SO WHAT ARE THE BEST CHOICES FOR PATIO MATERIALS? In a major metropolis like Toronto and the GTA, there really are a lot of choices to choose from including the following: local natural stone – flagstone – either in square-cut or random shapes; imported flagstones from India and China; precast concrete faux flagstones made to look like the real thing; cedar or pressure treated lumber decks; PVC or composite wood looking decks; precast concrete interlocking bricks; gravel; mulch; poured concrete with patterns imprinted into it; regular poured concrete; and imported southern pine wood decks.

AT GREEN APPLE LANDSCAPING WE GENERALLY PREFER REAL FLAGSTONE. The reason for this is that natural stone does not go out of style. Over thirty years ago when I started in the landscape industry, natural stone was highly desired and still thirty years later most clients consider it the best looking material.  There are different local flagstones that are available – some from the Owen Sound, Ontario area (grays and tans), some from the Kingston, Ontario region (a reddish/rust tone), and some from the Credit Valley (gray with some rust).  Flagstone can be dry laid on a gravel base with a sand swept joint, or they can be laid on a concrete base with a mortared joint.  The concrete base method of installation will last the longest.  The dry laid method may need some relaying from time-to-time due to frost heave in the ground underneath it.  Of course, the concrete based method is more costly and may not fit your budget.

Random Flagstone Patio

Owen Sound Pebbletop Square-Cut Flagstone Patio (Stone will fade to much lighter grays and tans)

MY SECOND CHOICE FOR PAVING ARE CLAY PAVERS. These are a classic material similar to flagstone. They are also natural, locally produced and beautiful to look at. They come in numerous color choices that match the house bricks in older parts of Toronto. If they are the proper clay brick that is meant for paving, they are fired at higher temperatures than house bricks, and will stand up to the moisture that is in the ground. They usually come in a 4″x8″ size and sometimes are available in an 8″x8″ square. Clay pavers can be laid in a parquet or basket-weave pattern, a running bond pattern, or a herringbone pattern.

Red Clay Brick Pavers

Tan Clay Brick Pavers

MY THIRD CHOICE FOR A PATIO IS A FAUX FLAGSTONE MATERIAL. These have been available now for about 9 years. The manufacturer is called Stone-Link and they are made locally in Woodbridge, Ontario. Made using a wet cast concrete, poured into molds that simulate the texture and feel of real natural flagstones. The advantage of this paver is that it costs much less than the real stones. Labor is the same to lay either real or faux stone, therefore the cost comes down to about half of real flagstone.

Stonelink Faux Flagstone Patio with Tumbled Interlocking Paver Surround

MY FOURTH CHOICE IS USUALLY INTERLOCKING BRICK PAVERS. They come in many colors/styles/shapes and the bricks will last a lifetime, the same as flagstones, and they cost about half of what flagstones cost. We often combine these types of pavers with flagstone to create a paving mosaic that helps to keep prices down, while designing in accents or banding in the higher end material.  There are many manufacturers of these types of stones, each having their own colours and styles although there is a lot of common products amongst them.  Some local manufacturers are Unilock, Hanson, Permacon, and Techo-Bloc.

Brussels Block Tumbled Interlocking Pavers with Old World Cobble Pavers

THE FIFTH CHOICE WOULD BE AN ECODEK. This material will possibly last forever as well.  The EcoDek has only been available for two years in Canada.  It is imported from the US and the wood has a combination of heat and steam applied to modify the natural wood. This modification creates a decay, rot, insect and mold resistant wood. This patented process turns natural wood into a low maintenance, weather resistant product. It is still wood so it gives you the softness of wood.  It does require some maintenance however in terms of oiling it every year, which is one of the reasons it comes in a fourth choice for me.  Also the fact that it is imported and trucked all the way up here from the southern US, keeps it lower on my list.

EcoDek

The other choices mentioned at the beginning of this article such as: imported flagstone; cedar; pressure treated lumber; gravel; mulch; poured concrete; and patterned concrete are the lowest on my list for the following reasons:

PVC DECKING. This decking material is made to look like wood, but it has, in my opinion, some very important negative features. They are believed to cause certain cancers in workers who work in the manufacturing of the compound and there are studies that found that the additives in it off-gas and mimic human hormones disrupting our natural hormones and also affecting various life forms including fish and invertebrates adversely. PVC is also potentially a bad material to use as dioxin is produced as a byproduct of vinyl chloride manufacture and from incineration of waste PVC in domestic garbage. PVC has the distinction of maybe lasting eons, which is good in one way but not in another way as it will persist and not break down in the environment even after it’s useful life. Another less important downside of PVC decking is that it heats up with the summer sun, so if you’re the type to walk around in bare feet, this may not be a good product for you.  If you end up choosing PVC decking I would recommend Azek brand.  Stay away from Trex as they have had problems with mold in the product since they use partly use recycled PVC from municipal recycling programs.  The idea of Trex is a good one, but unfortunately it has it’s problems.

PVC Azek Deck

Imported flagstones are a very nice material. They come in many colours including black/charcoal, blue gray, green gray, tan, and peach, etc.  It is more economical than local flagstones due to the cheap labor in India and China but of course being brought over from these far off lands, they are a poor choice for the environment in my opinion and I’m guessing the working conditions and wages are probably not up to the standards that we would agree with here in Canada.

Indian (Halton) Square-Cut Flagstone Patio

Cedar Decking (western red or eastern white) is a beautiful material to look at and traditionally has been a material that is in high demand for patios.  My opinion of it has changed in the last few years as I try to promote materials that will last a lifetime.  Unfortunately cedar will rot within 15-25 years; it can be left to gray and therefore doesn’t require staining, however in practice, most people like to maintain its golden hue and therefore it requires yearly maintenance of a new coat of stain; and lastly it is not a sustainable resource.

Western Red Cedar Deck

Pressure treated lumber decking uses wood such as spruce, pine, and hemlock that is chemically treated to make it last 15-25 years. I do not trust the chemical they are impregnating it with and suspect it is toxic to us. They are now using a different chemical than they used to but my cynicism of chemical companies have me believe that in time we will find out that the new chemical is just as toxic as the old one. This picture below is the natural color of the wood with the chemical treatment in it.  It can be stained any color although I recommend waiting a couple of months until the wood dries out, before staining.

Pressure Treated Lumber Deck

Gravel Patios can be made with different types of gravel with differing colors. It is an economical choice but it will tend to migrate and get kicked into the gardens, and it doesn’t give a level stable surface to place chairs on.  As well, if there are any overhead trees, the leaves that fall in the fall can be a nuisance to clean out of the gravel, therefore it will inevitably be contaminated with organic matter over time.

Pea Gravel Patio

Mulch is also considered a cheap and cheerful alternative but when leaves drop from the trees in the fall it makes for a difficult clean up of the leaves without stripping all your mulch off your patio away and then needing to top off the patio on a yearly basis with fresh mulch.

Bark Mulch Patio

Poured concrete and patterned concrete can look very nice. My criticism of this material is that with frost heave coming each winter in northern climates like in Canada, it is inevitable that the concrete will crack which now makes your patio look in disrepair.

Patterned or Stamped Concrete Patio

Well, there you have it. The plethora of patio paving materials reviewed according to my experience and hopefully reviewed showing all sides to the story. I wish you luck with your new patio. May you have lots of great times on it!

Need help to design and build your patio or backyard outdoor living area?  Fill out our online inquiry form for a free estimate.

The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.

“I THINK THAT NO MATTER HOW OLD OR INFIRM I MAY BECOME, I will always plant a large garden in the spring.  Who can resist the feelings of hope and joy that one gets from participating in nature’s rebirth?”  ~Edward Giobbi

THE CHILL OF WINTER WINDS MIGHT HAVE YOU WISHING for the first buds of spring, but garden lovers don’t need to let the cold season get them down. In fact, this can be the ideal time to start planning your landscape for spring and summer. Leaving the work until the last minute, when plants are starting to push up through the ground, will only delay your enjoyment. So harness your excitement for spring and prepare a landscape design with some expert help.

TACKLING A LANDSCAPING PLAN CAN BE OVERWHELMING, so it’s a good idea to consult a professional landscape designer who knows the ins and outs of plants and how to layout the configuration of your garden; the patios – the sitting areas that you will enjoy your garden from; the hidden nooks – where you can get away, like an arbor nestled in a corner; the sheltered space – where you can evade the rain, the sun or the mosquitoes when needed. By starting in the winter, landscape designers will be more readily available to help you refine your plans, and you’ll be ready to get a head start as soon as the weather breaks.

SHOW ME YOUR GARDEN AND I SHALL TELL YOU WHAT YOU ARE. (Alfred Austin) The creation of a total living environment is a collaborative effort. Working with a professional landscape designer makes sense for those hoping to create more than a garden. Your landscape is a reflection on your personal style. It highlights your interests and provides additional living space. Whether you are hoping for a charming English style garden or an area designed for elegant entertaining, the most effective way to achieve your goals is by working with a professional.

Landscape architecture is the art of creating visually interesting and meaningful designs that provide for the client’s health, safety and well being, while preserving the environment.

LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS ARE TRAINED TO SHAPE SPACE IN NATURE; they have a feel for it because they do it all the time.  Landscape architects are editors of the planning and design process – editing and reconciling existing conditions, views, and elements. There are so many details involved in creating the landscape of one’s dreams that it’s easy to become confused. A landscape designer will be experienced in taking on the multiple unique challenges that every property poses. In the long run, hiring a professional, who will get it done right the first time, can save money. That professional will keep you from making expensive mistakes.

A MASTER PLAN OF THE SITE OR THE PROPERTY should be completed immediately in the design process so that views, context, scale, approach, form and function are primarily considered.  Budgets are often compromised in the process; do not skimp on the details. Including a landscape professional can help clarify any budgetary issues and expectations that emerge during the landscape planning.

Here are some tips that will inspire you to get started with your plans right now.

CONSIDER THE VIEW. Is there a certain room from which you tend to spend more time looking out at your landscape? If so, take the time to really examine what you’re seeing. Take note – literally – of anything that catches your eye, good or bad. Follow the sightlines, and notice where they take your eyes. This will give you a better-defined idea of what you want to accentuate, what you want to hide, and what could be adjusted.

COLLECT INSPIRATION. Flipping through magazines with colorful photos of beautiful gardens is always fun, but it can also be practical. Pull out pages that feature ideas or plants that you’d like to incorporate into your landscape design. Be sure to look at smaller photos, which often have a hard time standing up to full-page images, as they can be just as rich with ideas. Creating a file of images that inspire and excite you is a good idea, and it can be a great way to connect with your landscape designer when you meet.

THINK CURB APPEAL. Having a beautiful backyard retreat is often the goal of a landscaping project, but the view that guests and passersby have is just as important. A well-designed landscape can emphasize your home’s beauty and diminish any potential eyesores, making it more appealing to you, your neighbors and any potential buyers. According to the Journal of Environmental Horticulture, it’s been shown that well-designed landscapes can increase home sale prices up to 10.8 percent, compared to homes with simply average landscapes.

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.

Get a Landscape Plan for your property.  Fill out our online inquiry form to get started.

Have you ever wondered why we humans grow plants for recreation? The biggest reason may be for the color they provide. Used wisely, the colors found in your garden plants can help expand the appearance of your yard.

Warm colors (like red, yellow, brown and orange) have an exciting effect on the human brain. As a result, we are visually drawn toward them and they appear to advance toward us [source: Texas A&M]. Conversely, cool colors (like blue, green, pink and purple) appear to recede and visually blend in with the landscape.

By installing warm colored plants near the central focus of your yard — usually the house — you’ll draw attention to it. Installing cool colored plants along the borders and edges of your yard will create the illusion of distance and your yard will appear larger as a result.

Size is Everything

Like color, size can also create the illusion of distance. Plants leaves are divided into three categories – small-leafed, medium-leafed and large-leafed. These distinctions affect the way a plant reflects light. A small-leafed plant reflects lots of light and tends to form an airy whole. Coarse, large-leafed plants include lots of gaps where shadows can hide, creating a starker contrast between light and dark.

Like warm-colored plants, large-leafed plants tend to catch the eye. Small-leafed plants, like plants with cool colors, demand less visual attention and therefore fade into the background and seem more distant. By creating a textured visual line away from your garden’s focal point, with the coarsest plants nearest the center and fine-textured plants farthest away, you can create a false impression of distance. The eye of the beholder will be fooled.

Turning Japanese

Having been crammed onto a small island for the last few thousand years; the Japanese have become gurus at creating the illusion of additional space in small gardens. The Japanese have developed several techniques that use perspective to add perceived distance to actual distance.

One of those techniques is called altered perspective. The brain perceives small objects as farther away in relation to larger ones. By simply placing larger objects close to the viewer and smaller landscape elements beyond, you exaggerate the illusion of perspective. As a result, the perceived distance between the objects becomes larger (as does your yard). The Japanese also trick the eye by using bonsai — miniaturized plants — to alter perspective as well [source: Young, et al].

Miegakure is another Japanese technique that extends the size of a yard beyond its actual borders. By adeptly cluttering the landscape so that elements are hidden by other elements, the landscape isn’t revealed all at once [source: Young, et al]. A garden unfolds as the viewer ventures into it, disguising its actual size.

Winter Landscaping

BLOW, BLOW, THOU WINTER WIND. Thou art not so unkind, As man’s ingratitude. – William Shakespeare.  So winter has definitely arrived and I am thankful for the sun shining through the Silver Maple branches on the south/west side of my house.  The sun it allows in warms my house significantly in the daytime such that the furnace doesn’t need to run, which of course begs the question if you’re the average northerner: how can you use landscaping to save energy?

IN NORTHERN CLIMATES, people usually spend about ten times more for heating than for cooling.  Both the sun and wind affect the temperature of homes in winter. A significant amount of solar energy can be gained from the sun shining through south windows in the winter when the sun is low in the sky. East and west windows can also provide solar energy gain in winter. The solar energy may make up as much as 5-20% of the total energy needed to heat the home. Escaping warm air, along with cold wind entering a home, increase heating costs and account for 25-40% of the heating requirements. The stronger the wind and the colder the temperatures, the greater the effect.

AN UNPROTECTED HOME loses much more heat on a cold, windy day than on an equally cold, still day. Accurately selected plant choices and well designed landscaping can provide an excellent wind protection during the winter. It will inevitably reduce heating costs. Furthermore, these benefits will increase as the trees and shrubs mature.

WHEN PLANTING TREES FOR ENERGY CONSERVATION TRY TO:

• Create windbreaks to block harsh winter winds, but allow cool summer breezes to flow through;
• Increase the tree canopy to cool the surface area;
• Shade east and west windows in the summer, where most solar energy enters the house; and
• Avoid shading south windows in winter, where most solar enters the house.

Proper Tree Placement for Energy Efficient Landscaping

Air Flow Around House

IN MOST PLACES, THE HARSH WINTER WINDS come from a different direction than the cool summer breezes. Placing an effective windbreak along the side of the house where winter winds are strong can provide shelter from cold winds, and therefore reduce heating energy needs. The house protected by a windbreak used 23 percent less fuel. In one month, an exposed, electrically heated house in South Dakota used 443 kilowatt-hours to maintain an inside temperature of 70 degrees F.  An identical house sheltered by a windbreak used only 270 kilowatt-hours. The difference in average energy requirements for the whole winter was 34 percent.

VINES GROWING ON A HOUSE WALL, or on a trellis attached to a wall, will absorb the sun’s heat and shade the wall’s surface, allowing less conduction of heat from the sun to enter the house. In winter, the vine will reduce the amount of wind hitting the house walls, and will provide a small insulating layer of air.

FOUNDATION PLANTINGS OF SHRUBS AND SMALL TREES can also significantly reduce energy costs. In addition to reducing the amount of wind that actually hits a home, shrubs planted next to the house can provide insulation because they create a dead airspace next to the foundation. Plant shrubs so that when mature there will be approximately 1 foot of space between the plants and the building wall.

Windbreak Trees and Foundation Shrubs

IN ADDITION TO SHADING THE HOUSE, ideally trees should be planted to provide shade to air conditioners, parking places and paved areas in summer. This will allow the air conditioner to run more efficiently and will prevent heat buildup in cars and on pavement.  The ideal deciduous (plants that lose their leaves) shade trees for energy conservation are those with dense summer foliage and fine twigs in winter. Trees that lose their foliage by the time the heating season begins are best. Mature deciduous trees in summer block 60 to 90% of the sun.

Here are some quick money saving landscaping ideas:

The best windbreaks block wind close to the ground by using trees and shrubs that have low crowns.

Low & High Windbreak

Evergreen trees and shrubs planted to the north and northwest of the home are the most widespread type of windbreak.

Evergreen Windbreak

For maximum protection, plant your windbreak at a distance from your home of two to five times the full-size height of the trees.

Windbreak Over House

Evergreen trees combined with a wall, fence, or earth berm (natural or man-made walls or raised areas of soil) can deflect or lift the wind over the home.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME WE CONSIDERED all the costs of purchasing an item? Are we only considering what the cost will be upfront?  Or do we also determine the maintenance costs, the disposal costs, and the environmental impacts?  So many questions . . .

WELL, THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE FOUND OUT SO FAR: There are different types of life-cycle analyses that can be done.  The emerging science of environmental full life-cycle analyses or cradle-to-grave, from manufacture (‘cradle’) to use phase and disposal phase (‘grave’), are being done .  This type of assessment helps us make more informed decisions through a better understanding of the human health and environmental impacts of products, processes, and activities.

ANOTHER TYPE OF ANALYSIS IS A LIFE-CYCLE COSTING STUDY. The up-front costs of any purchase represent only a small proportion of the total cost of ownership.  The cost of ownership of an item or service is incurred throughout its whole life and does not all occur at the point of acquisition.  A purchasing decision normally commits us to over 95 per cent of the through-life costs.  There is very little scope to change the cost of ownership after the item has been delivered.  Furthermore, recurring costs can increase with time for example through increased maintenance costs as the item ages.

WITH OUR FORAY INTO THIS TYPE OF ANALYSES, we started with a comparison of a life-cycle cost analysis for LED bulbs in low voltage landscape lighting compared to the standard halogen bulbs.  We analyzed a system we were about to install which comprised quite a few lights, more than our average system, although the conclusions would not change with less lights.

THERE ARE FOUR VARIABLES that go into calculating the life cycle cost with LED lights:

•    savings in electricity costs

•    the cost of maintenance being lowered because the bulbs last much longer and don’t have to be changed every year

•    the savings in bulb costs

•    savings by using a smaller transformer as the electricity draw is less

See the detailed analysis

Conclusions

IF YOU WANT TO SAVE MONEY and have a lighter footprint, go with LED bulbs in your outdoor lighting system.  Actually go with them for your indoor lights too.  Although you will be increasing your initial cost, the initial cost will be recouped in two years.  After 20 years your savings will pay for your whole lighting system.  I suspect that no other choice in products will have this large an impact on your pocket book or your conscience.

NO MATTER WHO YOUR higher power is, the winter solstice is celebrated as a festival of lights all over the world. When the sun gets so low in the sky and the hours of the daylight dwindle down to depressingly few — at least for all of the countries north of the equator — we feel a human need to come together with friends and family. And when the sun, source of all of our life energy past and present, pulls itself out of free-fall and begins to trace arcs in the skyline that are ever-higher and higher on the horizon, we are filled with hope. Just as all living things on the planet are reborn, so may we ourselves be renewed, dedicating the year to come, let it be better and brighter.

AS THE EARTH REVOLVES around the sun, we resolve in our hearts to increase the peace in world. And we wish you a wonderful winter in 2009 and a happy new year in 2010, with love from all your friends at Green Apple Landscaping.

THE FILM STARTED OUT AS a personal project when I first apprenticed with earth architecture pioneers Ianto Evans and Linda Smiley in the rainforests of Oregon in the summer of 2004. At that time, I realized that natural building was going to be one of the most potent forces that could help shelter us from the converging catastrophes of the early twenty-first century. But it was being done out in the backwoods by hardcore deep ecologists, unaccessible to anyone else who hadn’t heard of it already. This was a grassroots movement that was never going to get good mainstream media attention; it deserved to tell its own story.

SO I BEGAN TO FILM what I saw and what I did, so that I could explain to all of my friends and relatives why building houses out of mud could be strong and beautiful, practical and affordable. It’s not easy to overcome most people’s prejudices towards dirt! In our hyper-regimented society, there is a serious stigma towards materials that are not industrially-produced and standardized. Anything out of the ordinary will usually be viewed with some suspicion, and anything that even remotely invokes the image of a ‘hippie’ house is going to get a lot of people’s guards up.

TO TELL THE STORY convincingly, I would have to prove that as a fundamental building material, unadulterated earth wasn’t only an appropriate choice for the third world, but that it had deep roots in Northern Europe and the Southwestern States, as well. To show that it could be built many stories high, I had to journey to the Middle East, and to show that it could withstand awesome earthquakes, I had to travel to the West Coast. To understand the origins of earthen architecture, I had to immerse myself in continental Africa, and to deal with legitimate questions about gentrification in the future, I had to really get to know inner city ghettoes.

IN MANY WAYS, I WOULD have much preferred to have just built my own house out of cob and be done with it, to just be the change that I want to see in the world. By now I would have long since finished building my dream home, wherever that might be in the world, sitting around the fire, baking bread, maybe taking care of a couple of goats. But there was a vacuum that desperately needed to be filled, and no one was stepping up to the plate, so I filled that niche as best as I could. And I have to say, I had a hell of a lot of fun traveling all around the world, meeting some amazing people, and learning a lot more than I would have from just staying in the same spot for four years.

THERE IS NO WAY THAT this film could possibly have been made all by myself. Computers got old and needed to be replaced, cameras broke down and new ones needed to be bought. When you’re in a foreign country and you don’t speak the local language, it’s helpful to have a traveling buddy who can take still shots while you shoot video, and vice-versa. Even if you’re using simple equipment, it also doesn’t hurt none to have another body to help lug it around across the continent and beyond. And when you’re only working intermittently on ecological activist jobs that exactly don’t pay hand over fist, there is no shame in availing yourself of ideological supporters who are willing to you get from place to place.

MANY PEOPLE CAME TOGETHER and contributed their skill sets to the project, because they believed that people need to know that the way that we house ourselves in North American is patently wrong-headed. They know that we need to look to all of our ancestors that used their ingenuity, and the common materials that were the closest — and to our best and brightest mad scientist environmentalists — who are using their ingenuity, and common materials that are the closest! Among these people, Peter held the vision, and contributed of his own time, energy, and resources to ensure that this important film would be seen by as many people as possible.

SO INVITE YOU TO WATCH the film FIRST EARTH – Uncompromising Ecological Architecture. Right now, while the DVD is still in post-production, you can see the film in its entirety in a YouTube-embedded frame on the official website for the film. Just click on the link “Videos”, and you can watch all twelve parts in succession. The website is also filled with additional material, hundreds of still photos and extended interview footage with some of the most important pioneers of the natural building movement. And if you enjoy the film, feel free to share it with anyone you wish. Happy viewing! – Compliments of Green Apple Landscaping.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVDXmUzuZUI

www.youtube.com/watch?v=stmQPaXGQzk