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 clients let me create … [Read more...]
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 look at two things: color … [Read more...]
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 … [Read more...]
Space Planning to Make a Beautiful Vienna Virginia Backyard Better
I'm often called in to make an existing landscape function better. The client doesn't to rip it all out and start from scratch, but they need to fix... something. Usually it's my … [Read more...]
Travertine Paver Patio Installers in Virginia – What to Know
When I was designing landscapes in Arizona, one option we had available to us was travertine marble tile. These were actual tiles - typically 12"x12" and less than a half inch … [Read more...]
The Importance of Compaction for Installing a Paver Driveway
On behalf of a contractor client I'm working with a great couple who are building a new custom home in northern Virginia. As part of the landscape design, they wanted to … [Read more...]
Understanding Flagstone: Sawcut, Thermaled, and Chiseled Edges
You've decided to use flagstone in the landscape. Good call! You may not be done making decisions, however. If the stone will be used in an application where you see the edge of … [Read more...]
Virginia Deck Design Explained, Part 2: Posts, Beams and Joists
Last week I talked about the ledger board and the footers, the first steps in building your deck. Today I'll cover the next steps. Posts The standard spec for a deck is for it to … [Read more...]
Virginia Deck Design Explained, Part 1: Footers and Ledger Attachment
My name is Dave Marciniak, landscape designer and owner of Revolutionary Gardens, and I use jargon. I'm deeply sorry. However, the fact is that when it comes to building … [Read more...]
Drainage and Infrastructure Are Not Like Milk Duds
I'm still recovering from Halloween - 538 trick-or-treaters is a LOT Of kids - and it's still framing how I look at things. Of the nearly $200 we spent on candy we have a bowlful … [Read more...]