Dallas Firepits, patio covers
The Dallas-Fort Worth area’s humid, subtropical climate means that you can enjoy your yard year-round. Why not expand your outdoor living space and get more out of your time outdoors through the incorporation of stone in your landscaping? Take a look at the work we did for one Dallas-Fort Worth area homeowner. The new stone patio, fireplace, retaining wall, and water feature make the backyard feel like an extension of the home and create a new, outdoor room for entertaining or family meals!
Stone can be used in many functional and decorative ways to enhance patios, pathways, and garden borders, and to construct outdoor structures such as water features, fireplaces, outdoor kitchens, columns, gazebos, and raised planting beds. Why is stone so popular? Because it is attractive, versatile, and available almost anywhere.
Some of the key things to consider when selecting stone are:
- Material: Both natural stone and pavestone products can be used in landscaping. The choice of stone depends to a large extent upon the look and feel you are trying to achieve with your landscape. Natural stone can be used to create a custom look, or a more natural and rugged feel, whereas pavestone results in a more uniform and structured look.
- Color: Stones with dark colors may not be the best choice in shaded or dark areas but, instead, brightly colored ones that can brighten the area would be appropriate.
- Shape: Stones that will be used in steps should be flat with a coarse surface so they will be easy to walk on but not slippery when wet. Stones that will be placed in sitting and dining areas should also be level and not pointy so that tables and chairs will not tilt.
Many people spend hundreds of hours a year making their personal space comfortable and attractive. What sets every home, yard or garden apart is the individual ideas of the homeowner. With an almost endless range of sizes, shapes and colors available, there is a stone to fit every taste and budget.
Have you ever considered landscaping with rocks? Not only can rocks add texture to your garden, but they are also very attractive and don’t cost a lot. The beauty of using rocks is that you don’t necessarily have to spend a lot on materials, as you might already find you have a wide variety of rocks on your land to begin with. If not, you can always use natural stone from a garden supply center or landscaping contractor.
Dallas Water Feature
There are a variety of projects you can do with rocks and boulders. These include:
- Building a rock wall to define your property border;
- Creating a border around trees;
- Laying a rock pathway;
- Adding interest to a pond or water feature (like we did for a Dallas-area homeowner, above); and
- Accenting your existing landscape with rocks here and there.
Accent rocks boulders can add a lot interest, impact, and character to your landscape. They can even add a second or third level to your landscape without actually having to create an elevated area. However, accent boulders need to be made a “part” of the landscape. Try burying the bottom of the rock four to six inches in the ground and see the difference it makes. Simply dig out a little under where the boulder is to be set and place your ground cover around it. This will give a more natural look as it would appear in nature. It also leaves a little to the imagination. There’s no telling how big the rock actually is or if it was really there to begin with!
In recent years, homeowners have spent an increasing portion of their budgets enhancing their outdoor living spaces and the hottest items to fill these spaces were outdoor cooking units. Outdoor fireplaces are the latest trend. Anyone can have an outside fireplace, and prices and styles run the gamut from basic to extravagant.
Outdoor stone fireplaces are a great way to add elegance and style to the outdoor space of a home. Crafted with attractive stones, an outdoor stone fireplace makes a perfect gathering place on frosty nights. Stone is the most preferable material for constructing an outdoor fireplace, as it is long-lasting and non-combustible. Top quality marble, sandstone, natural stone, cast coral stone, stucco, and granite can all be used for building an outdoor stone fireplace and can be designed to suit any outdoor setting, from contemporary to classic. Just look out how the fireplace we designed and installed for an Atlanta-area homeowner creates a warm and inviting gathering place in this lovely backyard!
Atlanta Patios and Firepit
Some of the things to consider when adding an outdoor fireplace to your landscape include:
- Design: Outdoor fireplaces are built just like indoor fireplaces except that you don’t need a damper, you need to use hydraulic-setting, non-water soluble refractory mortar and usually the clearance-to-combustibles and other code issues are easier to follow. Typically, all outdoor fireplace designs feature a mantel shelf, an over-mantel, a fire box, a filler panel, crown, header, a plinth base and a leg.
- Placement: Outdoor fireplaces may smoke in a breeze, so the fireplace should be sheltered from the wind and located away from your home and any flammable items such as wooden decks, pergolas, or overhanging plants or trees.
- Fuel: The choice of fuels for your outdoor fireplace includes charcoal, wood, and gas. If you already have gas lines installed around your home, you can have a professional connect your gas unit to the existing gas lines. You can also look into a propane-powered unit, if you prefer to use gas but do not have gas lines available.
Outdoor fireplaces are a relatively new phenomenon, and regulations governing them vary from state to state and town to town, so its best to get advice from a licensed and insured contractor who is experienced in the installation of outdoor fireplaces in your area.
