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How to plan your future patio or deck?

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Published: Wednesday, 08 May 2019 16:11

With the upcoming summer, several Surrey and Vancouver families are considering paving and landscaping their properties to enhance them visually. Here are some tips to plan your future deck or patio so that you and your family can have wonderful summers ahead.

Choose what kind of deck or patio

There are different styles and kinds of decks and patios available in the market. In fact, you can get some incredible ideas online on the design and structure of your deck and patio. Choose a design that suits your home’s needs. In general, patios are attached to your home. These are typically slightly at a lower level than the rest of the homerooms. If you are worried about privacy, you can opt for a terrace at ground level which you can access via stairs or a path, in case you want to keep it separate from your home.

Usage

A lot of design and structure elements of your patio or deck will be determined by the activity you wish to conduct on your patio or terrace. If you want to simply have a seating arrangement with few chairs and a table, the structure is fairly simple. However, if you wish to use your patio for grilling or to get your friends and family together, you will need special arrangements to ensure the safety and proper installation of your outdoor grills. It is imperative to let your patio or deck designer know how you intend to use it so that they will design and structure it accordingly.

Deciding on dimensions

Your patio’s size and shape will largely depend on the dimensions of your home. If your home and land are restricted, your patio or deck will be constructed depending on the shape and size of your place. Ideally, it is best to stick to simple shapes. You can still have a division within to indicate different areas like a terrace garden, barbeque space and a relaxing chair place.

Building the foundation

Building a solid foundation is a critical aspect of the patio or terrace. The design you choose and the type of soil you have will determine what your best options are. An expert on deck and patio construction will only be able to provide you with the best advice regarding this. Although several choices are readily available in the market like screw piles, concrete bases or sonotubes, it is best to engage a trustworthy landscape paver for an informed opinion. Usually, patios and decks are pre-built with treated wood before you decide to place them on concrete bases or directly on the soil for stability.

If you are thinking about building a deck or patio, it is important to entrust the complete responsibility to a professional Surrey and Vancouver landscaper, right from installing landscape pavers to stone veneer steps to the entire construction or whether it is getting the landscape products and supplies. Call Gemstone Landscape Supply today to plan your complete patio and deck with their state-of-the-art

The Brief History of Interlocking Paving Stones

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Published: Monday, 22 April 2019 16:25

While concrete paving stones are a pretty new innovation, the idea of interlocking paving stones has for placed for thousands of years. The first paved stone road was first built around 500 B.C, since the time of the Roman armies. Annoyed with the muddy and uneven roads that were slowing down the armies soldiers, they created a more effective path to move across: paving stones.

Being the smart bunch that they were, the Romans created deep roadbeds made of crushed stone that aided in proper drainage when the heavy rains came along. In addition to heavily travelled roads, the Romans would add six-sided paving stones in order to reduce the amount of dust produced. They also did this to allow for better wheel movement. The result of this innovation was an interlocking system of roads that connected everyone and everything. Cities, military bases and major towns were all now easily accessible for its citizens.

At the peak of this development, there were 80,500 km of paved stone road out of the 400,000 km of road the Romans had. With great designs and even better construction work, those roads are still standing thousands of years after they were initially built.

This stone paving system kept being used as the years went on, all throughout Europe, until the 1950s. This is when concrete paving stones came into production. Following the Second World War, the community was in desperate need of reconstruction. The Dutch folk needed to replace the streets made of clay brick that were badly damaged from the war, so they started crafting hand-sized concrete units with consistent dimensions. By the 1960s, the Germans developed an efficient machine that produced interlocking concrete pavers at a much faster rate. Soon, their technology made its way across Europe, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

By the 1970s, interlocking paving stones reached the shores of North America, spreading throughout Canada and the United States. The popular technique was an immediate hit, causing the paving industry to explode. The use of paving stones has skyrocketed across the world, with over 1,000 pavers being made every second. While technology has advanced since the time of the Romans, paving stones are still one of the most beautiful, affordable and durable ways to add class to your outdoor space.

At Gemstone Landscaping Supply, we work with leading companies in the landscaping industry to bring our residential and commercial clients premium landscaping products. Located in Vancouver, British Columbia, our products include natural stone paving materials, slabs, outdoor living products, concrete countertops, concrete tables and more. We also provide services such as design and construction, retaining wall installation, paving stones, outdoor kitchen and BBQ installation and more. For all your landscaping supply and paving needs, be sure to visit our website to receive a free job quote.