Landscaping & Design Ideas

For Immediate Release – Gaining Ground Landscaping, Inc. announced today that it has received Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation.

“Accreditation is an honor – many businesses are not eligible,” said David Weiss, BBB president. “Businesses that meet our high standards are invited to apply for accreditation. Applicants undergo a review process and ultimate approval by our Board of Directors.”

Businesses seeking BBB accreditation must commit to the BBB Code of Business Practices. The Code is a comprehensive set of policies, procedures and best practices on how businesses treat consumers. These standards call for building trust, embodying integrity, advertising honestly and telling the truth, being transparent, honoring promises, being responsive and safeguarding privacy.

BBB was founded in 1912 with a mission of fostering a fair marketplace and continues to be a resource for the public, providing objective, unbiased information about businesses. Reports on over three million businesses and charities are available at cleveland.bbb.org. A key piece of information that helps consumers make informed decisions is whether a company is BBB accredited. According to BBB, seven of 10 consumers say they are more likely to buy from a company designated as a BBB Accredited Business.

“We are proud to be a BBB Accredited Business,” said Jeffrey Heinz, President. “It signifies our commitment to customer service, reliability and trust. For any organization to excel in today’s environment, it is critical that they be fully committed to excellence. Our acknowledgment by the BBB aligns with and supports our efforts of providing superior service in the marketplace.”

Since 1999, Gaining Ground Landscaping, Inc. has been offering Landscaping, Patio Installation and Yard Maintenance Services throughout North Eastern Ohio including the cities of Valley View, Independence, Brecksville, Broadview Heights, North Royalton, Hinckley, Seven Hills, Brooklyn Heights, Sagamore Hills, Richfield, Avon Lake, Bay Village, Solon, Beachwood, Macedonia and Hudson.

2009 marked a record year for repairs for our company. Some of these repairs were performed on patios and retaining walls installed over ten years ago.  We were able to address the problem areas and correct them, leaving the project looking the way they did when they were installed.

Unfortunately, some repairs were performed on projects completed in the last five years.  With the boom in new home construction at that time, also came a rise in the number of companies performing hardscape work.  It was hard for us to see projects recently completed already in a state of disrepair.  For some, the only solution was to take it apart and start over.

At this point we were able to see the root cause of many of the problems.  Some retaining walls and patios were built with insufficient base.  Some walls were not backfilled with stone, nor was there any drainage.  There was no quick fix, and the homeowner was left with no choice but to pay to have the wall or patio built anew.

In many cases, we were told the company who originally installed the project was not returning their phone calls, or sometimes were out of business.  The customer had no other recourse but to sue to try to recoup some of their loss.  As unfortunate as this is, it happens all too often with many contractors in various trades.

It’s one reason I urge customers to carefully review proposals from different contractors.  In many cases they are not “apples to apples” comparisons.  It may be that one proposal calls for half the base material of the other.  By using less than the minimum amount of required base for a specific project, it is doomed from the start.  It may be a retaining wall that requires both drainage and geogrid to anchor it into the hillside.  Not putting either in will drive down the installation cost, but will also cause premature failure, leading to a collapsing wall after only a few years.

In some cases, the contractor may be well intentioned, but may not possess the knowledge or experience to complete the project properly.  Don’t allow your project to be their training ground!

Seek references, ask what kind of guarantee they provide, but be sure they will be around if something does go wrong in a few years.  Retaining walls and patios are expensive undertakings for a reason.  One contractor may be substantially higher than another for good reason.  The best price is not always the best value, this is true for anything we purchase.

When properly installed, a patio or retaining wall in the Cleveland area should provide years of hassle free enjoyment for you and your family.

Living in the Greater Cleveland Ohio area, we are subjected to some pretty severe winter months.  In fact, Forbes Magazine just ranked Cleveland as America’s worst winter city!  While that may be debatable, winters in Cleveland do take their toll, on both our state of mind and our homes & landscaping.

Our company meets with many people who ask us if we do both pavers & stamped concrete.  Or we often hear that the person will probably decide on stamped concrete because they think it will be cheaper.  While the initial installation cost of stamped concrete is often cheaper than pavers, there are some long-term drawbacks to saving a few dollars up front.

This brings us back to the climate here in Northeast Ohio.  The winter freeze-thaw cycles wreak havoc on our roads, both concrete and asphalt, our homes exterior as well as our sidewalks and driveways.  Anyone who drives around Cleveland and its suburbs in spring knows this well.  We cringe every time we hit a large pothole.

The same freeze-thaw cycles that destroy our streets annually are working against our driveways,  sidewalks, and patios at home.  Whether they be asphalt, concrete, stamped concrete, or pavers, our pavements are subjected to these forces throughout the winter.

With concrete or stamped concrete, flaking will occur.  The subgrade may settle, resulting in cracks in the concrete.  And de-icing salts will speed up the deterioration process.  With stamped concrete, the colors will begin to fade and lose their luster after only a few short years.  The only viable option at that point is to wait until it is in such disrepair that it needs to be replaced.  In the mean time, you are left dealing with an eyesore. There is no option to repair.

This is one of the distinct advantages of pavers, and one reason the long term value of pavers far outweighs any initial price difference.  When those same forces work against your paver surface, three types of interlock are at work to keep them in place.  Vertical, horizontal, and rotational interlock insure that the pavers are locked into place.  The inherent joint lines in pavers contribute to the pavement’s strength.

This is not to say that Cleveland winters will not eventually take their toll on a paver surface.  But the good new is that the paver itself will not be damaged.  This allows for repairs to the base by simply lifting out the pavers in the problem area, correcting the base, and laying the pavers back into the pattern.  Sometimes the problem occurs with the edge restraints lifting or cracking, which is also a relatively quick and inexpensive fix.

One great example as to the durability and longevity of pavers comes from Holland.  Living on land that was once ocean that is now protected by dikes, the ground settles 6″-12″ every five to ten years.  The settling is caused by the removal of water in the soil that slowly seeps in from the sea.  The pavers are removed and set aside, while the base is brought back up to grade.  The pavers are then put back in place.  The need for this type of paving system has led to a 1,000 year tradition of using pavers.

On the contrary, we would be lucky if a street or driveway in the Cleveland area lasted just 20 years!  But the beauty of a paver system is that it is repairable, rather than needing replaced.  Keep this in mind when trying to decide between concrete or pavers.

When constructing an interlocking concrete pavement, there are some general minimum guidelines that apply to most areas in the U.S.  These guidelines are geared towards regions with freeze-thaw cycles.  In non freeze-thaw regions with sandy, well drained soils, there may be no base requirements for residential and pedestrian paver surfaces.

The thickness of the base is determined by traffic loads, soil strength, subgrade soil drainage and moisture, and climate.  Local standards for base thickness of asphalt pavements can be applied to surfaces constructed with concrete pavers.

In the Cleveland area, the following minimum thickness should be used:

• Sidewalks, patios, and walkways- 4″
• Residential driveways- 10-12″
• Parking lots and residential streets-10-12″ often more

As you can see, different types of applications have different base requirements.  These are generally the minimums for paver projects in our regions, but they can vary due to soil conditions.  It is important for you or your paver installer to know the base requirements for your project.  This will ensure that the job is installed properly and will last for years to come.

Also remember that base depth does not mean excavation depth.  If your patio or walkway requires a four inch compacted base, you will still need to factor in your finished height, and allow space for both your bedding sand and the thickness of the paver.

For example, if your finished height will be even with the existing grade, and you plan to use a paver that is 2 3/8 inches thick, you will be required to excavate approximately seven inches.  If you plan to use a thicker paver, make sure you allow for the additional thickness when you excavate.  Cutting corners in any phase of a paver project will result in the shortened longevity and usefulness of the paved surface.  By spending the time and energy to achieve proper base thickness, you are providing your paver patio or walkway with a key component of its integrity for the life of the pavement.

Interlocking pavements are considered flexible pavements.  Loads are distributed through the base by surface contact and interlocking through the various materials, including the paver, jointing sand, bedding sand and base.  The base, which is a crushed limestone or recycled concrete, protects the subgrade from deforming under loads.  When a load reaches the soil layer,  it is distributed across a wide area so that the soil does not deform or rut.  Knowing what kind of loads will be used ensures that the proper amount of base material is installed at the time of installation.  Whether it be pedestrian traffic on a backyard patio, or the weight of heavy machinery at a shipping dock, the right base depth ensures that the pavers distribute the load properly to the subgrade below.

Interlocking pavers spread loads across the base, and can move with minor movements in the base without cracking.  This gives pavers an advantage over asphalt or concrete, which can crack if the base moves, or crack from expansion during freeze thaw cycles.  Another advantage of concrete pavers is their strength.  Poured concrete is rated at about 3,000 psi, whereas concrete pavers carry a rating of at least 7,000 psi.  If it does not carry a rating of at least 7,000 psi, it is not technically considered a paver.  More reputable manufacturers, such as Techo-Bloc, Unilock, and Belgard, having ratings of over 10,000 psi.  They also carry a full lifetime warranty that covers the structural integrity of the paver.

Concrete pavers are more durable than asphalt, offering higher resistance to abrasion, freeze thaw cycles, de-icing salts, concentrated loads, and stains.

Poured concrete is considered a rigid pavement that works on the principle of the layer of concrete protecting the soil subgrade.  Loads are spread by the concrete and bridge soft spots in the soil.  Poured concrete is durable, but requires time to cure, whereas pavers are ready for use immediately upon installation.  Poured concrete cracks and deteriorates due to shrinkage, loads,  and weather.  In contrast, the joints in an interlocking pavement contribute to it’s strength.

People often wonder what keeps the pavers from moving after they have been laid. There are 3 types of interlock that keep them in place.

Vertical Interlock is achieved by the shear transfer of loads to surrounding pavers through the sand in the joints.

Rotational Interlock is maintained by the pavers being of sufficient thickness, placed closely together, and restrained by a curb or edge restraint from lateral forces.

Horizontal Interlock is achieved through the use of laying patterns that disperse forces.  Certain shapes have been shown to contribute to horizontal interlock, offering additional resistance to lateral forces.  Stable edge restraints also maintain horizontal interlock, keeping the pavers tight at the edges of the pavement.

If not properly installed, all of these aspects can fail over time.  The result would be heaving, settling, rotating, or separation around the perimeter.  A properly installed paver project would require minimal attention over the lifetime of the pavement.

When planning your landscape design, there are many factors one should take into consideration.  Your design and plant selection should be specific to both your geographic area, including your yard’s sun and shade requirements, and it should be tailored to your desires.  Whether you’re the type who wants to spend every moment of free time you have in the garden, or you barely have time to cut the grass, there is a plan that is right for you.  These are things you should consider before any designing or planting takes place.  Sometimes we see beautiful plants at the local nursery and compulsively think they are must-haves, but after only a short while, the plant that looked so good at the store has withered in your yard.

Another pitfall to avoid is being so focused on the price of the plant or tree, that we neglect seeking the best quality.  Many people call one garden center after another looking for the best price on the same sized plants.  Without ever setting eyes on it, they go to where they think they are getting the best deal.  But the best price and the best deal are two different things.  The best way to select the plants for your landscape is to visit the different garden centers and see what it is you are paying for.

If you are looking to hire these services out to a landscaper, do some checking before you hire.  Just like when purchasing plants and trees, getting the best price does not equate to getting the best value.  If you hire a company because they were the cheapest, there’s probably a reason.  If they don’t have liability insurance or Worker’s Compensation insurance, and they do damage to your property or someone gets hurt on your property, you become liable.  By trying to save a few dollars, it can end up costing you your house.  If the deal seems to good to be true, then it probably is.  Experienced landscape installers have years of experience in how to properly face the plant, how large to dig the hole, how to read plans, and how to make on-the-job changes.  A reputable company will also be able to provide advice and assistance to you long after the installation has been completed

Buying plants and landscape services is like anything else.  You get what you pay for.  Your landscape should be considered an investment, and treated accordingly.  In the end, the landscape design and plants and trees you select should provide years of beauty and enjoyment for you and your guests.  There is a plan that is right for your yard and your needs.

If your lawn seems to struggle no matter what you do, you may be ready to throw in the towel and start over with a new lawn.  However, it may not require such a drastic step.  If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you may need to consider replacing your existing lawn with a species and variety more suited for your growing conditions.

• Are you trying to grow the wrong grass for your climate?
• Does your lawn regularly turn brown in the summer?
• Is your lawn the last on the block to turn green in the spring, or first to turn brown in the fall?
• Are there more weeds than grass in the spring?
• Do weeds such as crabgrass present a constant battle despite efforts to control them?
• Is most of the turf coarse bladed and pale colored?
• Is your lawn a series of patches of three or more different colored or textured grasses?
• Do insects other than grubs leave large dead patches in your lawn?
• Are there puddles in the lawn after a heavy rain, causing the grass to turn yellow or lose vigor?
• Does the grass wilt if it’s not watered regularly?

Severe and consistent weed infestations and diseases are signs of  a larger problem, possibly poor soil.  If your lawn consists of more than half weeds, then it is best to replace it.  If diseases occur throughout the lawn at least once each year, you should replace it with a disease-resistant grass.  If your lawn has problems with insects, replace it with an insect-resistant variety.

Water puddling on the surface and wilting are signs that the soil needs improvement.  Removing the turf and mending the soil will provide the best results.

Less serious problems require less drastic measures.  You should repair rather than replace your lawn if:

• Most of the grass is fine bladed and deep green.
• The grass may be thin but generally healthy.
• The lawn is less than 25% weeds.
• Diseases occur occasionally or not at all.
• Grass turns brown only during severe droughts.

Repairing can consist of adjusting your fertilizing and watering regime, overseeding with new varieties, aerating, de-thatching and topdressing.

Our customers often ask when the best time of the year to prune & trim is.  The short answer is:  It depends on what is being pruned, and also what you are trying to accomplish.

Often people think of pruning as getting an overgrown shrub or tree back down to a manageable size.  But there are many reasons to prune that have nothing to do with size.  Proper pruning and trimming not only improve the appearance of the plant, but also the condition and vitality.

Pruning can repair damage before more occurs.  It can encourage higher yields of fruits or flowers.  It can make a plant’s shape both more attractive and able to better withstand storms and heavy snows.  It will not only stimulate new growth, but also direct that growth where you want it to go.

You need to be careful about when you prune, because pruning in the wrong season can decrease flowers and fruits.  If you cut back a forsythia in the winter it won’t bloom much in the spring because you have removed most of the flower buds.  It is important to learn the specific needs of each plant you have in your landscape to avoid mistakes like these.  Your local nursery or landscape professional should be able to help you determine the best time to prune your plants.

Here are some general timing guidelines, but it is important to remember that there are exceptions to every rule.

Winter: Trimming deciduous plant in winter can promote fast growth in spring.  The lack of foliage also makes this easier because you can see the shape and branch structure of the plant.  The end of winter is ideal because wound closure begins in spring.

Early Spring: Pruning just before new growth starts allows plants to recover quickly and stimulates growth.

Summer: Summer pruning can cause damage by exposing previously shaded tissue to the sun.  It can also stunt the plant’s growth because it is now using it’s energy to close the wounds caused by pruning.  This is sometimes beneficial in slowing the growth of fast growing hedges.

Fall: Fall is the worst time to shear plants because it encourages new growth that may not have time to harden before winter.  The new growth may then be killed by the cold.  Thinning plants in the fall is ok, especially after the plant has gone dormant.

This is meant to be a general guideline to pruning.  By identifying and researching the specific plants in your landscape, you should be able to tailor a specific plan that fits your needs, and promotes beautiful and healthy growth in your yard.

As we look toward spring, there may be a few projects on the horizon for you this year. Whether it be a landscaping renovation, a new paver patio, or a new retaining wall, contact us today to lock in Spring Discounts.

We will meet with you to go over your project, create a design that is right for you, and set up a time to review the proposal. After going over the proposal, just let us know that you saw this ad online (or click on the coupon and print), and receive 10% off the total cost of the job. That was easy. But hurry, this offer ends April 15th, 2010!

When trying to find the right contractor for your paver job, there are some important questions you should ask. The answers can reflect differences in job price and job quality amongst different contractors competing for the same job. By looking for the best price in town, consumers may be sacrificing quality, safety, and in some cases liability.

In order to ensure a quality installation, the following questions should be asked:

• How long have they been installing pavers?
• Have they been trained by a manufacturer or by the ICPI?  Do they have a written certificate of completion?
• What percentage of their total business consists of installing pavers?
• Will they provide you with three references?
• Can you contact their references and inspect their jobs?
• Do they have a portfolio of photos to qualify themselves?
• Do they currently have a liability insurance certificate?  While on your property, they should be insured for any damage and injuries that may occur.
• Can the contractor provide proof of Worker Compensation insurance?
• Do they install the job per ICPI specifications?
• Do they guarantee their work for at least one year?  Will they return for an inspection before the guarantee expires?

These questions, along with any job specific questions, will ensure you are selecting a competent contractor for you paver project.