Creativity breeds more creativity!

One of our recent customers blew us away with the uniqueness of his endeavor. An avid train hobbyist Erik Cox spent several weeks with his family planning designing and creating a miniature outdoor theme park. He told us he was inspired by Garden Railways magazine www.trains.com/grw and was even willing to share his work with us.

We have the privilege of working with clients everyday to take their visions and ideas and bring them to life. We had little influence with this one. What impressed me most was that the project was family affair. A learning experience for the kids as well. In the Cox family the kids don't get to sit in the AC on the couch and watch TV all weekend they are participants in an outdoor construction project.

Before and After

It is fun to just show finished photos with the mulch down and the plants in the ground. But in order to learn more about the wide variety of products we carry and an understanding of how the process works a before is sometimes necessary. Starting with the before helps to understand the complexity of our involvement on a given project. Here is a project I just completed in Beaufort overlooking downtown and the Beaufort River. What a beautiful place to relax watch the boats go by and enjoy the sunset.

They designed to have the pumps and utilities for the pool hidden behind the kitchen

L-shaped corners make columns a breeze

The customer chose Tumbled Dakota Gray Thin Veneer

The outdoor kitchen was custom designed for this project

Olympic Pearl Travertine was used on the pool deck

Stainless steel appliances and storage in the cabinets

Light fixtures were centered over the appliances

Finished Column

Firemagic doors and drawers

Rainbow Sandstone bullnosed countertops

Kitchen-Aid grill with a view

Belgard University 2009

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Belgard University 2009 Staying ahead of the learning curve is essential to growing your business, so Belgard University is offering you an opportunity to expand your hardscape knowledge. Both new and existing Belgard customers can benefit from the basic and advanced levels of classroom and hands-on industry training we provide at Belgard University. " and "LEED Training." Our focused classes supply the resources you need to grow our business. Earn certifications in ICPI and NCMA classes, or expand your knowledge of the industry with classes like"Building Success from Failures  For more information CLICK HERE

Little known facts about Oysters

Have you looked at your calendars lately and realized that every other weekend is filled with the words oyster and roast. Community Sailing Oyster Roast at Bowen's Island, Boone Hall Lowcountry Festival, Sullivan's Island Oyster Roast under the Big Tin. It seems like a lot of monotony, but I look forward to every one of them. It involves eating drinking and socializing so count me in. However, all of this led me to the question of why? Why do we attend all of these oyster roast and why in the months that end in "R"

I have included some little known facts to think about thanks to the research of www.charlestonlowcountry.com. I hope you enjoy and I look forward to seeing you at the next oyster roast and maybe we can share a bucket together and some beer of course or if you want to take home the festivities, stop by our yard and pick out a firepit to do it in your own backyard...

Oysters Male or Female

There is no way of telling male oysters from females by examining their shells. While oysters have separate sexes, they may change sex one or more times during their life span. The gonads, organs responsible for producing both eggs and sperm, surround the digestive organs and are made up of sex cells, branching tubules and connective tissue.

What is that tiny crab we see in an oyster?

It is a species of crab (Pinnotheres ostreum) that has evolved to live harmoniously inside an oyster's shell. These dime-sized crabs, much sought after by gourmands, are not abundant.

How do pearls end up inside of oysters?

An oyster produces a pearl when foreign material becomes trapped inside the shell. The oyster responds to the irritation by producing nacre, a combination of calcium and protein. The nacre coats the foreign material and over time produces a pearl.

The "R" Myth

Folklore says that oysters should be eaten only in months with "r's" in them -- September, October, etc. However, oysters can be eaten 12 months a year. The notion that oysters should not be eaten in "r"-less months -- that is, months that occur during warm weather -- may have started in the days when oysters where shipped without adequate refrigeration and could spoil. But today all that has changed and we can enjoy oysters twelve months a year.

Oysters and Their Nutritional Value

Oysters are not only delicious, but they're also one of the most nutritionally well balanced of foods, containing protein, carbohydrates and lipids. The National Heart and Lung Institute suggest oysters as an ideal food for inclusion in low-cholesterol diets. Oysters are an excellent source of vitamins A, B1(thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), C ( ascorbic acid) and D (calciferol). Four or five medium size oysters supply the recommended daily allowance of iron, copper, iodine, magnesium, calcium, zinc, manganese and phosphorus.

Health Tip

Because raw foods including oysters may carry bacteria, persons with chronic liver disease, impaired immune systems or cancer should avoid eating raw oysters.

What's in a guarantee?

Have you ever received a price from a contractor or even a friend and signed and paid without reading the fine print. The guarantee is in the fine print. In the construction world the fine print is how the project is going to be constructed from the ground up. I am a firm believer that the process of how the product is going to be installed and what is expected by the homeowner should be in the fine print as well. That is essentially what comes with Begard pavers. Fieldstone Center of Charleston stands behind the products that we sell and we expect the same out of our suppliers. Belgard has a list of certified paver installers CLICK HERE. Pavers installed by the contractors listed on their website come with a guarantee of his workmanship for a period of 5 years. If you are not sure how the product is supposed to be installed, "Ask Us." We will help walk you through the process step by step. These guys do not get certified overnight. They spend many hours in the classroom recieving an ICPI certification as well as periodic jobsite inspections by Belgard employees to verify that the correct steps have been taken. Take a look at the diagram below for a proper ICPI installation method. You installer should be following these guidelines. If he is not that may be why is price was lower?

"The Softer Side of Stone"

Come and discover the beauty and treasures that can be found in a stone yard, or at least read about it in the latest edition of Charleston Style and Design magazine. See what it is that keep contractors and homeowners coming back to find new materials to work with and make your space unique. We have many Charleston architects that stop by our yard periodically to see what new treasures have arrived and what trends we have seen overall in the industry.

"Current trends include the construction of stone fire pits which are perfect for oyster roasts and outdoor kitchens - including wood-fired pizza ovens."

Our company was founded in the stone industry in 1949 so we have definitely seen trends in our industry come and go and we are always out looking for new things. CHARLESTON STYLE AND DESIGN ARTICLE Use this as added encouragement to stop by our yard and take a look at the new firepit I have been building out front, it will no doubt inspire some new ideas.

Stone Carver featured in Luxe Magazine

Stone Carver featured in Luxe Magazine

"Modern Master," the title of the article explains most of what intrigued me about this guy. When I think of stone especially hand carved material I generally associate a classical style in my mind, not modern. Berthold Haas has used his skills and artistic creativity to create a more contemporary work of art for fireplace surrounds. You can view some of his work on his website. "His latest project, Fireface - a line of "ready-to-wear" fireplace surrounds- has the artist enthused about the use of clear, sharp lines. "They're very contemporary, not nostalgic." We don't often view our fireplace as a work of art or center for visual intrigue. Haas has taken the eye away from the painting on the wall toward the fireplace which is normally a common gathering place anyhow. "I am not trying to create an ambiance, but to make a work of art." Many times I have seen homes that overlook these areas as ambiance and do not consider the realm of possibilities I see in his work. His latest project Fireface is something to consider in your next design.

Charleston has some of its own carving talent below is a work by native Mary May and her contact information.

Mary May
843-200-9469
www.marymaycarving.com
marymaycarving@yahoo.com