Project Profile – What’s Old Is New Again

Recycling Landscape Materials To Make New Projects

If you did not know it by now, at Allentuck Landscaping Co, we love to recycle just about everything we can think of. We turn our customer’s yard waste (to the tune of 5,400 cy. yds each year) into leafmold that gets returned into gardens. In the shop we recycle tires, batteries, oil and metals. Of course, in the office we recycle paper, cans and bottles. We’ve even been known to turn old wooden pallets into garden stakes, bird houses and planters!

Recently, we had the opportunity to recycle two customer’s landscape materials into new projects for them.

Old Bricks Become A New Patio

In this first project, we have worked with the customer in Potomac, Maryland for over 20 years. From the beginning, their brick patio had been falling apart and needed to be redone. The railroad ties around it had deteriorated and the brick pavers were shifting away from each other.

Following a frank conversation about the available options, we got the green light to re-build that patio. The bricks were lifted and set aside, the sand base was removed (it turned out to be 10” deep!) and the railroad ties were discarded.

Next, we installed new pressure treated timbers, graded out and tamped a new aggregate stone base and sand leveling base (only 1” this time) and re-installed the brick pavers. To give the pavers a fresh look we brought in the power washer. New plants complimented the patio with stunning color and texture.

The new patio turned out beautifully and our client will be enjoying it for years to come.

A Stone Patio is Re-Purposed Into A Welcoming Walkway

In this project in North Potomac, Maryland, our client wanted to remove a natural stone patio that was falling apart and install a basketball court for his children to enjoy. They also happened to have an ugly, plain concrete stoop and walkway that did not compliment their beautiful home.

The solution, remove the stone from the patio and use it to cover the ugly concrete walkway. The stone itself was natural, quarried irregular stone. This means that each piece needed to be fitted or cut to fit with other pieces. It is a painstaking process and our team did a fantastic job.

Piece by piece, the stones were mortared onto the concrete. The crew started with the sides of the stoop, moved onto the top surface of the stoop and then worked their way down the walkway to the driveway.

In the end, the walkway is like no other in the neighborhood and creates a warm welcome at the end of the day and to visiting friends.

Recycling old materials is not always an option as it was in these two projects, but if it is, repurposing is a wonderful way to make use of what is already available.

Similar Posts:

Front Walkway and Stoop in Gaithersburg, MD

Elegant Flagstone Patio and Fire Place in Chevy Chase, MD

Remember, Allentuck Landscaping Co. is always here to help you design, install, construct and maintain you lawn and landscape. Now is the time to get your 2016 Lawn and Landscape Maintenance Quote. Give us a call!