Whenever I speak with other people at parties or other parents at little league practice, the subject of what I do for a living always comes up.  And when I mention that I own and operate my own landscape construction business, people typically become slightly envious and reply with a comment along the lines of “How great it must be to own your own business and not have to work for somebody else.”

I can almost see the fantasy in their eyes as they envision cutting out early in the afternoon or taking leisurely hour-and-half lunches.  I rarely if ever have the heart to tell them that its not quite as glamorous as they envision.

In my home office I have a saying posted right above my computer screen.  “An entrepreneur is somebody who works 80 hours a week for himself so he doesn’t have to work 40 hours a week for somebody else.”

That about sums it up.

Not that I don’t enjoy what I do.  To the contrary, I absolutely do.  I can’t possibly imagine how somebody could put forth the time and energy to run a business if they didn’t love what they do.

But make no mistake about it, if you want to start your own business you need to understand the time commitment, and get out of the 9 to 5 mentality.  There is no 5:00.  And if you’re a parent too, -- in the words of Al Pacino from Donnie Brasco – "Fuhgedaboutit."

During the heat of the season, my days typically look something like this.  I'm up at 6 am to get the wife off to work and the kids off to school.  Once my parental obligations are done in the morning, there are emails and phone calls to return.  I then get to the jobsite, and ideally my guys are already at it.  Depending on the day and the project, the balance of the work day consists of working on the site and supply and material runs.  More often than not I schedule new prospect meetings in the evenings, meaning that after my workers head for home I’m off to meet with clients.  
 
And the nights I don’t have meetings?  Usually that’s because there’s a little league game or Cub Scout meeting
for my kids.

And then there’s just enough time for dinner before reading a story or two to the kids and getting them off to bed.

Now it’s time to unwind, right?  Not so fast my friends.  

Remember those meetings I had in earlier in the evening?  Well for every meeting there’s a new estimate that needs to be put together. And for every project there’s an invoice.  And for every month there’s income summaries. 
And bills to pay.  And marketing plans.  And this blog entry.  And a myriad of other tasks that need to get done sometime.  It’s not uncommon to be on the computer until 10 or 11 pm.  Or later.  And what doesn’t get done during the week, usually gets covered during the weekend.

This post isn’t meant as a complaint or even a venting opportunity.  It’s more about explaining the time and work that goes into every project – from initial phone call to final clean-up.  Good things don’t happen overnight, they take a lot of time and hard work.  And even if your project hasn’t started yet in terms of shovels in the ground, there’s most likely already a lot going on behind the scenes.

So for anyone considering opening their own business, whether it’s in the landscaping industry, running a restaurant, opening a storefront, or any service-related endeavor, my advice is that you better love, I mean really LOVE, what you do.  You’ll be spending an incredible amount of time nurturing your livelihood.

And if you see me at a party or around town, and we start talking about what we do for a living?  Well first of all it most likely means my to-do list is growing because I’m not working right then and there.  And second of all, before you get too jealous just remember there’s a lot more to running a business than just what goes on at the jobsite.

When most people approach me and ask about increasing their outdoor living space, they typically have a rough idea of what they’re looking for.  “We’d like a new paver stone patio,” the call usually goes, or “We’d like a new deck off our rear kitchen door.”  Sometimes people even have their layout envisioned, and its really just a matter of me giving them installation costs for their ideas.

But there are other times when people know they want to increase their outdoor living space, but really have no idea of what direction they want to pursue.  Maybe the husband wants a deck and the wife wants a patio.  Or neither really has any idea what to take into consideration.

So what should you consider when planning your outdoor living space?  Here are five basic things that hopefully will make your decision a bit easier.

1.  Grades and Elevation. 
Often times this is the one factor that may make your decision for you.  What is the elevation of your back door?  If it’s almost directly at grade, in otherwords there is just a single step out the door to the yard, then there may not be enough room to construct the deck and leave room for the necessary framing and supports.  In this case a patio would be the way to go.

Conversely, if your yard has a significant slope that doesn’t provide a large level area, then a deck is the way to go. 
Decks also allow you to build over tree roots, providing the opportunity to build around trees without harming the trees.

2.  Maintenance. 
Nearly everybody will tell you that decks typically require more maintenance, and for the most part this is true.  Of course a lot of this depends on the type of materials used to build the deck and the environment where the deck is built.  But in general most wood decks require some annual maintenance in the form of water sealing at the very least.  And while composite materials are marketed as being maintenance-free, they are still prone to moss and mildew growth and most likely will need to get pressure-washed on an annual basis as well.

Patios typically require less maintenance, but to say they are maintenenace-free would also be a stretch.  Mortared flagstone surfaces will need to be repointed at some point, paver stones are prone to some minor weed growth and most likely will need to be re-swept with sand every few years.  And while sealing a hardscaping surface isn’t always entirely necessary, if you do choose to seal the patio it will need resealing every few years to maintain the sealed appearance.

3.  Other Features. 
Considering a firepit?  If so, a wood deck might not be the way to go, for somewhat obvious reasons.  Or a hot tub?  While decks can be built to hold the weight of a filled hot tub, it certainly requires a lot more framing to accommodate the extra load.  Most patio surfaces, if installed correctly with the adequate base preparation can handle the weight of a typically sized hot tub.

4.  Design Preferences and Personal Taste. 
Basic deck construction tends to be more linear in its make-up, while it is much easier to incorporate curves in a grade-level patio.  That’s not to say curves can’t be incorporated into a deck, but it certainly requires a bit more engineering and added costs.  

And while this may seem like a basic idea, if you’re a person who likes the look and feel of wood, then a deck may make more sense for you.  If you’re a person who likes the look and feel of stone, then a patio is probably the way to go.

5.  And the million-dollar category – Cost. 
Not that either is going to cost you a million dollars (that’d be one huge living space!).  To be honest, the costs are pretty similar, with a range depending on materials. I’ve seen a fair amount of information resources that tend to say decks are a bit more expensive than patios. But in reading further you’ll see that these articles are usually comparing a deck to a plain concrete patio. Once you compare a flagstone or paver stone patio to a deck, the costs become much more in line with one another.

Decks tend to have a much wider range in costs – a 16x20 deck on one site may cost nearly twice as much as the same size deck on another site, based on how high above grade the structure is built, the engineering necessary for the deck to carry the load, and the slope on which the deck is being built.

Unless an excessive amount of excavation is needed, or an excessive amount of re-grading is required to form a level space, patios tend to be much more consistently priced from one site to the next.

When it comes to composite decking, the prices typically start to become more expensive than their patio counterparts.  Not only are composites roughly about twice the price of wood, they also require much more framing due to the flexible nature of the materials.

In addition to these five items, local building codes may also come into play as to what is or isn’t allowed.  Most deck construction will require a permit, and with environmental concerns really starting to become a factor, many municipalities are also requiring stormwater management plans in conjunction with hardscaping installation.

These are just a few of the things to take into consideration when planning your project.  Ultimately every project, and every site is different and unique. Perhaps some of these considerations may apply to your site and not others.  Or maybe there are additional things that haven’t been brought up in this article.

For a free consultation on how to best increase your outdoor space, please feel free to give us a call.  We’d love
to help!

Every year during my winter trade show circuit, I typically come across one or two products that really catch my eye. Sometimes these are products that are new to the market altogether, other times they’re products that may have been around for a while, but I just don’t get the opportunity to work with them. One of the products that caught my eye this year was the natural bluestone pavers available from Diaz Stone and Pallet in Kingsley, PA.

Now we do a lot of flagstone projects, and we do a lot of paver stone projects, but what I really like about this product is that it combines the beauty and texture of real natural stone with the ease and workability of manmade pavers.

The pavers install identically to a manmade paver product. That means approximately 8” of excavation in preparation for the installation, a layer of geo-textile fabric, approximately 4” to 6” of compacted crushed gravel, about a ½” sand, and the pavers installed directly atop the sand bed. As with any paver installation, this is a dryset installation technique, meaning no mortar is necessary.

The pavers are all cut to exact specifications, meaning the dimensions and thickness is consistent, allowing for consistent grades, tightly spaced joints with no large gaps, and easy installation. And the 2 ¼” thickness is thicker than most bluestone or graystone flagstone products out there, and comparable to manmade paver thickness.  That
means durability and little need for worry about cracking or damaged stones.

And somewhat surprisingly, the material cost for this product is quite comparable to most of the manmade paver stone products out there.  Diaz Stone and Pallet has their own quarry operation, precision saw shop, and trucking network allowing them to control quality and keep costs down.

An added bonus – Diaz Stone and Pallet is a Pennsylvania-based business, meaning we’re keeping our business in state, and cutting down on long-range shipping.  That’s good for both the local economy and the environment.

This is one of those products that I’m really looking forward to having a chance to work with.  Whether you’re considering a traditional graystone flagstone project, or a manmade paver project, I think you’ll be interested in at least checking out these natural stone pavers.  

For more information about the product, check out the supplier website at www.diazstoneandpallet.com, or give me a call personally if you’d like to set up an appointment to get some design ideas and associated cost estimates for your hardscaping project.