Installation

Case Study: 24 Hour Extreme Backyard Makeover

Case Study: 24 Hour Extreme Backyard Makeover

Busy with her hands full with her one year old son and her husband deployed overseas, this future sister in law of Pete (Landworx owner/president) came home to this beautiful backyard transformation. In less than 24 hours, the Landworx of NY crew installed a new patio, firepit, plantings, new steps, irrigation system (because who wants the maintenance!?), landscape lighting, and some new sod. 

What Exactly is Hardscaping Anyway?

Orange County NY Hardscaping | Patio Installer | Wallstone | Walkways

Complete residential landscapes involve quite a few different elements that when brought together in the end product, must function cohesively. These elements of a landscape design include things like plantings (referred to as the softscape), irrigation, low-voltage lighting, structures like pergolas and gazebos, and hardscaping. The “hard” surfaces of a landscape such as retaining walls, walkways, decks and patios, are referred to as hardscaping.

A home’s hardscaping provides structure within the often freeform nature of outdoor design. Almost always installed before the other elements, walls and patios shape the land for proper function in terms of ground stability and navigation, respectively.

Here in Orange County, working in communities like Warwick, Florida, Goshen, Chester, Monroe, and Pine Island, hardscape design often involves the combination of stone, concrete, and wood. The Landworx crew works with a great deal of natural fieldstone for retaining walls and driveway pillars, while relying on PA bluestone for flatwork like walkways and patios.

The real magic of a great hardscape design, however, comes into focus when materials combine. When a designer introduces concrete pavers from the likes of Unilock to compliment the natural tones and textures for the bluestone, the outdoor living project is instantly elevated to a new level. Add in a custom pergola built from rough-cut lumber, and you have a true masterpiece.

Add style to existing concrete porches and landings with bluestone overlays

Bluestone patio, bluestone porch | repair concrete with overlays 

A large number of homes across Orange County, NY and the greater Hudson Valley are built with standard poured concrete front walkways, porches, and landings. Even if the house was built in the last 10 years, chances are still pretty good that the front walkway is concrete. 

Either way, at Landworx, we work with a lot of customers who are looking to upgrade the look of their home's outdoor surfaces. While concrete overlays are a great way to add the beauty of bluestone and natural fieldstone to your curb appeal, it is important that these existing surfaces are sound structurally. Barring any large cracks and/or shifting, overlaying and veneering can be a cost-effective way to bring big outdoor style and curb appeal. 

Front landings are particularly well-suited for this approach. The above photo shows a member of the Landworx install crew working on a total front entry transformation. On the sides of this landing and on the step risers, colonial fieldstone is skillfully veneered, achieving a finished product that looks like it has been that way for years. Finishing off the structure, the bluestone step treads tie in the natural colors of the fieldstone and cohesively unites with the house facade.

Now that's a drastic improvement over the existing concrete stoop!

 

Hillside Landscaping: How to Effectively Terrace a Slope with Retaining Walls

Slope Landscaping with natural fieldstone retaining walls and groundcover plantings. 

Slope Landscaping with natural fieldstone retaining walls and groundcover plantings. 

Landscaping on a steep slope can be one of the most challenging aspects of residential landscape design. Depending on where you live in the Hudson Valley region, hillside landscaping ideas can certainly come in handy. 

A common solution to taming a steep hillside is to create a series of tiered retaining walls. The ones above—a home located in Orange County, NY—shows how the Landworx team used natural fieldstone to create an inviting front entrance. Each wall is set back off the lower one for stability and engineering reasons with an added benefit of creating beautiful planting beds to break up the hardness of the stone walls. 

With a wonderful mix of ground cover plantings, hostas, and small flowering trees and shrubs, this welcoming along the driveway is popping with color and curb appeal.

The tiered retaining walls are a graceful and timeless solution to landscaping on a steep slope while luring the visitors' eye up the meandering entrance to the front walkway.  

Related: Is a multi-level patio right for you?