A Landscape is Dramatically Transformed by Reusing Existing Materials

With this unseasonably warm weather you may have watched with anticipation as the snow melted away and your landscaping reemerged. That’s usually a welcome sight, but if you’re underwhelmed when looking at your yard, we can help!

While we are often called in to design and install brand new landscaping, what’s most common is that we’re replacing or refreshing an existing landscape. When your landscaping isn’t suiting your style, has run its course, or has structural issues, it’s often best to start anew. But, if there are components like hardscape materials that are still in good condition—as was the case in our featured project—we may be able to repurpose them in the re-design.

These homeowners, who’d been using Yardmasters for seasonal clean-ups over the years, decided they wanted to pursue a revamp of their New York Bluestone flagstone patio. It was installed by a previous landscaper when they built the house, and over the years it hadn’t fared well. The flagstones were uneven which posed a trip hazard, and the pea rock (used as fill between the stone) was messy, and as it got kicked around, only exacerbated the feeling of unsteadiness.

We started this project by clearing out the existing stone, excavating the base, and prepping it for installation of the stone—because the existing New York Bluestone was in good shape, we were able reuse it.

We reconfigured the shape of the patio and walkway, puzzled together the stone pieces for a tighter fit, and by cutting the outer stone, we created a more defined space while still maintaining the flagstone look.

As a finishing touch, polymeric sand was put in the joints to make it smooth and functional.

After seeing the amazing transformation of the patio, the homeowners had us continue onward to their upper patio area, where we added a new step to account for the change in elevation, excavated and prepped the area, installed new matching New York Bluestone, and put in a fire ring. This area perfectly tied into the patio and created an eye-catching completed look!

We were thrilled with how this landscape turned out, especially knowing that the hardscape materials used in the ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures are the same! This project is a testament to the notion that reusing materials can not only be economical, but beautiful! Whatever the best option is for your project, we’re always happy to offer our customers options that fit their style and budget!