Award winning paving stone creation of a bloomed rose.
This unique paver inlay was accomplished by the intense saw cutting of red, green and beige paving stones. Constructed in Smithtown new York 11787 this rose stone design is installed in the center of a court yard entrance of the front door of this two story brick veneered colonial home.
Learn About Quality Retaining Walls for Your Long Island Backyard
Have you thought about putting a retaining wall in your backyard? Or perhaps adding a decorative touch to areas of your yard where ground levels vary? A retaining wall is an excellent addition to nearly any yard, and there are a number of benefits to putting a retaining wall up.
Why do I need a retaining wall?
A retaining wall is a wall put in place in order to “hold” areas where ground levels vary. There are actually many different uses for a wall like this, and in most instances this type of wall is not a decorative item but one which is necessary in areas like highways located on the side of hills or mountains and for residential areas in the shadow of large hills were landslides may be a danger.
Decorative retaining walls are actually built similar to this; however they are not necessarily put in place in order to divert a “landslide” in your backyard, but more as a great decoration in your yard.
Types of retaining walls
The visual style of the wall aside, there are four main types of retaining walls, each engineered and installed in such a way as to ensure it hold the land at a higher level in place. While not a huge danger in the back yard, the act of cutting away part of earth, or building a mound in order to install a retaining wall, can lead to minor slides even in a backyard. Nothing as dangerous as those on freeways, but enough to potentially harm a garden area for instance. This is why it is important that the wall is built the right way.
1. Gravity Wall – This is a wall sunk lower than bottom ground level, shaped flat facing the higher mound of earth and at an angle for extra strength going toward the lower end.
2. Piling Wall – This wall is also sunk lower in the earth, in this case even lower than a gravity wall. This type of wall is flat on both sides and must be made of a very solid material that can stand up to the weight of earth on the higher side without the benefit of an angle leaning in the opposite direction. This model uses the natural pressure the ground exerts in opposing directions to stay in place.
3. Cantilever Wall – This is shaped much like a gravity wall with a flat side and an angled side to counter the larger area of ground. Here though a section of the buried end juts out vertically beneath the earth, causing the ground to put pressure both forward toward the lower section and downward, canceling the forces out.
4. Anchored Wall – This is a simple flat wall buried to a determined depth beneath the lower level, but with an “anchor” toward the top which is dug in from toward the top of the wall, at a downward angle canceling force much the same way as a cantilever wall, but at a higher point, meaning the wall actually does not need to be as thick.
The type of wall that is right for you all depends on your personal preference and the layout of your yard. Make sure you always higher a professional contractor for your Long Island retaining walls.
Find Out More About Beautiful Long Island Poolscapes
A poolscape is simply the landscape surrounding any pool, along with the shape and the type of pool itself. There are a plethora of options when it comes to the general design and within each theme even more options for the type of greenery and any other decorative items you may want. You can choose to play a hand in the design of the poolscape yourself, higher a professional designer, or rely on the expertise of a contractor. No matter how you choose to design your pool, it is essential you hire a professional to put it all together.
Some general poolscape categories
As mentioned the options are endless. Here are just a few of the popular styles:
• Asian Landscapes
• Bank Checks – This will incorporate a retaining wall
• English Landscape
• Tropical
• Hawaiian
• Fireplace
• Outdoor kitchen
• Garden
• Waterfalls
• Much more
People use combinations of these ideas and all kinds of different greenery.
What’s right for me?
The right type of poolscape all depends on personal preference; however there are some things to keep in mind. First of course is the size of your yard. This in itself may limit your options. Next is the type of ground. This only matters in so much as the amount of work it will take to create the look you want, but for instance areas with hard ground or desert areas may be more expensive when it comes to installing a lot of greenery or a tropical setting. Decide what type of features you want. There are many options like waterfalls, ponds, fountains and more. The actual shape of the pool is a consideration as well. Some settings may look better with a rectangular design, others will compliment curved pools.
Before choosing the style you like you will want to look at plenty of examples, catalogues and websites. Remember, once construction is underway it might be difficult to change your mind.
How much will it cost?
Price really will vary, but you will find that most contractors in any area are competitively priced. Look for a medium and from that list hire the company you feel does the best job from their reviews and samples they provide. Be careful of outliers – those contractors that are a lot more expensive, or way cheaper. This could be a sign something is not completely as it seems. Price will range from the thousands all the way up to the tens of thousands. Hotels and other businesses sometimes spend hundreds of thousands. Whatever you spend, you can be sure that a great design will improve the value of your home and will improve the quality of your time spent in the backyard.
Why do I need a contractor?
A contractor is essential for a job this large. Doing this job the right way will ensure a backyard you can be proud of. Many of the features may be difficult for one not familiar and experienced with creating poolscapes, meaning not hiring a professional can take much longer and can even become more expensive in wasted time and resources.
Looking for a Long Island Poolscape Design? Click here to see our poolscape work.
Advantages of Granite Pavers in Long Island
Granite is a very common type of rock, often intrusive to an area and indigenous to many more areas. It is also widely used in the home, on patios and decks, and even in and around commercial centers. Granite deposits above the surface of earth, or close enough underground for us to reach them, actually come from deep in the crust of the earth. Magma from a depth of around 2 to 50km below the surface many times will find its way up due to a number of factors, the molten rock is the naturally occurring granite from this deep area of the earth’s crust, the resulting cooled magma will have large portions of different types of granite. The precise way granite makes its way from this depth to closer to the surface is a matter of contention, and it is thought there are different ways this occurs in different areas. Granite has a course to medium texture and can come in a wide range of colors including shades of pink and grey. The color depends entirely on the chemistry and different minerals making up the stone. Generally different areas will have stone of a slightly different shade. Another common feature of granite is the different colors within any slab of stone. The overall hue will usually range from gray to pink, but within are shades of both pink and gray along with tan, black, white and a clear or shiny crystal. Just as the overall color or hue of the stone can vary so to will the makeup of the different colors within the stone.
Granite in construction
Granite has been used in construction for tens of thousands of years. It is a popular stone due to its very tough and durable nature along with an abundance of the stone found around the world. Most granite deposits are massive. This also tends to bring down market prices when compared to some of the other types of stone used in construction. In addition to this however, granite can also be quite beautiful and is many times preferred in areas where style is the primary concern as opposed to the functional characteristics of the stone.
Uses for granite
The third largest Egyptian pyramid, the Red Pyramid, is named for the color of the granite surface when the sun reflects off of it. There are other examples of ancient Egyptian structures using granite in large quantities, and a few even older examples. Today builders use more durable or pliable substances for the actual building process and granite is most often used for flooring and polished granite for areas like kitchen countertops. It has become in large part a style preference more than an essential portion of the building process. That is not to say there are not a number of advantages though:
1. Granite is durable – Granite is a very hard stone and will last for years with little or no wear. In fact many who carve monuments have begun switching from marble to granite due to increased acid rain, which over years will degrade the marble more so than granite.
2. Granite is beautiful – Granite comes in a wide range of shades, and polished granite can be a truly stylish addition to nearly any home or building.
3. Granite is inexpensive – Compared to many stones granite is very affordable due to its abundance.
Feel free to take a look at our Granite Pavers Gallery.
Advantages of Cultured Stones in Long Island
You see cultured stone in nearly any residential community and in many storefronts and commercial centers as well. What is cultured stone though? Unlike many stones used in masonry and construction, cultured stone isn’t exclusively, or even usually, a functionally structural part of the building process. In almost all cases cultured stone is adhered to another, sturdier or more easily manipulated surface like wood, concrete, steel, etc, for aesthetic reasons. Cultured stone is a relatively new option for builders, masons and home improvement companies. It was not invented until 1962 by two brothers from Vellejo, California, Garret and Floyd Brown, a couple of plasterers. They wanted a material that was easy to work with but with all of the beauty of natural stone. They created flexible molds and used exact stone replicas to come up with an exact copy of the more difficult to work with stone, and at the time hand colored these in order to look as real as possible. They weighed less than one quarter what stone weighs yet were durable enough to be used outdoors. The veneer was light enough to be plastered to nearly any surface with an adhesive and the materials used could stand up to the elements.
Modern cultured stone
Today of course the process for creating cultured stone is streamlined, bringing down the cost significantly but also allowing for more options and even sturdier, yet equally light and easy to work with stone. Cultured stone is perhaps most often used around fireplaces, more and more they are found at the entrance to homes, around garden areas, as chimneys, steps, walls, fire pits, outdoor kitchens or grills, even walkways. Today an entire home may use cultured stone to give the appearance of an actual stone building.
How real do cultured stones look?
Most people literally will not be able to tell the difference between cultured stone and real stone, even if they are standing next to an actual stone structure and a cultured stone structure. The molds used for these stones are created from real stone and carefully selected for a specific appearance or style. The casting process captures every single detail of each individual stone and the mold is then colored using iron oxide pigments that look exactly like stone. Masons and others who work with real stone and cultured stone alike may see the difference, only in that the cultured stone actually usually looks cleaner and more appealing than if one were to use real stone due to the simplicity of the installation process and less likelihood of cracking and breaking like real stone.
Benefits of cultured stones
1. It is lightweight and easy to work with, and can be adhered to nearly any surface.
2. It comes in a wide range of styles.
3. It offers the beauty of stone, but without the expense and construction difficulties.
4. It is easily customized and changed if you decide to do a makeover. This cannot be said of stone in most cases.
5. Adding cultured stone can often increase the value of a home.