
HARDSCAPE HERO
Return to blogBELGARD, HARDSCAPE HERO - May 5, 2025
A well-made outdoor living space can trick you into thinking it grew there overnight. For January’s HARDSCAPE HERO, Blake Matheny, this illusion comes from high-level craftsmanship and decades of experience. He and the team at Landscape Renovations of Virginia secured their first monthly win with this incredible patio and pool deck that emerged in two... View Article
Recent > HARDSCAPE HERO
Sometimes the most impressive projects aren’t those that start from scratch, but rather transformations of existing installations. For Jeff Crandell and the team at Scapes Inc., updating their client’s backyard pool proved to be an exhibition in craftsmanship and secured this month’s Hardscape Hero win. “I think we were able to take a nice backyard... View Article
HARDSCAPE HERO | Ray Ditmeyer | Custom Outdoor Solutions LLC | June 2023
In today’s world, it’s getting more and more difficult to fight for people’s attention. Everyone’s eyes are being pulled in a million different directions at once, and hardscaping certainly isn’t immune to this reality. For Ray Ditmeyer and the team at Custom Outdoor Solutions, the goal with every job is to create work that you... View Article
HARDSCAPE HERO | Allen Abisia | Creative Outdoors | May 2023
Sometimes, getting back to basics is the key to success. Allen Abisia and the team at Creative Outdoors Inc. take pride in their classic approach to the hardscaping business: just good old-fashioned hard work and word-of-mouth marketing. And no wonder people recommend them, just take a look at the incredible job that won Creative Outdoors... View Article
HARDSCAPE HERO | Howard Rose | BCLS Paver Patios | April 2023
Sometimes a little friendly competition is all you need to elevate your work. When Howard Rose’s client told him they wanted a patio to rival the neighbor’s, he literally rose to the challenge and created a space he was so proud of that he submitted it as his first Hardscape Hero project. The difficulty here... View Article
HARDSCAPE HERO | Bill Banford | LiveWell Outdoors | March 2023
When March Hardscape Hero Bill Banford realized that his company’s name was keeping his business from growing to the next level, he took a hard look at what he wanted his brand to convey to potential customers. And the lifestyle that Banford wanted to provide for his clients could be boiled down to a pretty... View Article
HARDSCAPE HERO | Lonny Arter | Chester River Landscaping | February 2023
With obstacles like unpredictable weather and today’s even more unpredictable supply chain, unforeseen delays are sometimes a part of a hardscape project. But experienced contractors like Lonny Arter of Chester River Landscaping know how to make a silver lining out of that unexpected downtime. In the build that clinched Arter’s fourth Hardscape Hero title, an... View Article
HARDSCAPE HERO | Ellis Wiltshire | Rock Creek Innovations | January 2023
If you believe the adage “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life,” then Ellis Wiltshire of Richmond-based Rock Creek Innovations may be the hardest non-worker in the hardscape business. “I love this industry,” says Wiltshire, because “we have the opportunity to create all sorts of outdoor living spaces.” But... View Article
HARDSCAPE HERO | Hector Manuel | Oxl Landscaping | December 2022
Hector Manuel of Oxl Landscaping came to the United States from Guatemala as a teenager, and he’s been building his American success story ever since. And now, not only has he established a thriving Virginia-based landscape and hardscape business, he’s been named Belgard’s Hardscape Hero for December 2022! Manuel knows that hard work is the... View Article
HARDSCAPE HERO | Micah Miller | Easton Outdoors | November 2022
Micah Miller took a long and winding road to get his company where it is today, and while Easton Outdoors hasn’t yet reached its ultimate destination, the latest leg of his journey has him at a pretty cool pit stop: as Belgard’s Hardscape Hero for November 2022. Miller got into the outdoor design and installation... View Article
HARDSCAPE HERO | Donald Sherbeyn | Sherbeyn’s Landscape LLC | October 2022
If the name of October’s Hardscape Hero sounds familiar to you, there’s good reason: this is Donald Sherbeyn’s record-setting seventh time winning the honor, along with two wins for Belgard Hardscape Hero of the Year. You might even say he’s a hardscape legend. And as his company, Sherbeyn’s Landscape LLC, approaches its fourth decade as... View Article