Page 14 - July 2015 ~ Danville Today News
Life in the Danville Garden
Hardscapes By John Montgomery, ASLA, Landscape Architect #4059
www.yourmonthlypaper.com
One of many important decisions you will make while designing your Danville garden will be what kind of surface materials you will be using for your patios, walkways, decks, and hardscape. Today the choices in materials are numerous and sometimes overwhelming! When you think of what has been available in the past, you think of dull gray broom-finished concrete, tan Arizona flagstone, red brick, and redwood. Today, a myriad of hardscape materials are available. Natural stone products such as flagstone, slate, wall ledger, and rock have dominated current trends in hardscape materials. In the past ten years the natural stone industry has grown by leaps and bounds. When considering natural stone as your primary surfacing material, you must understand that it is the most expensive approach. Generally, natural stone surfacing runs $20 to $45 a square foot when mortared over a concrete base. Those prices indicate current market averages including material, labor, and profit by licensed contractors. With the awareness of “Green” building methods, manufactured surfacing material choices have also gone off the chart. There is an abundant choice of Call for details manufactured stone and pre-cast concrete products in a multitude of colors. These products make long-lasting affordable surfaces for patios, walls, and veneers. They 925.939.8300 are less expensive and less labor-intensive to install, and prices range from $12 to solartechnologies.com $25 a square foot depending on your surface and product. Lic. #932914 A very popular trend that came into the industry about twenty years ago is interlocking concrete pavers. When first introduced, the shapes, colors, and surface choices were limited. Today, interlocking pavers span a wide range of colors, textures, and shapes. Pavers have become the new “cheaper” solution to large expanses of surfacing such as driveways, patio, plazas, and streetscapes. Concrete once dominated the industry as the number one choice of surface materials. Recently, pavers have taken over because of effective cost, ease of installation, sustainability, and a more creative design detail. Interlocking paving generally ranges from $12 to $25 a square foot. Concrete is still one of the most popular choices for hardscape. It is cost effective, although concrete prices have sky-rocketed over the past five years as petroleum prices increased shipping costs. Concrete’s versatility is its strong point. Innovations in concrete treatments have soared in efforts to keep up with the natural stone industry growth. New treatments such as dust-on color hardeners, pigmented acid stains, multi-colored stamped concrete, and creative designs have given concrete a new lease on life. These new treatments have replaced exposed aggregate, salt finish, and broom finished concrete. Concrete prices range from $12 to $25 a square foot. Wood surfaces have fallen in popularity because of rising costs, maintenance concerns, and environmental issues. Redwood was once abundant locally but has now become expensive and marginal in quality because of the halt in foresting and environmental concerns. If a natural wood product is what you’re looking for, redwood has been replaced with Ipe (e-pay) or ironwood ($35-$65 a square foot) and other sustainable woods. Manufactured wood products such as “Trex” and “TimberTech” have also become extremely popular because of their environmental approach and low maintenance. If you are looking for a wood look as a choice in hardscape, there are many choices ranging from $35 to $45 a square foot. One of my favorite hardscape materials is gravel or decomposed granite for informal patios and paths. This is the lowest cost solution, ranging from $3-$7 a square foot. When I work with my clients in the creation of their garden environment, choosing the hardscape material can sometimes be one of the highest hurdles to get over. With adherence to the design process the choices are narrowed by the design goals and budget decisions to an appropriate choice that you will be happy with for many years to come. A hot tip from your local Landscape Architect: Material selection is time consuming and can be very overwhelming when rummaging through stone supply yards. In our design process we order samples to bring out to your site to see in person. Check our HOUZZ profile, www.houzz.com/pro/jmla/john-montgomery-landscape-architects. Gardening Quote of the Month: “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”~ Thoreau Advertorial If you would like me to write on any particular subject, email your ideas to jmontgomery@jm-la.com or visit www.jm-la.com.