Add A Classic Flagstone Patio in Alexandria, VA

August 14, 2014

Flagstone Patio in Alexandria, VA

A classic flagstone patio gives Alexandria, VA homeowners significant returns on their landscaping investment.

While fieldstone and river stone have a more rounded shape, permeable flagstone in Alexandria, VA is a perfect building material for constructing facades, fireplaces, garden beds and stacked walls. But flagstone is perhaps best known for classic paving applications, including interior flooring and exterior surfaces. Flagstone in Alexandria, VA can be included in your larger landscape design where you can take advantage of coordinated shapes, cuts, and sizes of flagstone for stepping stones, walkways, driveways,  stairways and the traditional elegance of a flagstone patio in Alexandria, VA.

You can integrate elegant features into your landscape design plan, using flagstone in Alexandria, VA, including:

  • non-slip, drainage-friendly low-maintenance flagstone patios
  • safe pedestrian  pathways and walkways lit with low-voltage lighting
  • larger cuts of flagstone are ideal for constructing retaining walls, curbs and garden walls
  • elevate the appearance and function of entryways or coordinate with a driveway apron
  • create courtyards and other appealing landscaping features

Select timeless flagstone for Alexandria, VA, landscape projects and it will reward you by performing flawlessly with minimum maintenance for decades. Apart from it’s inherent beauty, superior durability and the safety of a slip-free exterior surface, the porous structure of flagstone promotes earth-friendly sustainability by aiding in stormwater management and filtration, versus a simple asphalt surface that creates additional run-off that contributes to erosion and ultimately pollutes the water in our streams, rivers, lakes and oceans.

Adding a classic flagstone patio in Alexandria, VA, adds instant value to your home, both in providing you with a graceful outdoor space to enjoy and increased market value. A classic flagstone patio is a win-win home improvement that will give you nothing but pleasure as long as you own your home.

Visit the flagstone experts at RSSY as you begin planning your flagstone patio. Alexandria, VA homeowners can trust the well-trained RSSY staff and rely on our 43 years of landscape expertise from selecting the right materials for the job to recommending a landscape contractor to door-to-door delivery. When you need help with landscape materials, planning, and installation for your new flagstone patio in Alexandria, VA, RSSY is here to help with everything you need.

Using Flagstone in Reston, VA – Professional Tips From RSSY

June 27, 2014

Flagstone Stairs at Reston, VA Home Flagstone in Reston, VA, is one of the finest materials available to create enduring patios. Flagstone is a durable and naturally slip-resistant, safer patio surface that lasts for years. Since it allows water to permeate instead of creating damaging runoff, flagstone in Reston, VA, is considered environmentally-beneficial and is highly desirable.

Flagstone patios also have a natural, organic quality in earthy shades of grays, blues, browns and reds. The most common types of flagstone in Reston, VA, used for paving and patios are sandstone, slate and limestone. The closer the quarry, the less you pay for shipping costs. So much of the flagstone in Reston, VA, is quarried in Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania.

Flagstone patio prices also depend on the method of  installation. Mortaring flagstones on a concrete slab is more expensive than dry laying flagstones in Reston, VA, over a graded base of sand and gravel. Here are some additional tips about using flagstone in Reston, VA, from the landscape experts at RSSY:

  • Select flagstone by color and look for a wide variety of shapes and sizes
  • Curb costs by using flagstone in Reston, VA, in conjunction with alternate paving and landscape materials
  • See the wide RSSY selection of fill gravel for joints between flagstone in Reston, VA,
  • Include larger slabs of flagstone in Reston, VA, to create a unique walkwayFlagstone Steps with Stone Veneer
  • Ask the RSSY landscape professionals about dressing up mortared joints
  • Create patterns with a combination of irregular and cut flagstones for Reston, VA, outdoor patios and walkways with individual style
  • Grow grass or ground cover in the joints between flagstones
  • Save money by avoiding unnecessary cutting of flagstones in Reston, VA, when you design your outdoor flagstone landscape features
  • Create  naturalistic steps visually enhanced for safety
  • Creating contrast around your pool with flagstone in Reston, VA
  • Construct a permeable flagstone patio that permits rain water to safely re-enter the ground
  • Proper drainage design in the surrounding landscape ensures your flagstone patio in Reston, VA, has a smooth, safe, durable surface.

Flagstone Border for Paver Patio in Reston, VA

RSSY carries all of your landscape  materials, including an amazing selection of flagstone and natural stone, plus pavers from Belgard and Nicolock. Work with the landscape experts at RSSY and get personalized service and specific landscape recommendations for your projects.

No matter what ideas, needs or questions you have about using flagstone in Reston, VA, in your outdoor landscape design, the flagstone experts at RSSY will be your project advisor every step of the way.

Patio Stone for Manassas, VA Timeless Landscapes

April 15, 2014

Patio Stone in Manassas, VA

RSSY supplies a wide variety of patio stone for Manassas, VA landscape projects. Our products coordinate to meet all of your stone construction and landscaping needs. Carolina Rose Flagstone, Greenbriar Thick stacking stone, and timeless, elegant fieldstone are just a fraction of the stone we offer for patios, fireplaces, walkways, waterfalls, garden walls, or anything you can imagine.

Whether your landscape style is traditional, modern, or eclectic, it can reflect your personal flair. Patio stone in Manassas, VA with a simple fire pit, fireplace or water feature can provide a lasting focal point and gathering place for your outdoor living. Tailor your patio stone in Manassas, VA by including contrasting stone patterns and colors, matching walkways or a retaining wall with a seat cap for durable, permanent built-in seating convenience.

Our design expertise, attention to detail and exceptional client services are just a few of the many reasons Northern Virginia homeowners, contractors, and landscape professionals prefer doing business with RSSY.  We  tailor our design to fit your style and landscape, working with you to ensure that your project needs are meet and that you get the patio stone in Manassas, VA that fits your budget.

PA bluestone patio

Knowing the right materials and the perfect patio stone in Manassas, VA for your job is important. At RSSY we carefully hand pick each selection for your consideration.  Some of our many varieties include a selection of patio stone, Palomino flagstone, Fieldstone steppers and Maple Creek garden stone. Our products can be used for a number of practical enhancement purposes such as proper drainage and stormwater management, hard paving of pedestrian traffic ways including driveways, walkways, steps and landings, not to mention adding fabulous constructed features such as tiered terraces or a grand patio in Manassas, VA with durable stone steps, planters and garden walls, as well as fireplaces or fire pits.

civil-war bluestone wall-300x225Since the Civil War, blue stone walls are seen in a broken ribbon through the Northern Virginia countryside, a testament to the strength and longevity of a natural patio stone.  Manassas, VA homeowners and landscapers see the investment value of a well-designed and installed stone patio in a wider hardscape design. Contact the professionals at RSSY to explore your stone patio options, and bring long-lasting outdoor elegance to your home today.

Bluestone from Lorton, VA Constructs Virginia History

March 17, 2014

Bluestone from Lorton, VA
Trinity Church, Upperville, VA c1895

Bluestone in Lorton, VA is an investment in landscape timelessness. Seen throughout country estates, atop age-old city sidewalks, and on many a classic patio, bluestone, routinely confused with slate, is quarried in the New York Catskills, Pennsylvania Poconos, and in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. It can still be seen in Brooklyn’s brownstone neighborhoods,  sprinkled throughout the New York City boroughs, winding through the crisp countryside of New England and the Lehigh Valley, and down to the small colonial towns that dot Virginia’s horse country. Bluestone in Lorton, VA is a construction material that also tells history.

Bluestone from the Shenandoah Valley region, a sedimentary rock known as Shenandoah Valley Bluestone, is a limestone formed 450 to 500 million years ago at the bottom of a shallow ocean that covered what is now Rockingham County, Virginia. The darker blue color of Shenandoah Valley Bluestone is concentrated in one of the largest limestone deposits in the world. As bluestone weathers, it changes from a deep blue to a light grey after prolonged exposure to sun and water.

main bluestone stonewall JMU
Bluestone planter and building at JMU

The colonial settlers used it for the foundations and chimneys of their houses. When James Madison University was built, native bluestone was the natural choice to construct campus buildings. The Frazier Quarry in Harrisonburg, Virginia continues to supply JMU with locally quarried bluestone for building and paving projects today.

bluestone retaining wall shenandoah valley
Bluestone retaining wall, Shenandoah Valley

Bluestone in Lorton, VA, has long been popular for fireplaces and counter tops, graceful walkways and driveways, and elegant patios.  Renewed demand is for a wide variety of applications, some requiring varying sizes and pieces, with some slabs weighing upwards of a ton or more.  This bluestone revival has dovetailed nicely over the past twenty years with the upsurge in authentic historic renovation. If your home is sited in a historic district,  your local planning department or City Council are good sources for a list of  qualified contractors who do bluestone installation and construction work.

At RSSY we have the area’s largest quality selection of bluestone, rock and stone, quarried from Pennsylvania to the Carolinas. Plus, we deliver directly to your location. Whatever color, cut or quantity of stone you need – for any size job.  We’ve worked with native Virginia bluestone and other quarried bluestone in Lorton, VA since 1971, and can assist you in understanding its properties, calculating quantities, and engineering bluestone landscape features that will add elegant beauty and real value to your Lorton property. Call RSSY today – we deliver beyond your expectations.

The Magic of Stepping Stones in Lorton, VA

January 17, 2014

stepping stones through beach pebbles

Whether invisibly tethered across a babbling brook or dancing through a rocky field, stepping stones in Lorton, VA define our experience as much as they do a magical pathway or a special destination.

Raw landscaping materials from gravel to river rock, flagstone to concrete, make gorgeous and practical garden pathways to take you where you want to go across your landscape. The magic of stepping stones in Lorton, VA always beckons.

Imagine a meandering bed of Chesapeake Wash Gravel, topped by a chain of smooth chocolate-gray Maple Creek  round edge stepping  stones. Fantastic to the eye, fundamental to the natural filtration of rainwater, and a gorgeous accent to your well-appointed landscape.

Larger stepping stones can also blanket thick grass to pave a casual, comfortable walkway through your yard to the garage, patio, or pool. Plus, laying a walkway of high-caliber flagstone stepping-stones in Lorton, VA is a simple, upscale  DIY weekend project anyone can tackle.

Selecting a different type of stone can completely alter the look and feel of your walkways and  landscape. Irregular Flagstone sections are light-colored and large, very patio-like; while Mojave Flagstone is alive with orange and rust, splashing across the horizon. stepping stone flagstone garden path

More substantial stones, such as Midnight Blue Thick, Fieldstone Steppers, and Hoopers Creek Thick can cover a wide area, coordinate with thinner varieties within your landscape design, and span your entire property, acting as decorative accent, extraordinary functional elements, and a long-lasting landscape aesthetic for the ages.

Gravel, the trusted foundation to every landscape project ever undertaken, is an extremely versatile material available in plentiful colors and sizes.  Consider gravel and its silent companion, sand, to reduce water-dependent ground covers and lawns, improve rainwater filtration, and move toward a more sustainable landscape environment.

Stop by RSSY and discover everything you need to create all the magic of stepping stones in Lorton, VA.

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