PATIOS

Friends and family will gather to dine, converse or just rest. A patio becomes the focal point for outdoor entertaining. 

Patios are extensions of living space within the landscape. Whether intimate or expansive, isolated from or adjacent to your home, patios integrate pattern, texture and color into your garden.

Many choices in material, style, color, and pattern exist. Patios can be combined with walks or stair systems to make the transition from one elevation to the next.

Concrete

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Concrete is the most common patio surface. It is the most versatile of the patio materials. Concrete patios can be stained, stamped and etched. It is a durable surface that requires attention for maintenance.

Pavers

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Pavers are a brick-like concrete product that is available in many styles, colors, and patterns. It has a clean look that adds a contemporary or colonial feel to the garden.  Pavers offer a very durable and low maintenance surface for patios, walkways and driveways.

Hydrapressed Slabs

Hydrapressed slabs are a concrete product that has a much larger surface area than pavers. They often give your garden a modern appearance. Hydrapressed slabs, available in a limited number of styles and colors, are a durable and low maintenance surface for large patios and pathways.

Flagstone

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Flagstone is the general term for the natural stone used in walkways and patios. Pennsylvania Bluestone and Montana Slate are commonly used types of flagstone. The flagstone available locally is in fact quarried all over the world. It gives your patio a natural or rustic feel. Flagstone comes in broken and dimensional shapes. It is a durable and low maintenance surface for patios and pathways.

LANDSCAPE TERRACING

Creating a garden shouldn’t make you feel like you’re on a slippery slope. Retaining walls or rock outcroppings are a great way to create a more useful, beautiful and safer garden.

Retaining walls are built for slope management, drainage control and for aesthetic purposes. The three types of materials used by Environmental Construction, Inc. are timbers, segmental units, and natural stone.

Natural Stone (outcroppings and dry stack walls)

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Natural stone is typically used for low-rise retaining walls and across slopes to provide pockets for plantings. The use of stone in the landscape can create a variety of appearances from “New England Dry Stack” to “Alpine wilderness–looks.” Stone effectively holds soil preventing erosion.

Timbers

Timbers can be used for low to mid-rise retaining walls. It is the easiest of the retaining wall materials to work with. Timbers complement both contemporary and rustic looks. A timber retaining wall more than likely will require drainage to prevent the build up of hydrostatic pressure.

Block (segmental units)

Block walls use various interlocking systems for increased stability for low to high-rise retaining walls. It is the strongest wall material and most likely will last the longest. Block offers a clean “industrial” look that could add a modern feel to the garden.

STAIR SYSTEMS

Providing access between elevations and bringing together spaces within a landscape, stair systems incorporate landscape form with function of pedestrian circulation.

Timbers

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Timber stair systems are designed for and typically built on and across long slopes. They often have a dual functionality. On the surface they provide a clear and safe access on a hillside. Below the surface the timbers act as hillside support and provide slope retention.

Open Risers

Open Risers are the lightest option of all the stair systems. They are typically built to provide access between deck structures. In areas designated as Environmentally Critical Slopes, open risers allow foot traffic across sensitive areas with the least amount of environmental impact.

Natural Stone Risers

Natural Stone risers are typically built to provide access to doorways or up short slopes. Used in conjunction with rock outcroppings, stone risers can transform the look and feel of your garden to a wilderness retreat.

Block Steps

Block steps are typically integrated into block retaining walls. Like the Natural Stone, Block steps are typically built to provide access to doorways or up short slopes. There are many varieties and styles of Block to fit your sense of aesthetic.