On huge jobs, it’s easy to lose track of the details. But, with longtime clients, the little things matter most. Jerry Heath of Heath Landscaping is a pro at making sure everything is just right.
Heath has been in the landscaping industry for 20 years and has been working with hardscapes for the past 15. As the president of Heath Landscaping, he spends his days working with his son and his crew of perfectionists. He knows that success doesn’t happen overnight and jokes that even this far into his career, “all he does is work.”
Heath’s approach to hardscape design is a combination of old and new school. While the winning project made use of Eagle Bay Design Studio’s VizTerra design software, Heath still prefers to be as hands-on as possible. “Every design starts with me meeting with the client on site and discussing the installation with them. Then, we’ll sketch something up and use marking paint to draw out the design on the property. This helps the client get a good idea of the size and scope of the project and visualize it better,” he explains.
This design was no different. “We had to account for a few things,” Heath explains. “The homeowner has a lot of heavy equipment, so we went overkill on the foundation of the paver system. We laid 8-12 inches of base and focused on durability.”
Their thoroughness translated to paver installation, too. “There’s a lot of natural stone in the design. We wanted everything to flow, so rather than using sand to fill the gaps between the pavers and the natural stone, we ground each paver to fit perfectly,” Heath says.
The result is a seamless transition between natural elements and pavers, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the homeowners. “They were amazed by the finished product. We’ve worked with this client for a while and they appreciate the fact that we’re so consistently thorough in everything we do,” he says.
Heath went on to explain that they’re not done yet: “The homeowners have plans for an outdoor kitchen. We’ve been completing this project in phases and because of all the custom-shaping of the pavers, the first installation took two months. We’re planning out the kitchen now, which will be made almost completely of natural stone,” says Heath.
Heath Landscaping’s quality-over-quantity approach helps them to stand out to their customers and helped clinch their first HARDSCAPE HERO win. “Craftsmanship is important. It sets us apart and shows our client we care. I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way,” Heath explains.
The winning project was completed using Chatham Natural, Chatham XL, BrikStone and EssexStone.
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