“I’m old school,” says Alex Lyon. “I still get off doing a beautiful job, making the customer happy, and going back five years later knowing it’s going to look great.”
Five years? Try 16.
One of Lyon’s customers needed an addition to a 16-year-old paver installation of Pine Hall Brick. He was able to match the pavers and when the new part was installed, he could see no difference between the two sections.
“I will use concrete pavers when the homeowner asks for it, but I can’t show those jobs after about five years, because of how concrete weathers,” said Lyon.
Lyon’s business, Lyon Landscape Nursery in Franklin, Massachusetts, is keeping busy with a wide scope of services from construction and interior remodeling to hardscapes and outdoor kitchens. Many of the company’s projects are expansive and significant investments, so quality of materials is even more important.
Stone and brick are like butter and bread. Proven materials that have lasted since Roman times – all with the same natural colors, just in different proportions.
If you’re dropping $50,000 in a hardscaping project – patio, retaining walls, lighting, fire pit, seat walls, hot tub – you don’t want to do it twice,” said Lyon.
Brick meets this standard. Lyon’s designs rely heavily on fieldstone, granite, and bluestone – natural materials which are beautifully complemented by clay pavers. Because the color goes all the way through and is then is sealed by the firing process, it never fades, as can happen with manmade materials. Both concrete and clay pavers have a wide variety of colors, but with concrete, they wear off over time. Clay pavers, even with power-washing, retain their color permanently.
Lyon has over 30 years’ experience in landscape architecture. His website has some beautiful pictures of jobs, but he says his best portfolio are the homes of satisfied customers. Some of these projects were installed decades ago ago and but those that feature clay pavers still look great.
Recommended by experts, loved by customers
“I asked the forklift driver at my supplier what brick most people were buying,” said Lyon. “He told me, ‘All the brickies choose Pine Hall,’ so that sold me.”
Then, satisfied homeowners and the quality of his real-world portfolio – great looking, long-lasting hardscapes – confirmed the choice. Today, if it’s left up to Lyon, the pavers for almost any project are Pine Hall Brick.
“Stone and brick are like butter and bread,” said Lyon. “Proven materials that have lasted since Roman times – all with the same natural colors, just in different proportions. If you’re looking to do a project that’s not going to go out of style, it’s the way to go.”
