In the landscaping world, decorative stone is usually like a tattoo: you got it out of pure excitement one day, and at first you loved how it looked, but it’s not getting better with age.  At this rate, 15 years from now it will look like a nasty blob.

Some landscapers’ decorative stone installation work you may regret instantly, like the leg tattoo that reads “No Regerts.”

Decorative stone is not to be underestimated, especially when it’s paired with landscape fabric.  That’s why most landscapers (and do-it-yourselfers) don’t install it in a way that holds up over time: they assume that everything looks better if you just plop down fabric and dump enough stone on it.  That may be true at first (or may not be), but often leads to a redo after a year or two.

What may seem like a detail matters a great deal.  You need fabric (AKA weed barrier) under the stone, but if it’s too taut the fabric will rip over time and the stone will slide around, leading to both weeds and bald patches.  You can install decorative stone on a slope, but if it’s not the right size or if you don’t have any or enough edging, it won’t stay put.  You can add decorative stone just about anywhere, but if it’s in an area that gets significant runoff or that has poor drainage, you might want or need grading work done first.  You get the idea.  With decorative stone, the devil is in the details, especially if it’s part of a complete landscape makeover.

To get your decorative stone and fabric installed right the first time, so that it’s a bright patch of your property and not a dark chapter, contact Landscape Guys.