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 some great landscape designs for them! As I was thinking about … Continue readingOne That Got Away: Challenging Retaining Wall in DC
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 and size/style. Color Color is the easiest to deal with … Continue readingWhat Concrete Paver Goes with My Brick House?
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 movie/ Sideways is an incredibly overrated movie that makes me want to guzzle Merlot out … Continue readingBuilding a timber wall – will it last?
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 job to figure out what that something is. This project is a great … Continue readingSpace Planning to Make a Beautiful Vienna Virginia Backyard Better
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 think – so they had to be laid in a mortar bed on a … Continue readingTravertine Paver Patio Installers in Virginia – What to Know
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 incorporate a paver front walk and a paver driveway. When they saw the proposal, … Continue readingThe Importance of Compaction for Installing a Paver Driveway
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 the piece (step treads, wall caps, etc) you’ll have to think about … Continue readingUnderstanding Flagstone: Sawcut, Thermaled, and Chiseled Edges
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 be supported by 6″x6″ pressure-treated posts. Not only are these … Continue readingVirginia Deck Design Explained, Part 2: Posts, Beams and Joists
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 everything has a name. It’s easier to use the technical term than a long-winded explanation. A … Continue readingVirginia Deck Design Explained, Part 1: Footers and Ledger Attachment
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 left, and as I was pawing through the bowl for … Continue readingDrainage and Infrastructure Are Not Like Milk Duds