Pennsylvania Bluestone is a Timeless Choice

When deciding what material to use for your new patio, walkway, or pool deck, all of the options available can be quite daunting to say the least. For a classic and timeless look, selecting natural stone products like Pennsylvania bluestone for your outdoor living space is a solid choice. There are a few options to consider when using bluestone at your Hudson Valley home. 

You can choose from two main finishes for the top surface with bluestone—natural cleft or thermal-finished. Finish can be a huge factor in the overall look and feel of an outdoor space. Natural cleft is more rustic with differences in height and a bit of surface relief. This finish lends itself very well to casual, flowing designs and is a solid choice for a country setting. In often stark contrast, thermal-finished bluestone is torched, leaving the surface very smooth to the touch. Perfect for an outdoor living space with clean lines and a modern feel. 

The second option with bluestone is pattern. Bluestone is traditionally offered in pattern  and irregular cuts. A pattern cut bluestone patio is quite simply squares and rectangles of varying sizes, ranging from 12"x12" to 24"x36". An Irregular bluestone patio is made of stone in triangular shapes, fitted together through chiseling and shaping. Oddly enough, both cuts work in both modern and traditional design settings and overall, bluestone is a great, native choice when building your landscape and outdoor living area here in the Hudson Valley. 

Don't cut costs when it comes to landscape lighting

Low voltage landscape lighting is an often overlooked element of a properly designed landscape. For homes in Dutchess County and the surrounding counties in the Hudson Valley region, outdoor lighting is crucial as larger land lots means darker outdoor spaces on the property. Offering both safety and beauty, outdoor lighting systems should be integrated into the landscaping & hardscaping plan from the design stage. 

For the proper lighting of outdoor steps and walls, manufacturers such as Kichler Lighting, Integral Lighting, and Cast Lighting offer great products. These thin landscape lighting fixtures slide discretely under the cap of a garden seat wall and are often used under stair treads for illuminating steps like the photo shown here provided by the folks at Cast Lighting. 

You can read more about the landscape lighting products that Harmony Hill Landscaping installs for our Hudson Valley clients every season here.