Leave no stone unturned...

On my street, only a few of us "new builds" still have not yet dealt with our driveways. Everyone else around us has a concrete driveway, and although they look nice and clean and structured, I don't think I want one. The sheer cost of having one poured is exhorbitant, and I don't really relish the idea of conforming to the norm just to blend in with the other homes on the street.

I love stone. The more natural and imperfect, the better and I have incorporated it into each of my homes in some way. I love the natural beauty it brings and the fact that not everybody has it. I would love to do a driveway using it, or at least, use those templates that give the impression of stone in concrete. At present, we have crushed rock (a stone of sorts, I guess!) in our driveway until we decide what we want, what we can afford, and what we can do ourselves that will look nice.

My friend, Krissy, has the most talented brother ever. He owns a business in North Carolina called Celtic Masonry ( www.celticmasonry.com ). I checked out his website and the work he and his crew do is amazing!! From outdoor stone or brick patios, to stone walls, outdoor grills, you name it. He (Frankie Dolaher) is a true artist and I wish he was related to me! Masonry is truly a craft for the patient and talented and he does wonderful work. Check out his website and get ready to drool!!

If you are in the deck building mode, I found a great Canadian website (www.gardenstructure.com )to inspire you and your handyman!! I am definitely getting some ideas for our new deck from it and I'm sure you will find inspiration there, too. Get building before summer hits hard and we all feel too hot and lazy to do more than snooze in the sun on our very own patios and decks!!