Landscaping Rocks Blog

Stone Haven is not only renowned for the range of natural stone products we carry, but in the way we present their potential to customers through landscape displays. We have always believed that a stone retailer should do more than make stone available to sale. Truly qualified stone professionals demonstrate their expertise by showcasing the product at its best. This demonstrates faith in its quality, and enough experience to help retail and wholesale customers alike make the right choices for their projects.

Our natural stone landscape displays begin right at the entrance of the stone yard with a water feature and two stone walls. One wall is a traditional, double faced New England stone wall. The other is a Scottish wall (also double faced) built with New York wall stone. As you proceed to the parking area you’ll see a variety of retaining walls that use various types of wall stone, each designed to show how that stone will look when it’s laid into a retaining wall by skilled hands.

Enjoy our beautiful gardens as you head up to the store. You can’t miss our pergola, built with ten 10-foot columns made from many types of building stone. The pergola provides a beautiful introduction to what natural stone can do for you. In it, we display laid patio stones, stone walls, and even another water feature. The pergola is effectively a small gallery, comfortable and accessible even on rainy days. There’s no need to rush, either, as sitting areas provide a place to rest and take in the craftsmanship.

Moving around to the backyard, you’ll find will find yet another water feature, well-kept gardens and a 4 foot tool retaining wall build to show you a range of natural stone. Regular and irregular stone steps give you a chance to compare and contrast both styles, and imagine how they might look at your site.

Remember, if you have any questions during your visit, please talk to us! Until then, take a look around, because there’s always something new to see at Stone Haven.

Tags: English, Landscaping Rocks, Natural stone, Retaining Walls, natural stone by mike
No Comments »

After years of laying natural stone for walls, patios, walkways and dozens of other types of projects I’m proud of where I’ve taken my craft. More than that, I’ve come to understand some of the attributes that separate amateurs from true natural stone professionals. Let me share four of the qualities I think stone layers need to progress to this level.

Passion: The most creative stone layers have an undeniable passion for their work. It’s sometimes difficult for an amateur to understand why someone would want to spend their entire professional life working with natural stone. You need to apply strength, patience and a memory of the techniques you need and the characteristics that apply to a specific type of natural stone. Passion is an appreciation for that detail because you can see it all as part of one process that turns the raw stone into something perfectly suited to its function, whether that’s a stone retaining wall, patio or path.

Mastery of the Tools: A professional stone layer learns to orchestrate his tools efficiently, moving effortlessly from one tool to the next. This ability has to come from a love of the craft or it simply won’t appear, because it requires constant practice and the commitment needed to procure the right chisels, hammers, levels, squares and other tools for the job. Don’t underestimate the effort it takes to put together a truly complete set of tools! A good stone layer avoids using a less than ideal tool for a particular task and doesn’t get confused over his selection of tools. Once he has them on hand, the job may look easy – but nothing that looks so easy ever is without intense preparation.

Knowledge of the Stone: A true professional knows the important differences between each type of stone. This includes its relative weight, strength and how it reacts to different tools and environmental phenomena. This way, he can do more than just get the job done, but participate in choosing the correct natural stone. An expert stone layer is a valuable resource for an architect, landscaping professional or interior designer because he keeps those individuals from making poor choices about the stone to use. Furthermore, a stone layer learns about the cosmetic qualities of different natural stone varieties, including color and texture, and should over time know where to find them from a reputable stone retailer or stone wholesaler (depending on the type of job).

Creativity: Laying stone requires more creativity than you might think. A laid down surface is like a puzzle where the person solving it (the stone layer) gets to “cheat” by reshaping the pieces, but he must make the end result attractive and functional. There are countless ways to arrange stones in a path, but not all of them are practical. A stone layer can find the best looking option. He can build a wall with a beautiful pattern with its structural requirements.

The end result is that he’s created a piece of art out of natural stone. His solution shows the imagination and talent of the stone layer and the natural beauty of the stone.

Tags: English, Flagstones, Landscaping Rocks, Retaining Walls, Uncategorized by mike
No Comments »

Stone Haven is looking ahead to the 2010 season. We have a number of plans for the New Year based on our understanding of upcoming trends in landscaping and interior design with natural stone, as well as new opportunities that will allow us to serve our customers better.

As a stone retailer we pay close attention to customer preferences through each season and use them to meet upcoming demands. As a stone wholesaler we use our contacts in the professional community to ensure that our stone meets their needs, so that they can perform work of the highest quality. As a result, we’re confident that we’re going to have exactly what each customer needs for the upcoming season. Here are just a few of the developments we’re working on.

Stone Haven will be increasing its selection of thin interior building stone.  This stone can be used for interior flooring and walls throughout the home. Stone interiors have become increasingly popular to provide attractive flooring, walls and work surfaces. We’ll be prepared to meet the growing demand.

Thin building stone is also a popular choice for exteriors. By using a slab of cement as a base it’s possible to lay an array of attractive exterior surfaces.

As customers grow more aware of the flexibility of natural stone and develop more sophisticated ideas about interior and exterior design they want more variety. We’ve always prided ourselves on being able to provide a variety of stone types and colours to fit almost any need, so we’ll continue to keep a complete range of quality natural stone on hand.

Finally, we know that people are watching their budgets closely, so we’re working to provide natural stone in all price ranges, so that customers can fit stone into virtually any landscaping or interior design project.

Contact us now to learn more about our 2010 plans and to talk about your needs. Mike Stone’s extensive experience means he can help you find the stone you need to complement your project.

Tags: English, Landscaping Rocks, Retaining Walls, Stone Veneer by mike
No Comments »

Spring projects require winter planning. If you have a spring or summer landscape project coming up, now is the time to start contacting an architect, landscaper, stone retailer and excavation company to help plan and execute your work.

The winter months are a perfect time to plan. First of all, the summer landscaping season is extraordinarily busy for landscaping professionals, so booking time with them now puts you at the front of the line. Otherwise, you may have to wait to work with contractors who can only spare a strictly limited amount of time to your project.

Winter is also a great time to secure your pick of natural stone such as sandstone and granite stone. Stone Haven makes a point of keeping a complete stock as much as possible, but the best way to get the exact stone you want is to order ahead of time, so that it will be ready for you from the first day. Winter is also an opportunity to consult with us about your specific needs, so that you’ll be ready for projects ranging from stone retaining walls to large flagstone patios.

Once you consult with professionals you’ll be able to look at the area you want worked on with an eye toward the specific requirements defined by your team. We have decades of experience providing this kind of insight to people looking at using stone in landscaping and other projects, so we can certainly provide useful input.

Generally speaking, you’ll need to know the size and shape of the area. The more exact your measurements, the more useful they’ll be. Do you know exactly how wide, long and tall the area you’ve set aside for a patio is? How is the land sloped, and by how much? Where does water typically drain? Professionals are interested in knowing the answers so that they can give you the best guidance and get to work as efficiently as possible.

In Stone Haven’s case, your answers, the type of project and the look you want will influence everything from the recommended natural stone type to the amount you’ll use. At this point, many homeowners can get struck with a need for inspiration. Fortunately, we have many examples of beautiful natural stone work on hand to help inspire you.

Furthermore, we have the experience to work with other professionals. We understand each other, help you define exactly what you want, and prepare a plan designed to put our best efforts into your property. Once the season starts, you’ll be in good hands and soon enough, you’ll have a beautiful landscape ready to enjoy for the remainder of next year’s warm weather.

Think about your vision and contact us to start the process.

Tags: English, Landscaping Rocks, Retaining Walls by mike
No Comments »

Homeowners, landscapers and even architects will forget landscaping basics from time to time. It isn’t enough to just be technically proficient laying granite stone and other landscaping rocks, or to only provide a solid set of stone walls. A quality landscaping job needs to look balanced – in other words, its elements need to work together to both look good and make it easy for people to enjoy in a practical sense.

Over my years building stone retaining walls, stone patio features, doing general landscaping and acting as a stone retailer and wholesaler who advises landscapers, I’ve come to appreciate the difference a balanced landscape makes to appearance and usability.

For example, imagine if your driveway goes up to the centre of your property, possibly to end in a roundabout or take a “U” shape in front of the main entrance. On a sizable property, just clustering everything by the entrance makes it look too busy, so you’ll have to landscape either side of the driveway.

If you build up one side with retaining walls surrounding an extensive garden, with stone steps leading up, while leaving the other side with nothing but some trees and driveway-level flower beds your landscape will look imbalanced from the front, both in terms of how developed each side is, and by relative level. Practically speaking, your guests have to cross the driveway to enjoy either open space or get to the garden, which is a nuisance.

If you built up a mix of garden space and open recreational space on either side, you can enjoy both sides and keep traffic over the driveway to a minimum. You don’t need to make both sides exactly the same, but ask yourself this: Do both sides attract my eyes equally? Is there any one location I would never go to because it looks bare or is annoying due to a slope or poor sign lines?

The important thing is the overall view and practical comfort, which should attract you on all sides and blend naturally from any direction, so there’s always something interesting to see, and you don’t feel “blocked” from a particular feature. Take care that a focal point like a trees or stone isn’t so dominating that it causes the imbalance. Sometimes, on particularly “loud” feature is all it takes to throw your landscape off kilter.

Come up to out landscaping stone showroom and talk to us. We can advise you how different varieties of landscaping stone can help you provide balance to your property through properly placed stone walls, flagstone steps and patios, and more. We have the experience on staff to answer your questions and look forward to hearing from you.

Tags: English, Flagstones, Granite Stone, Landscaping Rocks, Retaining Walls by mike
No Comments »

As time is such a valued commodity nowadays, a low maintenance property lets you be creative and enjoy the property without devoting the long hours you need for work and family. That’s why low maintenance landscaping is not only a practical choice for institutions and property management firms but also individuals who want a beautiful landscape, but aren’t sure of their ability to make a time or financial commitment.

Once completed, you can take care of a low maintenance landscape for a fraction of the time required for its high maintenance counterpart. The disadvantage is that a low maintenance property can rarely match the spectacular features of a harder to maintain properties.

Still, you can get a lot out of a little effort by sticking to a design philosophy of elegant simplicity. This gives you low maintenance property gardens, but only at key locations where they’ll have maximum visual impact. Even the most labour intensive property can end up looking gaudy and overdone compared to a low maintenance landscape with correct composition and a solid construction/

Use landscaping stones such as sandstone and granite stone as tough decorative elements. If you choose the right variety from a stone retailer it can serve as its own decoration above and beyond any gardens or the other soft landscaping features it supports.

Stone retaining walls along with other practical or decorative stone walls are great additions to a landscaped property. Retaining walls let you reshape the property to be less prone to serious erosion, and if you choose the right landscaping stone (such as sandstone, limestone or granite) your walls, if properly built, should work perfectly without demanding maintenance for several years.

Lawns that have a rolling appearance also add interest to a property, and can be used to better control drainage than a flat grassy area. The key is to combine practical and visual goals, and try to do a little perfectly, instead of doing too much with too little money and materials.

Tags: English, Granite Stone, Landscaping Rocks, Retaining Walls, Sand Stone by mike
No Comments »

High maintenance properties are show pieces. They’ve got abundant flower beds, rock gardens, water features, flowering shrubs and trees, often arranged across multiple levels and combined with stone retaining walls and other stone landscaping features. The result can be breathtaking, but without regular management weeds, erosion and general neglect can make them extremely unattractive. That’s why they’re called “high maintenance properties.”

Two types of people are interested in high maintenance properties. The first group is financially capable of carrying the expenses inherent in keeping up the property. They can hire maintenance teams to do the watering, pruning, planting, mowing and other chores required to maintain the property’s spectacular appearance. The wealthiest property owners can afford to buy expertise so they’ll have people on hand who can, for example, recommend Penn Blue sandstone for a path or decorative wall.

The other typical owner is a retired, semi-retired or a dedicated workaholic (I’m in that last category) who wants to constantly work on the property. He enjoys it as a hobby, or is a landscaping professional who wants to demonstrate his skills on his own real estate. One of the advantages here is that if you do it yourself, you’ll be able to explore your own ideas thoroughly, instead of describing them in vague terms for a contractor to interpret. If you imagine a hardscape that uses a certain type of granite stone, for example, you can make it happen – as long as you learn the correct skills.

No matter which category belong to, choosing high maintenance properties can, once you apply the right mindset, help you relax, even if you’re taking on a substantial amount of work to develop the land into something you’ll love – and that’s because you will love it. The great thing about these projects is that you are ultimately investing in yourself. It’s your land and your dreams taking shape, so as the project continues your ideas will take you down unexpected paths – a stone retaining wall with a particular bend, shrubs where you didn’t expect them, and other examples of creativity born from your own ideas and the practical aspects of working with the land. That special relationship between your dreams and the real earth and stone of landscaping, creates genuine beauty that is definitely worth the effort.

Tags: English, Granite Stone, Retaining Walls by mike
No Comments »

Stone retaining walls can be used to keep gardens, lawns, flower beds and banks level and healthy, as long as you properly place and build them. Retaining walls are beautiful, too. When they’re well-built, they can be used as focal points themselves. Enhance your landscape using a stone retaining wall by incorporating just a few simple ideas.

1. Choose natural stone for your retaining wall. No other material has the same character or variety as natural stone. Contact Stone Haven or visit our showroom to explore the possibilities. In a world where people walk by standardized brick and concrete every day, natural stone stands out.

1. If your wall is going to be longer than 30 linear feet you may want to install some natural stone steps near the center of the wall. These give you and your guests access to the area above the wall. With the right stone and construction, the steps will add beauty as well as functionality to your retaining wall.

1. Put a curve in the wall for a natural look. You can also give the wall an organic ambiance by building the retaining wall so that its height follows the lay of the land. Remember that at either end of the wall, you have the option of either tapering it off or making square corners with a return into the bank.

1. A natural stone cap that overhangs the wall by 2 or 3 inches will act as a crown for your masterpiece and strengthen the wall, too. Use a stone cap to frame the wall, bring attention to the patterns in your work, and emphasize the different shapes of individual stones within the retaining wall.

1. Add the odd large rock to the wall to give it a character all its own. A beautiful natural stone wall is a unique object; it quickly becomes a local landmark or a friendly, familiar site to anyone familiar with the area. That not only makes your property more beautiful, but transfers that to your entire neighbourhood.

Tags: English, Retaining Walls, Uncategorized by mike
No Comments »

My wife Sue and I would like to welcome home owners, landscapers, architects, stone masons and retailers to our store and show room at 570 Knowlton Road, Lac Brome , Qc. Canada. I have, as of this year, been working in the stone and landscape trade for 40 years! With over 3 1/2 acres of natural stone we have one of the largest selections of landscape and building stone in Quebec.  Deliveries are usually within 24 hours or the same day.  The coffee is always on and our expert staff would be pleased to answer your questions and make sure your order(s) go out on time .
Mike Stone / President

Tags: English, Fieldstone, Flagstones, Granite Stone, Landscaping Rocks, Retaining Walls, Sand Stone by mike
No Comments »