Sustainable shop

We recently finished work on our show room! We will begin selling materials soon in addition to offer construction, landscaping and tree services throughout Maryland, DC and Virginia. Creating our showroom has been a process. But we think that our customers will find great value in seeing the products we offer and the quality of our installation first hand.

We tried to keep sustainability in mind even during the creation of our shop. First of all, we used recycled materials for half of our show room. These were pavers and blocks reclaimed from previous jobs. Secondly, the wood we used for our pergolas is FSC, which means that is certified sustainably harvested.

Our Azek and Timbertech deck are durable and require little maintenance. This helps to cut back on the financial and environmental cost of replacement, repair and maintenance.

Come check out our show room for yourself! We hope to see you soon!

14608 Old Gunpowder Rd. Laurel, MD 20707

Fire pits 101

The best part of camping is the campfire: roasting marshmallows, telling stories around it, watching the flames burst and wane. Want to bring that feeling of sitting around a campfire home? By installing a firepit you can do that, safely and beautifully.

What is a Firepit?
A firepit is an enclosure made of fire proof materials used for building a containing a fire.

What does a firepit look like?
There are many types of firepits you can install from metal ones that are moveable to ones that are made of concrete blocks and fixed in the landscape. In general a fire pit is a circular enclosure with a lower set center where you can build a fire.

Why install a firepit?
Installing a firepit can add a centerpiece to your yard that can transform it into an outdoor oasis. You bring the campfire feeling to your home and create a focal point to build memories around. Imagine roasting marshmallows and telling ghost stories in your own backyard!

Which type is right for me?
If you have a limited budget, you can get a movable metal firepit for a few hundred dollars. If you are looking for a more upscale feel and would like to have a permanent structure incorporated into your patio or deck, a concrete block or natural stone firepit is a better choice. It is more durable and can be built to match your other outdoor features.

We install firepits and would be happy to help you explore options and make a decision. Call us for a free consultation 301-603-1080.

Green Moms

You may have noticed I haven't posted in a while, I have taking a brief hiatus from blogging with the pregnancy and birth of my first son but I am back now with a little less sleep but a little more inspiration. Being a mom has made me see the world and sustainability with new eyes.

Back when I was growing up, I did a lot of babysitting. While watching different kids I noticed a trend in the way mid-upper class families were raising their kids. There was a new focus on organic food, natural cleaning products, high efficiency products and sustainability in general. I jokingly referred to the parents of these children as "Soy moms," because their refrigerators always seemed to be stocked with a plethora of soy products: tofu "ice cream" sandwiches, tempeh, soy milk, etc. This almost became a joke between me and my sister who would try to raid the refrigerators after the kids had gone to sleep but were too turned off by the sound of "tofu cookies" to even take a bite.

Now that I am a mom, I get it. We want to do anything that will give our children a better chance at life. That includes offering them the nutrition of organic soy as well as protecting the environment that they will one day grow up into.

The new reality is that by the time our kids grow up we may have used up our oil sources, Global warming may create huge natural disasters and that's a scary thought. We don't just want our kids to grow up like we did, with clean air and water and gas prices that don't break the bank every time you fuel up. We want them to have better. Our lifestyle of using cars to go somewhere 2 blocks away, turning on the air conditioning as soon as the weather goes above 70 degrees F, and eating unsustainable produce and meat has contributed to the declining health and obesity epidemic of our nation. For the first time in years, kids may have shorter life expectancies than their parents.

As moms we want to step in to protect our kids and protect their future. As spring approaches, and people are looking to do more projects on their house and yard, I would encourage you to try to make sustainable decisions as you move forward with these projects. Try to water your grass less, use organic fertilizer or install a drainage system that helps prevent run off and erosion. Choose FSC wood for construction projects and look into permeable pavers and concrete for hardscaping. The more we all try to change, the better future we leave for the next generation.