Well, we did it.  Another successful year under the belt.  And as we prepare for some much needed (and well-deserved) down time, I thought I’d take this opportunity to summarize and wrap up our 2012 season.

Thanks to an incredibly mild winter last year, we were able to kick off the season about 3 weeks earlier than our typical seasonal start-up.  We started in about mid-February with a sidewalk replacement project and never looked back.  Our early-season included a number of exterior landscape carpentry projects, including several fences and a number of deck projects including both new decks and extensions and a number of wood step projects. 

By the end of April we were full into hardscaping mode, including a few paver stone walkways, several stone step projects and a few more sidewalk replacements.

And once Memorial Day hit we were fortunate enough to work on a couple of really nice, large (700 sf+) flagstone patio projects to complement some grand residences.
 
The large patio projects carried us straight through the bulk of the summer, with some more large patio projects coming together as the kids went back to school.  We sprinkled in a few more walkways, fence projects, a nice modular block wall project, and finished the year off strongly with a stone veneer wall project and flagstone walkway project, which we were just able to squeeze in before the Holiday break, wrapping things up earlier this week.

On the business side of things, the company has continued to grow, maintaining three full-time workers for the bulk of the season.
 
And so, as we wrap things up for the year I’d be remiss if I didn’t share a few pictures of a sampling of our projects from the year, and offer a few quick “thank you”s to everybody who helped make the year a success.

First I’d like to thank my crew of Josh, Nick and Russ for working hard to turn the designs and concepts into reality.  It was your manpower that made it all happen.  I’d also like to take this opportunity to wish Josh farewell and best of
luck as he prepares for the next chapter of his life when he reports to Ft. Benning GA in March to enlist in the US Army and begin Basic Training. Josh has been with me nearly three years and has been a key player in all of our projects during that time.  I know he’ll do just fine as long as he can still keep up with his beloved Flyers (if the NHL lockout ever ends).  Stay safe my man. (continued below)

I’d also like to thank my valued suppliers, most notably the crew at Galantino Supply Company.  I’m not sure just how much business I did directly with Galantino’s this year – I’ll tally the numbers come January -- but it was a sizeable amount and Carl, Anthony, Vince and the rest of the crew over there have always been a sincere pleasure to work with.

And most importantly, I’d like to offer a HUGE thank you to each and every one of my clients for the year.  Whether your project was a small sidewalk replacement or an enormous patio install, I can’t thank you enough for your business.  Without your business, none of this would be possible.  I’ve enjoyed getting to know each of you during the course of all of our projects, and I look forward to continuing seeing you around town, at the Co-op, the pool, school events, little league, and all the other opportunities we have to see each other here in and around Swarthmore.

So again, thank you to all who helped make 2012 a success.  I’ll be taking a week off next week from my blogging duties as I spend some downtime with family and friends, but I look forward to returning in January with more weekly blog posts and beginning to gear up for the 2013 season.  

Happy Holidays to everyone, and best wishes for a happy, healthy, safe and prosperous new year!!!

One of the things I like best about my job is the feeling of satisfaction when we complete a big project.  And what's even more satisfying is when that finished project is something that I admire and would want to have as part of my own yard.  And I know I'm not alone when I say that natural stone is something that I really enjoy working with and being in the presence of.

To me, there is nothing like the look and feel of real natural stone -- the appearance, the look, the feel, the texture, heck, even the sound.  It just adds a feel that the project has been there for a long time and will continue to be there for a long time.  It is truly part of the landscape. 

And while there a number of faux or manmade imitation stone products out there, with varying degrees of quality in my opinion, nothing compares to the real deal.  And in an area like Philadelphia where so many old structures were built with native stone, the faux stone can also stand out rather unfavorably compared to all the authentic stonework dotting the landscapes.  But unfortunately natural stone can jack up the project costs pretty quickly, both in terms of material cost and labor.  And if you're working on a budget (who isn't in these times!?), having a natural stone wall built can be costly.

One solution to this problem is the use of natural stone veneer.  This is real stone, available in a wide range of stone types and sizes, that is applied over top of an existing surface. And the finished product is definitely one that I can truly admire when all is said and done.

The process is quite simple really.  For most of my applications, I'm applying the veneer to vertical surfaces of a newly poured concrete foundation.  Veneer can be applied to existing masonry surfaces as well, as long as the surface is clean, intact, and the application of an additional 1" to 2" of thickness won't interfere with any other objects on the surface such as door jams or windows.  Stone veneer can also be applied on top of existing wood or metal surfaces, however a few additional steps are necessary which I won't get into in this discussion.

Once the concrete foundation has been poured, the forms removed, and the surface has had ample time to cure, the veneer process can be begin.

We typically use Quarry Cut brand veneers, available in a wide range of styles and sizes.  The pieces measure about 1.5" thick, flat on one side and natural texture on the face.  They come in flats and corners to avoid any conspicuous joints at the corners of the wall or structure.

Begin by wetting down the vertical surface on which you are applying the stone.  This helps the bond and ensures that the mortar won't dry out too quickly.  Simply mix up a batch of mortar (we usually use Type S), and butter up the back (flat surface) of the stone. 

Start veneering at the bottom of the vertical surface, gradually working your way up.  As you begin setting stones on the second and third courses, the upper stones will rest upon the lower ones which have already been set. 

Stone veneer can be set to mimic a dryset look, with no pointing and minimal joint spacing, or a wetset look with mortar joints between the stones.  If the veneer stones are being pointed, use special care to sponge-clean the excess mortar off the surface of the stones as they're being set without adding too much water or pressure to the freshly set stones.

Depending on the look of the stonework, veneer stones are available as narrow ledgestones, larger squares and strips, or irregular pieces.

For more information regarding natural stone veneer, or to see some additional samples of our work, please feel free to contact us.  We love to show off our work!

She was green the day we first brought her home.

She wasn't supposed to be, but apparently the kids of the family who owned the litter thought it would be funny to dye the puppies green.  We took her home anyway, the green wore off after a couple of days, but the memories will last with us for a lifetime.

Sheila and I hadn't even been married a year when we first adopted her.  Like many couples with plans of starting a family we started with a dog.  And she quickly became an important part of the family.  She will always be our first.

We'd come home from work, tired and exhausted, and there would be Lois, eagerly wagging her tail with a ball in her mouth ready to play.  At that point you'd basically have two choices:  Either ignore her, in which case she'd follow you around dropping the ball at your feet into you finally gave in;  Or comply with her playfulness with the hopes of her getting bored or satisfied, in which case she would continuously expect more and more and more play.  Either way you'd find yourself playing catch with her for the better part of an hour, and even that was never enough for her.

She could play ball for hours and hours on end.  We'd take her to the local dog park in Benicia, CA with the hopes of her getting so exhausted that she'd rest when we got back home.  Nope.  Sheila and I would wear ourselves out, and Lois would just want to keep on going forever.  Fastest dog in the dog park we'd always say to each other.

After a year we had the bright idea of getting her a sister so they could wear each other out.  That plan backfired, in that now we had TWO dogs competing for our constant attention.  But from here on out Lois and Krypto would be sisters tied at the hip, one team -- "The girls", Lo and Kryp, Kryp and Lo -- with us and each other everywhere we went.

And ohhh, the places we went.  In addition to our local romps at the Benicia Dog Park and nearby Lake Herman, there was all of Northern California to explore.  The dogs would accompany us on nearly all of our excursions;  Muir Beach, Mt. Tamalpais, Point Reyes, Mendocino, Clear Lake, Russian River, Sonoma, Napa, Mt. Shasta, Feather Falls, Lake Tahoe -- the list goes on, I know I'm missing a few in there. 

And when the kids came, well Lois was the first one to sniff them out upon our arrival home.  And they would become constant companions as the kids grew older, Lois graciously putting up with tail-pulling and ear-pulling and bareback riding and everything else kids and dogs do.

And when we moved cross country to Pennsylvania, it was Lois and Krypto who accompanied me on a cross-country road trip as Sheila and Nate flew.

And our adventures on the East Coast would continue, with more camping trips and vacations to Taughanock Falls, NY, Vermont, and Cape Henlopen in addition to a number of regular local romps in and around Crum Creek and Ridley Creek.

Through it all, no matter what kind of day you had, you could always count on Lois to meet you at the door upon your arrival home, wanting to play.  When you went to mow the lawn, there was Lois, ball in mouth, following you every step of the way, always optimisiticly wagging her tail knowing eventually you would give in and throw the ball.  And when we'd tease her in the wintertime by throwing a snowball into a snowbank, she would always eagerly search for that missing ball in the snow, not wanting to give up until we made another ball and threw the new snowball into a different snowbank.  Always optimisitic, always playful, always forgiving, always loyal.

As the kids have started to grow older, having more activities away from home, relegating us parents to mere shuttle drivers, the dogs haven't gotten the constant attention they did just a few years ago.  But they were still always there, always optimisticly waiting to play, and keeping each other company when we weren't around.

Over the past year, Lois has finally started to show her age.  She's noticeably lost a step from her once legendary straight-away speed, and she's visibly lost some weight, but she's aways still been Lois, always there for you when we come home at the end of the day, curling up at our feet as we unwind each evening, and there to greet us every morning when we first come downstairs.

As recently as Thanksgiving she was still getting around, admittedly not like she once did, but still game for some catch or chase in the backyard.

Last Sunday morning when we came downstairs she couldn't get out of her bed.  Her ears perked up, she was alert and cognitive, but the legs that once jetted her across landscapes were now betraying her.  When she finally did try to get up her legs were wobbly and it was all she could do not to fall over.  It was a significant effort just to make it outside or into the living room to curl up at our feet.

Even then, she was still Lois, making a few last ditch efforts to get into the trashcan under the kitchen sink, or hoover up the crumbs from the kids under the breakfast table.  Sheila and I just smiled -- the old girl still has some rascal in her.

But it just became too much.  After a week of hoping it was just a passing phase we knew we needed to take her to the vet.  We ended up putting her down Sunday morning.

There is definitely a hole in our family right now.  Krypto has never known life without Lois, and honestly, I don't think they've spent more than 15 minutes apart her entire life.  She can't understand where her buddy went.  And the rest of us are sad too.  We'll always miss her, but we'll never forget her.  Go get'm Lo!