As a landscape contractor who blogs, I have tendency to focus my writings on either industry trends, seasonal information, or some of the many large projects we undertake.

Lost in the shuffle of my writings and ramblings however, are some of the many small projects we undertake on a regular basis.

A few weeks ago we had a short week as we prepared for the long Fourth of July weekend.  We had just finished a large patio project, the Thursday and Friday extended Holiday weekend was looming, and our next project wasn’t due to start until the following week because the homeowners were out of town.  
 
Thankfully this provided us with the opportunity to fill the schedule with a small dryset flagstone walkway project.

The existing layout of the yard included a driveway that ended about 20’ short of an existing flagstone patio.  The homeowners had placed a series of stepping stones connecting the driveway to the patio, but the stones would inevitably get buried beneath the encroaching grass or get covered in mud due to some suspect grading.

So they enlisted our services to fix the problem.

The existing patio was a wet-set PA graystone patio, set in a linear pattern of squares and rectangles. The homeowners really liked the look of the natural stone, however their personal tastes ranged more on the rustic irregular side of things.  And they didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a small walkway.

So we decided upon a dryset walkway using irregular-shaped PA graystones.

The project began by excavating out the footprint for the new walkway, digging approximately 6” down where the new walkway was to be installed.  The footprint was then filled with crushed modified gravel and compacted to give a firm foundation to the new walkway.  

We then covered the compacted gravel with a thin (approximately 1” +/-) layer of sand. The sand helps to give a softer bed in which to place the flagstones, and also helps to accommodate for the slight difference in stone thickness without affecting the finish grade.

Random-shaped irregular flagstones were purchased, averaging approximately 1.5” in thickness.  Each stone is carefully placed in the
bed of sand, making sure we have a firm placement with no rocking or wobbling of the stones.  For a dryset application such as this, we like to use thicker stones to help keep them in place and avoid them “floating” on top of the sand.

For a professional look, it is important to keep the joint widths between each stone to a minimum.  As a result there is certainly some “puzzle-building” that needs to occur.

I like to lay out all the stones in advance so I can get a true sense of the sizes and shapes we’ll be working with.  Maybe it’s just the geography geek in me, but I tend to envision each stone as a shape of a state.  As the pieces start to fit together, it’s not uncommon for me to think to myself “we need a South Carolina to fit over here”, or “if only we had an Ohio to fit against the curve of that last one”.  (Editor’s note:  some states just don’t work – stay away from the skinny panhandles of Florida and Oklahoma, West Virginia just doesn’t look natural, and Michigan, well forget about that whole Upper Peninsula thing …)

Sometimes we will have to do some minor cutting of the stones to help get a clean fit, but we try to avoid it as much as possible.  The less cutting you do, the more natural it will look.

Once all the stones are placed and fit together nicely, the last step is to sweep the walkway to fill in the joints.  We usually sweep the joints with “screenings” – a by-product of the quarrying process consisting of small crumbs of stone that lock together nicely and avoid washing out.

And that’s it.  Start-to-finish in this case the project took about 2 and a half days.  The perfect filler between some of our larger projects.  The homeowner is happy with their new walkway, and we get to keep working despite an awkward calendar and a short week.

Do you have a small hardscaping project that you’ve been putting off, or just assume a contractor won’t want to handle?  If so, give us a call.  I’ll be happy to come take a look.

I’ve made it no secret in the past that summer is my favorite season.  But despite ALL the things tipping the scales in summer’s favor (and there are a lot!), it can be, quite frankly, somewhat trying to work in when that midsummer heatwave hits.

It seems like every summer, usually around mid-July, we’re hit with one or two real doozies of a heat wave.  And the projects we’re working on during those heatwaves are etched in my brain for eternity – the concrete job where we were constantly battling the streams of sweat dripping off our faces messing up our finish, the excavation job where we were covered in caked-on dirt that refused to let go of our sweat-covered arms and faces, the patio job where the surface temperature of the stones must have been well into the 130’s or 140’s.  Yup, name the year, and I’ll tell you where we were during the big heat wave.

Well this year’s heat wave has arrived, and we have embraced it once again.  High temperatures have averaged well into the upper 90’s, with humidity to match and nighttime lows only in the mid 80’s.  No doubt, it’s hot.

And it’s not just the air temperature that gets hot.  Ever try picking up a black steel pry bar after sitting in the hot sun for an hour or two?  Let’s just say I don’t recommend it.  I wear heavy rubber gloves when I’m using the bricksaw, and I swear they were just as wet on the inside from sweat the other day as on the outside.  And I made the mistake of leaving them on the hood of my black truck for a few minutes while I took a phone call.  Somehow or other the gloves didn’t melt, but I put them back on and nearly scalded my hands as the moisture on the inside of the gloves must have been approaching boiling.  Ouch.

But that doesn’t stop us from carrying on.  I’ve had a few clients comment to me that they can’t believe we’re working in this heat. My reply is that if we waited for the perfect day to work, we’d probably only be working 5 to 6 months a year. And that ain’t gonna swing it as far as maintaining a sustainable business.  So we carry on.

Truth be told, I really don’t mind the extreme heat.  Is it ideal? – Well of course not, but it sure beats those late fall jobs or early spring jobs when we have to thaw out the hose in the morning and we can’t move or feel our fingers throughout the day.  I’ll take the heat over the cold any day.

The trick is just to accept and embrace it.  When your shirt is saturated with sweat by 10 am you really don’t have much choice.  As long as you’re drinking your water and listening to your body, you’ll be fine.  Sweaty, but fine.

I went to the bank at lunch the other day, drenched in sweat from head to toe, with a nice layer of dirt and sand and mortar sticking to me like I was some sort of magnet.  A cute young girl went to get in line behind me, and it was quite apparent that she didn’t want to get anywhere near my sweaty self. That’s right I work, got a problem?

Thankfully my wife is much more understanding.

So where were we during this year’s big heat?  Not that it’s ended yet, or that it won’t return in a few weeks, but so far we’ve endured this year’s heat while doing a paver stone patio project.  The project turned out great, and a big thanks to our clients Bill and Rose who continuously offered us ice water and cold juice throughout the day.  Good clients and nice people are just the best.  Period.  Thanks guys!

So according to the forecast, the heat is supposed to break on Saturday when a line of storms passes through.  I can’t say I’ll be sad to see the heatwave go, but a part of me really kind of embraces and, dare I say it, enjoys the extremes.  Enjoy it while its here.  Or at least make the best of it.  It never lasts too long, and it certainly gives us something to talk about (or blog about) in the mean time.

To quote Ferb from one of my kids’ favorite shows Phineas and Ferb, “Summer – it’s noticeably warmer”.  Indeed it is Ferb, indeed it is.

My Star Wars geekiness maxes out at about a 6 out of ten.  I certainly know my way around the double trilogies, but I have yet to attend Comicon in full stormtrooper regalia.  Maybe someday, but doubtful.

But regardless of your sci-fi affections, I think there is one universal truth that we can agree on – Yoda is one cool dude, and one who can teach us all a thing or two.

I remember seeing “The Empire Strikes Back” in the theater when I was 10.  The anticipation mounted as our hero Luke Skywalker escaped the clutches of the evil Darth Vader and sought out the Jedi wisdom of the Jedi Master Yoda.  “Wow,” I remember thinking to myself, “this Yoda guy is going to be one all-American space hero!” 

The moment came when Yoda finally revealed himself to us and – wait a minute, Yoda is a little green muppet!!??  (With some serious subject/predicate sentence structure issues, I might add).

But as we got to know Yoda better through the remainder of the movie, and remaining sequels as well, we came to learn that indeed Yoda has a lot we all could learn from.  If he’s not the original zen-master, he certainly at least ranks near the top.

And that’s kind of the point.  Erase all preconceptions, erase what you think you know, observe and learn.

And when you think about it, isn’t that kind of what running a business is all about?  Lets take a look at some of Yoda’s more famous quotes, and see how they relate to running a business.

"Try not.  Do or do not.  There is no try."  This quote is perhaps my favorite.  In current language it probably translates in to something along the lines of “Get’er done.” When my five-year-old gets frustrated at something he can’t do he always reverts to “Well I tried.”  In business “tried” isn’t good enough.  It’s the results that matter.  Just because achieving sales goals may be difficult, or excavating into a stone hillside may seem a bit overwhelming doesn’t mean it can’t be done.  It just means the methods need to be re-evaluated.  Either it gets done, or it doesn’t.  In the end, the effort doesn’t matter.

"Size matters not, ... Look at me. Judge me by size, do you?"  As a small business owner I think we all can relate to this one.  In today’s world of big box store chains and large corporations we are constantly bombarded with advertising and marketing telling us why we need the services of these chains (even if we often don’t).  And as business owners I think sometimes we feel the need to grow to compete with the big boys.  Personally, I like to think smaller is better.  More responsive, more attention to detail, more levels of personal service.  As long as we’re doing what we set out to do, does it really matter what the size is?
 
"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering."  Working backwards on this quote, as business owners we certainly don’t want to suffer.  We certainly don’t want to hate what we do.  And we certainly don’t want to get angry when things don’t go our way.  We can’t be afraid to offer new services or new products, and we can’t be afraid that things won’t turn out the way we want them to.  Be confident in what you do.  If you’re not, then prepare or train more until the confidence is there.

"Always in motion is the future."  I’m a big proponent of choices, in life and contracting.  And I always say that the choices we make today will affect what happens to you tomorrow.  The point of this quote is that we control the future through our actions, and what choices we make today.  You shouldn’t choose one material or product over another strictly based on price, you need to be prepared to enjoy those materials well into the future.  You shouldn’t increase your advertising budget if you’re not prepared for the additional business.  You shouldn’t increase staffing if you’re not prepared for the additional payroll burden.  Always in motion is the future, indeed.  The good news is we have a say in that motion.

“[Luke:] I can’t believe it. [Yoda:] That is why you fail.”  You never heard Steve Jobs say he couldn’t believe Apple was successful.  You never hear Steven Spielberg act surprised when one of his movies cleans up at the Oscars.  And you never hear Roy Halliday act surprised when he pitches a great game. Successful people and businesses expect to be successful.  They’ve trained for it, they’ve worked at it, and they’ve prepared for it.  Believe it.

For more Jedi wisdom, or simply to inquire about landscape construction services, please feel free to give us a call. 
And if you’re looking for a quality landscape contractor, I might add one final Yoda pearl of wisdom:  “Looking? Found someone you have…”

**  Editors Note:  The following is an archive post, but with summer here and heat gripping much of the country, it never hurts to take a second to remind us how to be safe in the summer heat.

For those of us who work outdoors, summer is typically a welcome time of year.  Longer daylight hours, plenty of work, and usually nice weather in which to work.  But with summer often comes a few heat waves, and right now much of the country is in for a doozy.  Plenty of records being set, excessive heat waves, massive thunderstorms and power outages.

Even my trusty i-phone is feeling the effects.  I went to make a call earlier today at work, and a big yellow exclamation mark appeared on the screen with a brief message -- "Excessive Heat.  Please allow iphone to cool off before using."

Here in the Philadelphia area, we've had consistent temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, and the forecast calls for
continued heat through the next few days. Triple digits are even in the forecast for the weekend.

And as much as us outdoorsy types usually welcome the warmer weather, if we fail to take a few basic precautions, that heat can cause some serious health problems.  Even the fittest and most strongest can feel the effects if we're not careful.  Here are five basic precautions to take to avoid falling prey to the heat.

1.  Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!  Make sure to keep up with with water intake.  This doesn't mean waiting until you're thirsty to grab a drink, by that point the body is playing catch-up.  And it most certainly doesn't mean drinking lots of coffee in the morning or drinking too much alcohol the night before.  Avoid drinks with caffeine, sugar, or alcohol, this includes most energy drinks.  The best thing to do is "prime the pump" with plenty of water consumption in the morning, consistently throughout the day, and in the evening before bed.  It sounds cliche, but stay hydrated!

2.  Adjust the hours of strenuous activity, if possible.  Sure, it's our job to work hard during the day, but if we can get a little earlier start, or get the bulk of the heavy work done earlier in the day before the heat peaks, it will help.

3.  Take your time.  My best workers are animals.  Seriously.  They're big strong guys who are athletes and are used to pushing their bodies.  But even the biggest and strongest guys can fall victim to the heat if they're not smart about it.  Take a little breather between wheelbarrow loads or at regular intervals during digging.  If you wait until you're feeling weak or tired, it may be too late.

4.  Dress smart.  The best clothes to wear are loose fitting lightweight clothes that breathe and will keep the direct sunlight off your body.  The tendency is for guys to think that the less clothes they wear the better.  This is false.  Have you ever noticed that workers in the middle east tend to wear loose-fitting robes that cover most of the body, or that Central American workers often wear long sleeves or even long pants?  These guys know what they're doing.  There's a reason workers in the desert regions of the world don't go shirtless.  Keep the body shaded and out of the direct sun.  That doesn't mean wear a sweater or a jacket, but don't let the sun affect your body any more than need be.

5.  Listen to your body. If at any point during the day you're feeling excessively tired, light-headed, nauseous, or experiencing muscle cramps or headaches, take a breather.  Find a cool spot in the shade, drink a cool glass of water, and try to cool off and regain your strength.  For people who are used to pushing themselves, this may seem like a wimpy thing to do and you may think this shows signs of weakness or a poor work ethic.  To the contrary.  As a boss I'd rather have a worker who is taking care of themselves to remain productive, instead of pushing themselves to the point of being completely useless.

A few other quick heat-related notes.  If you are on any special medications, be sure to check with your doctor to make sure that you aren't prone to any additional heat-related side effects.  Diuretics and antihistamines in particular can cause additional problems if you're out in the sun or heat for a prolonged period of time.  And even if you're not working outdoors, make sure you check on the elderly, your pets, or young children to make sure they're doing OK.

We can't change the weather, but we certainly can control how it affects us.  Be careful out there!