Month: June 2016

Hardscapes in McLean VA: Cleaning Pool Pavers

There are many benefits to keeping your pool’s paver hardscapes clean at your McLean home. These are:

  • Improving safety: above all else, safety is the most important benefit to keep your pavers clean and well maintained. Your pool pavers are around water constantly, which makes them susceptible to mold, mildew, and algae. These are health hazards for many reasons, including respiratory issues from breathing in the mold and mildew, and slips and falls caused by algae. Cleaning your hardscapes in McLean on a regular schedule will go a long way to preventing these problems. A good sealer will also be required.
  • Protecting your investment and warranties: you’ve invested in some gorgeous pavers for your family pool; it only makes sense that you should spend some time and effort keeping those pavers in the best condition possible. Proper cleaning and maintenance can also help to protect any warranties that you have on the pavers.
  • Maintaining the beautiful color of your pavers: you chose those pavers because of their rich, gorgeous color palette, and how the colors compliment your pool. Those pavers are exposed to sun, chlorine or salt, wind, rain, and snow. Proper maintenance will keep these colors as rich as possible, and prevent the colors from dulling.
  • Keeping up appearances: pools get a lot of use, and pool pavers see a lot of foot traffic, spills, wear and tear from pool furniture, etc.  Timely cleaning of spots is especially important for grease or candle wax spills. The longer these sit, the more set in they are. General cleaning on a schedule is necessity is you want to keep up the overall appearance of your hardscapes in McLean.

The best way to keep your hardscapes in McLean cleaner for a longer period of time, is to have them cleaned and sealed by professionals. If you have questions or concerns about your pool pavers in McLean or anywhere else in Northern Virginia, please contact the experts at Premier Paving & Planting. Established in 1987, Premier Paving & Planting, Inc. delivers a full complement of high-quality landscape services, including concrete work and lawn and garden services, along with the installation of permeable and non-porous paver and hardscape surfaces and structures.

Experienced Landscapers for Large Front Yards in McLean VA

Experienced landscapers understand that landscape design is very different for large front yards in McLean, VA. In general, there should be more curvey lines, mixed surfaces, great plantings, and more “outdoor rooms.”

Landscapers who design for large front yards in McLean VA take stock of the yard area available for improvement, and break it down into smaller – yet connected – “outdoor rooms.” They look for a balance of paved surfaces, plantings, and lawn.

These paved surfaces – such as a driveway, one or more patios, sidewalks, walkways, and pool decks – make use of curved lines. Plantings will include big “focal point” trees drawing the eye upward, perennials that provide big color for most of the year, and shrubs or bushes that are used to define the outdoor rooms. Lawn management means creating areas where the growing turf will survive and look great.

Mixed surfaces can mean more than the materials used to create those surfaces. We’re talking surfaces of various heights and grades, such as building stone retaining walls that draw the eye to an area of the property, and provides tiers for planting.

For example, a long driveway should make visitors feel like they are going to a lovely destination. A long curved driveway with hedges that is graded in tiers to crest on hill, installed with a mix of surfaces (like pavers and flagstones) and the focal point of a fountain, can be infinitely more interesting than just a long, straight driveway.

Another design could have a good portion of a large front yard used to create a courtyard. This courtyard could be used for gatherings of family and friends – or walled off on three sides – a courtyard can make that area of the home feel like a get away from the outside world. Surfaces for a courtyard could be interlocking pavers or stained and patterned concrete to provide interest. A water fountain, a shade tree, and a garden of vines and colorful perennials could complete that design.

For more information about beautiful and functional landscape design from landscapers in McLean VA, please contact the experts at Premier Paving & Planting. Premier Paving & Planting, Inc. is a hardscape and landscape service company providing attractive, affordable, functional, and environmentally beneficial landscape design and creation. Working together, we evaluate the existing conditions of your property, determine your requirements, explore your desires, and develop an innovative landscape plan to create a practical, comfortable, long-lasting outdoor space.