Hardscaping

DC Landscape Design, Design, Hardscaping, Landscape Design, Landscape Installation, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Retaining Walls, Virginia Landscape Design

One That Got Away: Challenging Retaining Wall in DC

One of my favorite things to do on this blog is to profile recent projects. It’s a fun opportunity to show what’s possible, and maybe brag a little. Hey, my ...

by Dave Marciniak • August 20, 2014October 19, 2017

DC Landscape Design, Design, Hardscaping, Landscape Design, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design

What’s behind door # 1? Helping guests find your front door

I grew up in a 1950s ranch house in Rhode Island. It’s the one in the photo above. You can see that there are two doors on the front of ...

by Dave Marciniak • August 8, 2014

Hardscaping

Can I paint or put stone over an old concrete porch?

We see a lot of concrete porches, especially on older homes (1950s-1970s for sure). If I had to guess, that’s about the time the prior owners poured our front ...

by Dave Marciniak • June 23, 2014June 26, 2014

Arbors & Trellises, Custom Woodwork, DC Landscape Design, Design, Hardscaping, Landscape Design, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Outdoor Furnishings, Patio Designs, Pergolas

Pros and Cons of Building a Pergola in Northern Virginia

I get a lot of requests from people interested in adding a pergola to their landscape. They’re cool to begin with and they’ve been made all the more popular by ...

by Dave Marciniak • May 17, 2014June 26, 2014

DC Landscape Design, Hardscaping, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Outdoor Furnishings, Outdoor Kitchens, Virginia Landscape Design

What Makes Danver Stainless Steel Cabinetry So Great?

In the past year I decided to become a dealer for Danver stainless steel cabinets. I get approached many times a year by companies who want me to hawk their ...

by Dave Marciniak • March 23, 2014

Cooking, DC Landscape Design, Hardscaping, Landscape Design, Maryland Landscape Design, Modern Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Outdoor Kitchens, Virginia Landscape Design

Can a Built-In Charcoal Grill Be Installed in an Outdoor Kitchen?

I’m a charcoal snob. It’s one of the reasons why I really only deal with the higher end gas grills, because an infra-red sear burner is the only way to ...

by Dave Marciniak • January 26, 2014October 30, 2017

Commercial Landscape Design, DC Landscape Design, Hardscaping, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Pavers

Why did this paver walk fail? The value of edge restraint

I was walking into a meeting at a hotel last week when I saw what my path looked like. Here’s a hint: your paver walk should NEVER look like a ...

by Dave Marciniak • July 1, 2013June 26, 2013

DC Landscape Design, Hardscaping, Landscape Design, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Patio Designs, Virginia Landscape Design

Do I Have Color Options for Flagstone Walks and Patios?

If you live in Virginia, Maryland, or DC and someone says “flagstone patio”, what comes to mind? Something that looks like this, maybe? I’d wager at least 90% of the ...

by Dave Marciniak • May 20, 2013May 18, 2013

DC Landscape Design, Design, Hardscaping, Landscape Design, Landscape Installation, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Virginia Landscape Design

What Concrete Paver Goes with My Brick House?

I get asked that question a lot, as you can imagine. After all, Virginians love their brick homes, so I design a lot of patios for brick homes. I always ...

by Dave Marciniak • April 24, 2013

DC Landscape Design, Hardscaping, Landscape Design, Landscape Installation, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Retaining Walls

Building a timber wall – will it last?

I like to play a game I call underrated/overrated. You can play it with bands, actors, foods, anything you want. Example: underrated/overrated = Hudson Hawk is a brilliant and underrated ...

by Dave Marciniak • February 20, 2013February 18, 2013