And just like that, we close the door on the 2013 season.  Like it or not, winter has showed up and moved in – time to put the tools away until next spring, and spend some quality Holiday time with family and friends.

Hard to believe, but it was less than two weeks ago that we were drysetting a flagstone walkway in nearly 60-degree weather.  But these past two weeks have served as a vivid reminder as to why we don’t schedule hardscaping projects during the winter months.  As I write this it is flurrying lightly outside – the fourth snowstorm in just over 10 days.  And while this one doesn’t appear to have quite the punch as a few of the other storms, there’s still a significant amount of snow on the ground thanks to the storms and a steady supply of sub-freezing temperatures.  Certainly not ideal hardscaping weather. (Editorial Note:  Warm weather has returned -- at least temporarily.  Volatility goes hand in hand with the season).

Thankfully, that dryset walkway project was the last of the hardscaping projects on the calendar for this year.  We still have a few smaller carpentry projects we’re trying to squeeze in between the snows, but for the most part we’re ready to close the door on the season.

And I’d like to personally take this opportunity to throw a few “thank you”s around.

First and foremost, I’d like to thank all of our loyal clients for their continued business over the years.  It sounds cliché, but without the clients none of what we do would be possible.  Your business is more than appreciated.

Secondly, I’d like to thank all of our loyal vendors.  Your inventory, service, pricing, research, special orders, and overall professionalism is a valued asset to our business. 

And of course, I need to thank my workers who have helped make it all possible over the course of the season.  Russ, Bryan, Bill, and Jason – thank you!  I know it’s not always easy work, but each of you have stepped up and contributed to the ultimate success of our projects.  Your hard work is appreciated.

This will be the final blog post for the year, as I take next week off from my blogging duties to celebrate the season.  But I will be back come January with more informative posts.

And I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind everybody that even though winter is here, it doesn’t mean we can’t start thinking about next spring.  In fact, with the way winter is looking already, it may be just what we need to get through the winter.  Start the planning process, and we’ll be ready to go with your project come the first of the spring thaw.

And don’t forget – we’re also available for light handyman work, hauling and clean-outs over the winter months.  And don’t be afraid to ask about those weird “not sure who to ask” projects.  You never know, we just may be the ones to take it on during the winter months.

And with that, I’ll offer one final thought for the 2013 season – “He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle.  But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,  "HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!"  (And Happy New Year’s too!)

No matter where you live in the United States, this past week provided an early glimpse of the winter weather that lay ahead this year.  Major snowstorms and sub-freezing temperatures have extended all the way across the country, including many areas in the deep south that just aren't used to it.

Here in the Philadelphia area, we got belted with an unexpected 8" of snow this past Sunday (which made for a real fun Eagles game to watch!), another 4" on Tuesday, followed by a blast of bitter Arctic air.  And more snow and "wintry mix" is in the forecast for this coming weekend.

I've posted on this site in the past about how to care for your hardscaping during the winter months, but many of our decking customers may be wondering what the best ways are to deal with ice and snow on your new deck.  Here's a few helpful hints.

First of all, don't worry about the weight of the snow on the deck.  It's not going to fall down.  Remember those building permits we had to file in advance of building the deck?  That was to ensure the structural specifications can handle the weight -- regardless of whether it's a cocktail party in the summer with 40 people, or 2' of snow falling on it in the winter.  In fact, snow is what's called a "dead load", meaning it's stationary and not adding extra force by jumping or moving around.  I know our decks will be just fine.  In fact any deck that went through the proper permitting procedure, regardless of whether we built it or somebody else built it, will be just fine.

Another concern I hear voiced often is whether or not the ice and snow will damage the deck.  Simple answer here: no.  Your deck was built with materials that are meant to hold up to the elements, regardless of whether it's heavy rain, freezing temperatures, or snowdrifts.  Composite materials, pressure-treated lumber, red cedar -- they're all meant to be exposed to the elements.  If they weren't, then we wouldn't be building decks with them. 

That being said, various materials will behave differently in reaction to ice and snow.  Vinyls or composites may shrink slightly in sub-freezing temperatures.  But no worries, as they will just as quickly expand back once the temperatures rebound.  Pressure-treated lumber is about as maintenance free as it gets.  Cedar or other non-treated lumbers should be sealed or treated regularly to help keep out the moisture.  But assuming you're keeping up with the routine maintenance, then a few big blizzards should be nothing to worry about.

As a deck owner, your biggest winter-time concern should be keeping any high traffic areas clear of ice and snow, and maintaining a safe, slip-free traffic path.  And there are a few things to keep in mind when doing this.

First of all, the best thing you can do with your deck is just leave it alone while the snow sits there, slowly melting and clearing itself.  The deck will still be there come March, no need to mess with it in the mean time.

But that's not always realistic.  Oftentimes the rear entrance leads right out to the deck, with a set of steps leading down to the driveway.  It's how you get in to the house when you park in the driveway, it's where you take out the trash, it's how the kids get in the house after a day of sledding in the backyard.  So shutting it down just isn't practical.

In these instances, shoveling the traffic areas is the best thing you can do.  When shoveling, it's best to use a softer, plastic or rubber-bladed shovel that won't scuff up the deck surface.  Metal shovels are great on asphalt driveways, but can really tear up a wood or composite deck in no time.  If it means spending an extra $15 on a designated "deck" shovel, so be it.  It'll eliminate big-time repair costs down the road.  Even a push-broom will work fine in these situations too.

It's also important to shovel "with the grain".  Run your shovel right down the length of the boards, not across the boards.  Running the shovel across the boards is just asking to catch or scuff up a board unnecessarily.  A gentle, long shovel stroke will clear the boards easily without risking getting the shovel caught or stuck on a board.

And even a well-shoveled area can still get slippery, especially when it comes to composites.  I will repeat my wintertime mantra here:  "Rock Salt Bad".  Just like in hardscaping, rock salt will eat away at the deck, drying out wood, staining composites, or even scraping up the surface. 

If slipperyness is a major concern, what you may want to consider, especially in high traffic paths on your deck or steps, is to install some rubber "grip strips" to help with your footing.  Even a single strip on each step tread will add considerable safety to any potentially slippery surface.  And while the strips aren't the most aesthetic add-on in the world, they do come in a few assorted colors to help conceal them, and just a few strips in key strategic locations can add loads of safety to icy surfaces.  It's something at least considering if slip-and-fall is a concern.

And if you don't have a deck, but are considering having one built down the road?  Give us a call for a free consultation.  We'll be happy to take a look -- once all this snow melts that is ...  Happy Winter!

A few months back I got a call from woman who was quite excited.  "We finally had the giant Silver Maple in the backyard removed!," she exclaimed.  "Now we can move forward with the patio I've always been wanting!"

I hate being the guy to squelch anybody's enthusiasm, especially when it comes to a nice size patio project, but unfortunately things aren't always that simple.  My first site visit confirmed my suspicions.

I never saw the tree while it was standing, but based on the woman's description and the enormous crater just off the back of the house, it must have been massive.  What I saw was a crater approximately 10-15' in diameter, with a depth of at least 2' where the stump had been ground out.  The center of the crater was filled with woodchips from the grinding process, and the perimeter of the crater showed the remains of the root system, with a network of large 6"+ roots spidering out from the center of the crater.

"I hate being the bearer of bad news," I told the woman, "but I have some serious reservations about putting in a patio this soon after the tree was removed."  The problem is that all those woodchips and all the remaining root system will soon begin decomposing.  And as it decomposes, the area will settle.  And no matter how much gravel is put in, no matter how well its compacted, it will soon settle once again, wreaking havoc on the patio.

That decomposing/settling process can take years to complete.

So what's a person to do? 

In most cases when a tree this size is removed, it's in an area far from the house.  Planting another tree in the spot is often the easiest and best solution.  Or turning the area into a garden can work great as well.

The problem in this case was that the tree was originally planted much too close to the house.  The crater was literally right outside the back door.  We certainly couldn't just leave a muddy crater there.

We decided to go ahead with a simple dryset walkway -- one that could serve a functional purpose now, and one that could be lifted and reset as the area settles.  Additionally, we elected to keep all the stones in their full rectangular shapes with no cuts.  That will allow the stones to be reused in additional functions down the road once enough time has passed and the area is ready for a full patio.

But for now we excavated the woodchip/soil/root footprint as best as we could, compacted approximately 8" of crushed gravel, screeded a thin layer of sand, and set the 1.5" thick bluestones atop the sand.  A very typical dryset installation.  How long will it last before some settling occurs?  Tough to say for sure, but my guess is we'll most likely need to do a little bit of resetting in the next two years or so. 

But with the dryset technique we used, any future maintenance or repairs will be minor, and the stones can be used again without incurring additional material costs.  And the client gets a great walkway in the mean time.  Not a bad compromise. 

Quick.  Simple.  Effective.  And expert advice too, if I do say so myself.  Got a problem area in your yard that you're looking to do something with?  Give us a call, and let us know what we can do for you!