Under Construction... Continued

 

2013 Design Trends in Stone

2013 Design Trends             Rectilinear Design - The use of rectilinear design is becoming more prevalent in our outdoor spaces.  Common among interior flooring, the use of straight lines in your design can direct your interest to a focal point or divide a smaller space into rectangular quadrants.  The Blue Ice Sandstone material below has been laid in this pattern. Click here to see more examples of stone used in this format         Warm Tones - Many of our recent projects have been leaning toward warm tones in their design.  Mustard Yellow is a popular color in 2013 because it blends well with shades of brown and emerald green.  Our Bronte' Sandstone shown in the picture below would blend well with a tangerine orange or eggplant.          Old World Influence - As stone providers we constantly see homeowners interested in products with a story.  A designer feels the need to use products with a tradition, rooted in our our history and our culture.  Or another way of putting this, something that looks old or has been there for centuries.  Our Chateau Limestone has this history.  For use in a wine cellar or screened porch it looks as if it has been there forever.

Under Construction

The first picture I have included was the homeowners inspiration for the project.  They both liked the larger stones and the mixture of colors on this home. 

On the first visit to our showroom the homeowners picked out this sample panel as the closest match to the look they were trying to achieve.  They did not like the orange colors in the panel below and they did not like the chiseled look of the stone. 

 

 

We shipped a sample pallet to the jobsite for a mock up approval by the homeowners shown below.  The homeowner approved the mock up by the stone mason on site and decided to go with the Weathered Fieldstone Squares. 

 

Here is the house before any exterior siding or stone.

 The pool contractors were on site getting ready to pour the pool.  Which as you will see soon will also have stone incorporated.

The material arrived on site.  For this project the homeowner decided to use full bed veneer stone.  It took us 5 full semi-loads to get all the material on site.  Had they decided to use sawn back natural thin veneer the amount of loads would have been reduced to two.   Something to think about when you plan out your project.  However, the owners felt that the look feel and insulation (energy saving) properties of full depth stone was important to them.

This gives you an up close look at Weathered Fieldstone Squares with a joint.  The mortar is still dark because it has not dried.

TO BE CONTINUED

Fireplace featured in Charleston Style and Design

Walking around the interior of this newly built Daniel Island home, Darryl Cobb points out the, "dry stack fireplace as the rustic focal point of the family room, where furnishings and finishes reflect comfortable livability. An abundance of French doors parlays the porch space into one extravagant living area."  Cobb goes on to describe all of his design touches as finely crafted art or sculpture in the Charleston Style an Design article.  The Turner Residence in Smythe Park has become an impressive showpiece for Cobb Architects as well as the builder Steven Kendrick of Structures. The homeowners visited the Fieldstone Center showroom several times in the construction of their home to hand select the Dry stacked Smoky Mountain Fieldstone on the fireplace as well as the Full Color Natural Cleft Pennsylvania Bluestone material for their hearth in the living room.  The Turners also decided to incorporate a thermal bluestone surround for the fireplace on their exterior porch. Click here to see the rest of the article.

ASLA CEU on Permeable Pavers

 

 

 

Thanks to all who came out in the rain to learn about Permeable Paver systems.  We were privileged to have a representative of Belgard Hardscapes come and speak at our office on December 12th. Ashley Snead has been with Belgard Hardscapes for over 12 years.   In his discussion Ashley addressed design and construction of projects as well as features and benefits of permeable pavement systems. Below I have included some bullet points highlighting the advantages of permeable pavers. 

 

 

 

Advantages of Permeable Pavers      Managing runoff Permeable paving surfaces have been demonstrated as effective in managing runoff from paved surfaces.  Large volumes of urban runoff causes serious errosion and siltation in nearby streams and waterways. Controlling pollutants Permeable paving surfaces keep the pollutants in place in the soil or other material underlying the pavers, and allow water seepage to groundwater while preventing the stream erosion problems. They capture the heavy metals that fall on them, preventing them from washing downstream and accumulating inadvertently in the environment. In the void spaces, naturally occurring micro-organisms digest car oils, leaving little but carbon dioxide water. Rainwater infiltration is usually less than that of an impervious pavement with a separate stormwater management facility somewhere downstream. Trees Permeable pavements may give urban trees the rooting space they need to grow to full size. A "structural-soil" pavement base combines structural aggregate with soil; a porous surface admits vital air and water to the rooting zone. This integrates healthy ecology and thriving cities, with the living tree canopy above, the city's traffic on the ground, and living tree roots below.

Stone Furniture by Fieldstone Center