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 stages, despite looking as though it arrived on site as a complete piece.
While Blake is a newcomer to HARDSCAPE HERO, he’s been in the landscaping industry for about three decades now. “I worked for a few different outfits over the years before starting my own thing about seven years ago,” says Blake, “we mostly did landscaping and plant work until the COVID-19 pandemic, which is when we pivoted to mostly hardscapes.” During lockdown, a lot of people were looking for safe ways to spend time outside of their homes, and outdoor living spaces offered a perfect solution. “For me, doing hardscapes just made sense,” explains Blake, “if I put thousands of dollars of plants in someone’s yard, there’s always a chance they could die. But concrete doesn’t die, not if you do it right.”
The project that won him February’s HARDSCAPE HERO was a referral from his friend at Archadeck, who was building the pergola and porch for this client. The project played out in two stages, the first being the patio, creating a space for the hot tub and fire pit. The second stage came later, expanding the space to include a pool, coping, a sidewalk and the pool deck. “We were able to color match the second stage so easily,” Blake recalls, “We used James River Origins and you can’t even tell where the original patio ends and the new addition begins.”
The homeowner had a general idea for the design, but gave Blake a wide berth to create a beautiful space. They knew they wanted a fire pit, they knew they wanted a pool, but had to wait and they had an idea for color schemes. “My favorite part of the job is working with the homeowners to create a space that molds perfectly into their lives,” says Blake, smiling, “I check in with them constantly throughout the process, and the design process is always collaborative.”
When it came to adding the pool, Blake had to coordinate with a company he often works with. “At first, the pool was oriented north/south,” explains Blake, “but I redesigned the space and turned the pool 90 degrees. Now the hangout space around the pool is easily accessible and meshes with the original patio space we built.”
Like any project, this one came with its own unique challenges. The sidewalk leading from the driveway to the pool deck is on a slope, and Blake worried about water washing into the pool. “We had to create swales and grades throughout the patio and surrounding landscape to redirect water around the pool and into the yard. That was probably our biggest challenge.”
Blake recalled his father’s influence on his work when asked about his design process. “I hand-draw all my plans, sitting at my drafting table where I combine my landscape design brain and my hardscaping brain to imagine balanced spaces. My father built houses in Chesterfield for 25 years, and he hand drew all of his plans. As kids, he always encouraged us to draw a lot.” For Blake, his biggest takeaway after thirty years in the industry is open lines of communication and transparency with the client. “Homeowners don’t want surprises. I try to be up front about cost and potential challenges, and I’m always just a phone call away if they have any questions or concerns. In return, I ask for honesty from them. If there’s anything they don’t like, or aren’t sure about, I want them to tell me so we can make it perfect. I always tell them they won’t hurt my feelings!”
We couldn’t be happier to have Blake and the team at Landscape Renovations of Virginia as part of the HARDSCAPE HERO family, and we can’t wait to see what they build next!
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The Crew:
The following Belgard products were used in this project:
Weston Wall
Marina Coping
Weston Firepit
Origins 6×9 – Chocolate
Origins 12 – James River