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5 Steps to Expertly Source Natural Stone: The Landscape Architects Resource

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5 Steps to Expertly Source Natural Stone: The Landscape Architects Resource

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With more people spending time outdoors, backyard designs are in high demand. And so is beautiful stonework to create all the amenities for luxurious outdoor living: patios, pools, spas, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces and fire pits, as well as the hardscaping: steps, walls and walkways.

5 Steps to Expertly Source Natural Stone: The Landscape Architects Resource

Instone can provide landscape designers and architects with the stone information, samples, technical specs, shop drawings and custom stone fabrication they need to complete projects and satisfy clients.

It starts with a plan set. When that is sent to Instone, the Fabrication and Design Teams get to work to provide the support that landscape architects’ needs.

A Stone Sourcing Checklist for Landscape Professionals:

“Availability is key,” says Instone’s senior estimator, Nicole Blackburn. “We can let them know what standards we have in stock and how fast they can get it. We provide samples for their requests. We’ll also provide options based on our experience and expertise. We will let them know the time it will take to get the product and the price point so they can take it back to the homeowner to decide on what they want.”

Instone also gives landscape architects the technical data including the stone’s stocking sizes and country of origin, as well as mechanical properties such as density, water absorption, and rupture compression strength.

Example of the product specification Instone provides for each of its Aura stone products.

“Usually, they want to know the density of the stone, how durable it is, how it will hold up under the weather conditions and if the stones get hot underfoot. We can provide all of that information,” says Blackburn.

When the Fabrication and Design Teams receive a plan (or drawing) set of a full backyard design, takeoff and stone schedule, they then provide an estimate to a local stone distributor. Once the quote is approved, the shop drawing process begins for each stone. It includes the type of stone, dimensions, finish and fabrication work such as edging and placement according to the stone schedule. Instone works closely with local distributors, landscape designers and contractors to ensure the shop drawing is perfectly constructed and accommodates their needs.

Once all parties approve the specifics, the work begins with fabrication cuts on the natural stones to prepare them for installation.

Because timing is everything with stone, Blackburn advises homeowners and landscape architects to plan ahead. “Most people want to start backyard projects as soon as winter is ending. The weather is warming up, and they want the stone quickly. They may be limited to what we have in stock, or they will have to wait if their heart is set on a particular stone, we work to get it for them.” She recommends people start their planning process before or during the winter months, so if there is some wait time, the project will be completed by the start of summer.

Instone’s Fabrication and Design Teams are here to help landscape architects and designers get what they need quickly and professionally to create beautiful outdoor living spaces for their clients.

6 Places Your Outdoor Design Needs Stone Fabrication & What’s Possible

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6 Places Your Outdoor Design Needs Stone Fabrication & What’s Possible

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When creating a project with hardscaping, most of the work can be created with standard-size products. But if you want something a little more unique or specific to the project, Instone’s in-house fabrication and design teams are at your service.

Going beyond standard will give you the flexibility to create backyard patio ideas uniquely you. Feature non-standard shapes, specialty finishes or cut to size pieces in your outdoor kitchens, fire pits, pool coping, water features, wall caps and staircases.

Our design team can work with you on any project to do custom natural stone cuts and finishes for the specification of Aura® Natural Stone Landscapes products. We can also be your partner in the design of large-scale projects offering project management solutions, estimating, engineering and global sourcing of stone products for a truly turnkey solution.

Our Design Services Manager, Zach Beaulieu, shares the details on all our fabrication and design departments offer.

Introducing Instone’s Fabrication Services 

When you want something custom to match your artistic vision in stone for a residential or commercial project, or you’re inspired by something you’ve seen in-person or on-line, let Instone’s fabrication team bring your hardscaping vision to life. 

“We do custom orders,” says Beaulieu. “Instone carries standard stock sizes of Aura products, but if a client wants something a little different, we can cut it to different sizes and finishes.” There isn’t a request the team can’t handle regarding sizes, cuts, finishes, edges or shapes. “

There are certain situations where most jobsite tools just won’t be able to perform the work needed to cut and finish stones efficiently and effectively. That’s where Instone’s shop equipment and expertise comes into play. Many of the large-scale machines at the shop are stationary and require special calibration to make them operate properly and the expertise of our fabricators is an important factor in getting those nuances and details just right.

From slab countertops to custom stone finishes, Instone’s equipment and craftsmen provide you with access to the most cutting edge technology and customization to get the job done right. 

Some of the options available include:

  • Straight cuts
  • Radial (curved) cuts
  • Edge finishes 
  • Rockface
  • Bullnose
  • Half Bullnose
  • Chamfer
  • Thermal
  • Shotblast
  • Eased – 1/8, ¼, 3/8
  • Slow C
  • Leathered
  • Top finish for countertops such as a leather finish
  • Profiles: custom shapes for countertops such as L-shapes

This customization can be applied to any of the following projects:

  • Outdoor kitchens
  • Sills
  • Firepit caps
  • Spa coping
  • Stair treads and wall caps
  • Monolithic steps

Want more inspiration?

Review our portfolio of custom projects. 

Available materials: 

Introducing Instone’s Design Services 

Instone’s Design Team works on large-scale, high-end residential and commercial projects, including backyard renovations, main street businesses to college campuses. Natural stone can beautify just about any space.

According to Beaulieu, “The design team offers solutions depending on what the project entails.” That usually means working with the landscape architect on the stone aspect of the project. We can help with color recommendations and stone sourcing, fabrication, and estimating the value and engineering. We also create a stone schedule, which assigns each stone piece a code that dictates placement in the project, like a giant puzzle with instructions for assembly.”

Usually with these large-scale projects, there are a number of parties involved, including landscape designers, landscape contractors, project managers, local dealers, wholesale stone distributors and quarries where the stone is sourced. Beaulieu says they primarily deal with the landscape architect, who creates the initial design, but all parties agree on the final outcome.

The timeline of projects of this magnitude can vary from weeks to years, depending on the complexity involved and availability of the materials. Instone’s design team will work efficiently to ensure your stone products meet your needs and source the optimal material for your project and timeframe.

See our webpage for details on the options available for fabrication and design.

Summer is the Perfect Time for a Pizza Party with the ISO’ven

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Summer is the Perfect Time for a Pizza Party with the ISO’ven

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Pizza recipes, cooking tips and more
from our resident pizza experts!

Give your outdoor kitchen a fun upgrade – just in time for outdoor summer parties.  If you want a knockout addition to your back patio space for entertaining friends and family, an outdoor pizza oven is the perfect choice! Here’s what you should know about having a pizza oven:

The Difference is In the Taste

Isokern, the maker of high-end fireplaces, offers the ISO’ven Outdoor Wood Burning Oven, for making pizza and other dishes over a wood burning flame. What makes cooking in the ISO’ven different from your regular indoor oven is the taste.

“The wood-flamed cooking experience is outstanding,” says Instone’s President and CEO, Kevin Grotke, who uses his ISO’ven on a regular basis. “We cook pizzas and do cooking in cast iron skillets to finish off dishes such as macaroni and cheese, lasagna, roast, bullion sauces and red sauces. The richness of flavor from the wood cooking is amazing and so unique. You can make the kind of pizza you would get at a high-end pizzeria in your own backyard.”

The Entertainment Value Alone is Worth It

An outdoor wood-burning pizza oven creates an entire experience for you and your guests.

“It’s a really fun appliance to have,” says Grotke. “It’s a whole event to build the fire, keep the fire going, managing the heat, making the pizza, turning the pizza in the oven while it cooks.”

Not only does the experience set an outdoor oven apart from an indoor oven, but the pizzas cook very quickly – about four minutes when the oven is up to full heat, which is between 750 and 900 degrees as opposed to a conventional indoor oven that maxes out at 500 degrees. 

Building the fire and getting it up to full heat is a ritual in itself, which takes about an hour. It’s the perfect time for a pre-meal happy hour!

Because the fire is in the back of the oven, turning the pizza to cook it evenly becomes an interactive activity that adds to the fun. Since the pizza cooks quickly, guests can make their own individual pizzas and have them ready at about the same time. That’s definitely a pizza party in the making!

Easy Installation

Grotke says the ISO’ven is relatively easy to install because it comes in components. “A medium-skilled DIYer could do it themselves in a couple of hours. Then you would add the stone veneers or whatever finish for the look you want.” He says outdoor cooking and entertaining has definitely become more popular over the last few years. A pizza oven in your backyard can provide a fun focal point for your next party.

 Wood Burn or Gas Starter – Your Choice

While the ISO’ven is intended to burn solid wood fuel, a gas starter is also available. We recommend using cherry, applewood or hickory wood for added flavor.

How to Make a Great Pizza

Our resident pizza expert at Instone, CIO Jim Palatine, offered some tips and recipes for making a great pizza. He says he got into making pizza when he saw a shop that made beautiful granite slabs and decided to have a pizza stone made for himself and to give away to friends. He started experimenting with making pizzas at home and trying recipes from what he refers to as the ultimate pizza recipe book: “The Pizza Bible: The World’s Favorite Pizza Styles.”

He shares some of his best pizza making tips:

The Key to Great Pizza Crust

“The difference between run-of-the-mill pizza and extraordinary pizza comes down to the dough,” says Palatine. “You really want dough that’s been fermented for three days in the refrigerator.  You can make it with any recipe or buy it frozen. Just make sure it is pizza dough, not bread dough. Then put it in the refrigerator and cover it with a film wrap and let it sit for three days. That will give you a really nice elastic texture and it’s easier to make a nice round pizza crust that will have a nice chewy and nutty taste to it. It’s a real game changer.”

Typically, dough is sold in one-pound balls.  Cut the ball in half and make two smaller half-pound balls.  Separate them on a plate dusted with flour, and loosely cover with a plastic bag or anything else so the surface doesn’t dry out.  Leave out at room temperature for at least an hour prior to making pizza.

The Key to Using Ingredients

“Less is more—and use good quality,” Palatine advises. “People often tend to put too much sauce and too many ingredients on a pizza. When you put the sauce on, spread it very thin and sprinkle the other ingredients on. Always use good quality ingredients. If you use mozzarella cheese, use whole milk, don’t skimp with low fat. Get good pepperoni in a natural casing and don’t slice it too thin.”

Some of Jim Palatine’s Favorite Recipes

TIP: Use either corn meal or “Wondra” brand flour, between the pizza peel and the pizza. This enables the dough to slide off pizza peel when putting it into a hot oven.

Cheese, Pancetta and Arugula White Pizza (The Palatine Pizza)

  • Have the raw dough in front of you.
  • Put a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and minced garlic down.
  • Add a light coating of shredded mozzarella cheese. Then sprinkle a little feta or goat’s milk cheese.
  • Sprinkle some matchstick slices of pancetta.
  • Cook in the oven until brown and crispy.
  • Dress a bowl of arugula lightly with olive oil and red wine vinegar; put it on top of the hot pizza and let set.

Cheese and Sausage

  • Have the raw dough in front of you.
  • Put down a thin layer of tomato sauce (canned tomatoes in a food processor with salt, pepper and olive oil).
  • Add a light coating of mozzarella cheese.
  • Cut uncased Italian sausage into dime-sized pieces and sprinkle on top.

Cheese and Onion

  • Have the raw dough in front of you.
  • Add a light coating of mozzarella cheese.
  • Add goat’s milk cheese.
  • Sauté onions with a little bit of sugar until brown.
  • Sauté mushrooms.
  • Sprinkle the dough with the onions and mushrooms then drizzle with truffle oil.

TIP: Use cherry, applewood or hickory wood in your wood-burning oven for added flavor.

To learn more about the Isokern ISO’ven Outdoor Wood-Burning Oven, visit the Isokern page on the Instone website.

What’s your favorite pizza recipe?

We want to try it! Send your recipes to the Instone team by filling out the form below!

Use Aura Natural Stone to Turn an Ordinary Backyard Into an Oasis

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Use Aura Natural Stone to Turn an Ordinary Backyard Into an Oasis

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Turn An Ordinary Backyard into An Oasis Using Aura Natural Stone

Spring means the weather is warming and the flowers are blooming. It also means summer is right around the corner and it’s time to get your outdoor space summer-ready. Upgrading your backyard with a new pool or patio will add to your enjoyment factor and increase the ways you can maximize that real estate you paid for. It will also increase your resale value.

Aura Blue Mist 

We spoke with Andrew Everleigh of Environmental Pools, who uses Aura natural stone on pools and patios around the New England area. He says the color selection is really where a project begins. “The color pattern is crucial. You start there and then think about the texture you want.”

The color you choose depends on what goes with your house and what’s popular in your neighborhood, whether it’s the blues and grays or more of the tans and browns. 

Throughout much of New England it’s blue, particularly Pennsylvania Blue Stone that is often requested. Because of its popularity and recent supply chain issues due to the pandemic, this stone often isn’t in stock. However Aura offers equally beautiful blue hues, including Italian Blue Stone, Blue Sky, and Blue Mist. The newest, Italian Bluestone is a very strong sandstone with no iron in it so the color stays blue with no rusting over time.

Indiana Limestone is another popular stone that is often hard to get. For that, Aura has comparable alternatives like Sandy Point and Oxford Buff.

 Before & After with Aura Sandy Point

Aura natural landscapes can add beauty and durability to your new patio and pool area. Aura is a premier source for domestic and imported natural stone for hardscaping projects. There are a variety of stone options including granite, limestone, pebbles, quartzite, sandstone, and Travertine.

Using natural stone products on and around your home will immediately increase its value thanks to its longevity and because it is resistant to wind, fire, water, and bug infestation. Often, it also has greater slip resistance than manufactured stone. 

Aura Blue Ice Thermal Sandstone

Each stone is uniquely beautiful, and Aura offers a large selection of colors and finishes to choose from, sourced from countries worldwide. See the selections in our Aura brochure.

Aura Silver Ridge

Everleigh says it’s best to work with a professional such as a landscape architect or a contractor like Everleigh’s company, Environmental Pools. They have the experience and knowledge required to suggest colors. “They would help narrow down the color options and source samples to see the color in person and feel the texture,” he says.

Aura Sandy Point Granite With Bluestone Coping

For a homeowner, a pool and patio project may feel like a daunting task. Everleigh breaks down where to start. “Everything starts at the master planning level. An architect, or somebody like myself, would work with the homeowner to create a patio layout and determine where everything sits and consider the size of the stones. Homeowners just need to trust the process. We do this work every day and understand the sequencing and different types of topography. Everybody’s yard is different, so every project will take a different approach. Hiring an experienced firm is really important.”

Everleigh says to be sure to hire someone experienced in installing patios and pools. “Don’t just bring in a mason to layout a backyard just from walking around. It takes studying the topography, the water, everything, to make an effective project come to life.”

If you’re not sure what you want your new patio and pool area to look like, you can try doing a few searches online for ideas or look at what your neighbors have. Pinterest is a great source of design inspiration.

Everleigh has a catalog of his team’s projects that he uses to give people ideas of what’s possible. “We go through and narrow down what they’re looking for and see what they like and don’t like. We help drive the conversation based on what we know, as opposed to just having them find photos on their own. There’s so much out there; it can be overwhelming.”

He says outdoor kitchens and bars have been popular for patios lately along with water features for pools. As for color, Aura’s Blue Mist and Silver Ridge granite are the biggest sellers in his New England area.

Landscape Pebbles Accentuate This Poolside Design with Aura Pebbles Beach

Everleigh says that designs for pools and patios don’t really go by trends, since people aren’t likely to rip out a backyard area based on a new style coming in. The looks stay pretty streamlined based on what a homeowner’s friends have done, their home’s architecture, or what‘s popular in the area.

The best piece of advice Everleigh can provide to homeowners wanting a new patio or pool in their backyard is to make a plan. “The more you can figure out ahead of time the better. Working through a design before you start building saves a lot of headaches on the backend.”