During the dog days of summer, it’s easy to see why many architects and homeowners are beginning to favor a buff or tan version of flagstone over the traditional blue/gray color. The reason is
HEAT. On a 90 degree day, I can go into our stone yard and put my hands on our
Buff Sandstone or
Golden Sunset flagstone for an indefinite period of time. I can’t do that with the dark blue/gray, green or dark red flagging. My hands begin to burn after 10-15 seconds. If you and your family are prone to be bare foot while on the patio or (obviously) the pool deck, then the lighter material may be the way to go.
I’ve attached a really nice photograph that I ran across recently in a stone journal. To me, this patio and outdoor kitchen have a really fresh feel. It’s because of the light colored flagstone (
Buff Sandstone), matching counters and wall cap, and light colored building stone. I believe this to be the future trend of stonework on the east coast.
Posted by: Irwin Stone in stone fireplace, stone, patio, outdoor kitchen, landscaping, Home & Garden, gadgets, free-standing fireplace, fireplace, concrete fireplace, backyard on
Aug 1, 2009
Have you seen any of the Home & Garden magazines lately? They’re filled with pictures of outdoor kitchens and free-standing fireplaces. Without a doubt, these backyard creations are the hottest things on the patio/landscaping market right now. With the recent shakeup in the housing market, fewer people are looking to trade up to a bigger house and instead they’re looking to spruce up their backyard. At Irwin Stone, we sell many types of stone to create the perfect built-in grill, a fire pit or free-standing fireplace. In fact, we now sell a pre-fab outdoor fireplace that is ready to be veneered with the stone of your choice. These fireplaces are made of concrete, they comply with UL127 standards and can be put together (the kit arrives as 26 pieces) in a matter of hours. A photo of the concrete 36” unit is shown below. After the pre-fab unit is together, it can be veneered with full-bed building stone, thin veneer stone or brick (see photo below).
So why has this become so popular? Like almost everything, it’s all about the money. There is a huge labor savings because of the speed with which these fireplaces are completed. It’s much less expensive than building a complete free standing fireplace from scratch. In the coming years, I expect to see a lot more of these fireplaces in backyards.
Posted by: Irwin Stone in Washington DC, Washington, Virginia, Stoneyhurst quarry, Stoneyhurst Building Stone, Stone Masonry, Stone Delivery, Slate Masonry, Slate Delivery, Silver Lake, Maryland, Lake George, Gravel Masonry, Gravel Delivery, Decorative Slate, Decorative Gravel, DC, Chocolate Gray, Buy Stone Products, Buy Stone Materials, Buy Slate, Buy Gravel, Buy Building Stone on
Jun 15, 2009
For years, Stoneyhurst Quarry was one of several quarries producing the most dominant building stone in the Washington, DC area. The quarry was located near Potomac and was closed several years ago. Stoneyhurst stone was predominantly brown and blue in color, readily available and located centrally for the residential boom that has taken place since the 1960’s. Since the closing of the Stoneyhurst Quarry, architects, builders and masons have approached us, looking for stone with similar colors and features.
Irwin Stone has developed 3 product lines that have taken up the slack since the closing of the Stoneyhurst Quarry. These products are:
- Lake George
- Chocolate Gray
- Silver Lake
Recently, we’ve seen more and more architects use a combination of Lake George and Chocolate Gray to achieve a look that closely matches that of Stoneyhurst. Each of these products brings its own unique qualities and color to a new house or fireplace. These 3 products are 3 of our top 4 building stones. The following picture is of a recently built house using a combination of Chocolate Gray and Lake George.
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