Posts Tagged ‘hardscaping’

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The Importance of Winter Maintenance For Your Patio

Monday, March 2nd, 2015

winter maintenanceWinter is the worst time of the year for spalling in your patio, walkways, and driveway. Spalling is the process of breaking down ore, rock, stone, concrete, and pavers. The flakes or pebbles broken off in the process are called spall. But, by doing some minor winter maintenance, you can prevent your hardscaping surfaces from spalling and slowly being broken down beneath your feat.

How Winter Increases Spalling

A great deal of the spalling that happens to your hardscaping happens in winter. This is largely due to the cycle of thawing and freezing caused by the erratic temperature variations we experience as part of our temperate climate. Ice or water aren’t problems on their own, the problem is when they switch between states quickly.

The process starts with precipitation. Rain or snow falls and lands on your hardscaping. If it’s in liquid form it penetrates the pores and cracks of your hardscaping. When the temperature drops below the freezing point, 32°F (0°C) , the water freezes and expands. The expansion puts pressure on your concrete, brick, or stone hardscaping and causes it to break. The pore or crack is now larger then it used to be and now when the ice thaws more water can flow into the space. When the temperatures dip below freezing again the expansion of the ice causes even more damage. Fortunately there are things you can do to prevent and mitigate the process.

How Winter Maintenance Can Stop Spalling

By doing simple and regular winter maintenance you can stop, or reduce the damage spalling does to your hardscaping. Making sure your hardscaping is sealed, clearing away snow, and using the right treatments can all help stop spalling in your hardscaping.
Sealing your hardscaping is the first preventative measure you can take to protect your hardscaping. Sealing your hardscaping prevents water from penetrating some of the pores and cracks of your hardscaping. Sealing lasts for approximately three years and should be applied by a professional. However, on its own sealing isn’t always enough to protect your hardscaping.

Clearing your hardscaping of snow and ice is important for preventing spalling. By clearing your hardscaping you prevent the cycle from starting in the first place. When you’re clearing your hardscaping you should use a plastic shovel or a metal shovel with a rubber covering the blades edge. A regular metal shovel blade can scratch or otherwise damage your hardscaping. It’s best to clear right after a snow, or intermittently during the snow if it’s a heavy snow.

Finally, treating ice and snow with chemicals can be done to prevent the cycle of freezing and thawing, however it must be done with caution. Certain chemicals, even just plain salt, can cause damage to your hardscaping. Make sure you consult with your hardscaping provider or installer to find out what chemicals are safe to use on your hardscaping.

Need Help or Have Questions?

Call Tristate Paving. We’re a seasoned hardscaping company based in Maryland and have the experience and knowledge to help you care for and maintain your hardscaping.

Our area numbers are:

West Chester: 610.563.9456

Oxford: 610.932.3566

Delaware: 302.757.4100

Check back here for weekly updates on current projects, important paving facts and info, and smart ideas for homeowners interested in concrete, asphalt or hardscaping work.

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Turn your Backyard into the Perfect Escape with some Hardscaping Features

Monday, February 2nd, 2015

hard_walks_patios_4_lrgTake your backyard back from the weeds and your dog, and extend the living space of your home out into your backyard. Starting with a patio base, built around a centerpiece table, bar, fire pit, or outdoor fireplace, and dressed with other hardscaping features such as walkways, walls, columns, steps and terraces, you can build an exotic retreat from your normal home reminiscent of the Hamptons, a Spanish villa, a southwestern pueblo, or anything else you can imagine.

The Patio Base

The patio will serve as the base of your backyard retreat, so don’t neglect it in favor of the other “more exciting” hardscaping features. As the base it will be the unifying feature between all of your other hardscaping features, and will be where you, your family, and guests gather for out door gatherings and parties.  Choose your theme and plan the layout of your patio carefully. Use interesting shapes in the design like irregular ovals, or raised terraces, but remember to keep it practical to host for guests (unless you want to keep this retreat to yourself). Pick out materials to match your chosen theme, you can keep it regular throughout the hardscaping, or vary it with complimentary or contrasting colors, textures, and shapes. Building short walls around the patio helps keep the backyard from spilling onto the space, and can serve as impromptu seating for guests. Finally, consider a walkway from the backdoor to your patio and from your patio to your fence gate can save your grass from wear and tear.

The Centerpiece

Having a centerpiece for your patio, gives it a focal center, or gathering point for you and your guests to gather around at parties.  There are many options that can serve as the centerpiece of your patio, each providing a different flavor to your outdoor living space. A dinning table for you and your guests to sit and eat at would be best used during the spring, summer, and fall. A bar can be a great place for summer fun, especially for your Fourth of July barbecue. And a fire pit or out door fireplace work well as a gathering place for you and your guests to sit around, drink warm drinks, and reminisce beside year round.  Of course, if you wanted to and you had a big enough patio, you could have all of the features described above.

Other Hardscaping Features

There are many other hardscaping features that could be employed to help beautify your backyard, and make it a fun place to entertain. If you have an uneven backyard having the patio on different leveled terraces, with steps, and retaining walls can make it a more interesting area to inhabit. If your backyard gets lots of sunlight you might consider a cover with hardscaped columns supporting it to match your other décor. You could hardscape elevated planters held in with retaining walls. You could even use hardscaping with a water feature to make a fountain or waterfall to add a relaxing note of gurgling water to your backyard escape.

Hardscaping from Tri-State Paving

Call Tristate Paving. We’re a seasoned hardscaping company based in Maryland and have the experience and knowledge help you turn your backyard into the perfect retreat quickly and affordably. Our experts will work with you to find a design and layout for your patio that you’re sure to love for years and years to come.

Our area numbers are:

West Chester: 610.563.9456

Oxford: 610.932.3566

Delaware: 302.757.4100

Check back here for weekly updates on current projects, important paving facts and info, and smart ideas for homeowners interested in concrete, asphalt or hardscaping work.

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Designing Your Outdoor Fire Pit

Thursday, December 4th, 2014

Fire PitAn outdoor fire pit can provide the perfect winter addition to any Maryland home. In addition to being a beautiful focal point for any landscape, it extends your home’s useable space during colder nights, gives you plenty of warmth, and ups your property value and curb appeal considerably. Let’s assume you’re interested in building a fire pit, the most obvious question that springs to mind is: How do I know what I want? Tristate Paving is here with a short list of things to focus on when determining the specifics of your backyard fire pit.

Cost

Probably the biggest concern facing most Maryland homeowners who are considering installing a fire pit is how much it will cost you. It’s vital, before you’ve looked at any plans or models, to set a realistic budget for your fire pit. It’s possible to save money by building one yourself, but you’re still paying for raw materials and this seemingly inexpensive option  can start to become very costly if you make mistakes, have to start over, waste materials, or build an unsafe fire pit. In the long run, professional installation always pays off.

What Fuel Do You Prefer?

While there are several non-traditional types of fuel sources available to fire pit owners in Maryland, most prefer to stick with simple wood or gas operated system. One the one hand, wood offers that impossible-to-imitate real fire smell but it also needs to be regularly refueled and carefully observes to ensure maximum fire safety. Many Maryland homeowners choose gas or propane to fuel their outdoor fire pits. These can be quick-started by remote control, and won’t need constant refueling but may be more expensive if you have ready access to a steady supply of wood.

Location, Location, Location

Property laws in Maryland dictate that there must be a minimum distance between the home, any surrounding properties, and the fire pit itself. You should also check before beginning to see if your area requires a special permit for a fire pit or an on-site inspection by the local fire marshal. Stay abreast of any fire pit related regulations so you can be sure that you’re in full compliance with the law. Of course, if you hire a great hardscaping company, they will take care of permit acquisition and compliance for you.

Interested in Building an Outdoor Fire Pit?

Call Tristate Paving. We’re a seasoned hardscaping company based in Maryland and have the experience and knowledge to build a fire pit of the highest quality quickly and affordably. Our experts will work with you to find an outdoor fire pit that fits your goals and your budget to bring you a cozy, comforting fire pit you’re sure to love for years and years to come.

Our area numbers are:

West Chester: 610.563.9456

Oxford: 610.932.3566

Delaware: 302.757.4100

Check back here for weekly updates on current projects, important paving facts and info, and smart ideas for homeowners interested in concrete, asphalt or hardscaping work.

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Asphalt, Concrete, and Masonry Work from Tristate Paving

Wednesday, November 26th, 2014

Tristate

Setting the standard in paving and construction throughout the Tristate area for more than 40 years, Tristate paving is here with the best in paving, concrete, and masonry work. We’re a family owned and operated business that’s active every day of the week building a better future for you. Our master stone masons and experienced work crews have the knowledge and tools at their disposal to make any asphalt, concrete, or masonry work an easy and affordable experience. We offer:

Superior Asphalt Paving

Our professional paving teams have decades of experience in a wide variety of asphalt paving projects ranging from residential paving services to commercial sealcoating. We have the tools and technique to take on paving jobs of any size. Whether you’re a Maryland homeowner looking to have the perfect driveway finally installed, or a Department of Transportation representative seeking a team that can handle building roadways to serve all of America, Tristate paving is your go-to paving company if you want the job done affordably, and done well.

High-Quality Concrete Services

Tristate paving offers an incredible variety of concrete installation and repair services including simple and sturdy flatwork, decorative concrete flats and walkways, curbs, gutters, beautiful new concrete steps, and slab-jack repair. Our experienced concrete installation and repair teams have what it takes to build the concrete pool deck of your dreams, or to refinish your office’s parking lot into one you’ve always wanted. Tristate paving is simply unbeatable when it comes to quality concrete work, in both price and quality.

Amazing Hardscaping

At Tristate paving we’re also well-versed in the art of hardscaping and can provide invaluable consultation on projects that will maximize your home’s beauty at a price you can afford. We have a long history of building exceptional stone steps, walkways, patios, columns, fire pits, walls, and much more. Hardscape design and installation is a crucial part of giving your home or office a look that emanates quality and success. The professionals at Tristate paving have what it takes to handle any decorative hardscaping project to provide you with a yard you can be proud of.

Tristate Paving is All About Excellence

At Tristate Paving there’s one thing we care about more than excellent paving, concrete, and masonry work: Your satisfaction. We’re not in this business to make a quick buck, or sell you on services you don’t need. We’re here to help you find a solution that’s right for you, at a price you can afford. Simple, straightforward, and reliable service, that’s our guarantee. Our area numbers are:

West Chester: 610.563.9456

Oxford: 610.932.3566

Delaware: 302.757.4100

Check back here for weekly updates on current projects, important paving facts and info, and smart ideas for homeowners interested in concrete, asphalt or hardscaping work.

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