz.

Evergreen Hardscapes Featured on Houzz

 

Happy new year!

 

Spring is Finally Here!

As much as I love snow and snow sports, I, like many others, am so terribly happy to see the garden grow, feel the warm sun, watch the trees and flowers bloom and not be cold.

Welcome, Spring. We missed you.

Now is the time to think about summer lawn parties, cookouts and enjoying the Spring and Summer months. We have been busy creating new outdoor living spaces and the schedule is filling up quickly. It is not too late to plan and install the patio, pool deck, new walkway or outdoor kitchen that you have always wanted, and still be able to enjoy it for the summer. Don’t let another season slip by living with an inadequate, dated or less than attractive outdoor living space.

Currently, we are installing a bluestone patio for the Shelter for Help in Emergency 2014 Design House. Thanks to Anna Boeschenstein  from Grounded, LLC for the design work. If you are in the Charlottesville area, you should plan on touring this beautiful house in Farmington.

Shady Lawn- Part 2

After we finished phase one, which included demolishing and replacing the pool deck, installing new sandstone coping, stone retaining walls, steps, importing hundreds of cubic yards of fill, grading and installing sod, it was time to put the finishing touches on this property.

The second phase consisted of building a walkway that leads from the new English garden and herb garden to the pergola next to the pool, covering an old(yet not historic) brick retaining wall with stone, building a new stone wall and columns at the cottage, installing granite cobble curbing and transitions and applying a tar and chip surface treatment to the cottage driveway and parking court. George Carter and his crew from Ivy Nursery handled the plant installation and landscaping, Dave Nowak of Technirain installed the irrigation, SL Williamson did the driveway surface treatment, and the design was done by Anna Boeschentstein of Grounded, LLC.