Common Ground Landscapes designed and supervised the construction of the landscaped areas, including this outdoor living room in Indian River, Mich. The fireplace design incorporates Rosetta "Dimensional Wall' stones in "Fond du Lac' color and brick accents. The wall blocks, 4 x 12 inches wide by 8 inches deep, have hand-chiseled textures and weigh 20 to 28 lbs. each. The chimney and seat wall have bluestone accents. "Belvedere' retaining walls were selected for the columns, seat wall, firewood box, spa, tram walls, and outdoor kitchen in the same color blend. This collection features six block sizes with 64 different "natural stone" textures.

When the owners of this property along Burt Lake in Indian River, Mich., were designing their dream home, creating an outdoor living area was a major priority.

"Aesthetics, function, and durability were high on the client's wish list," says Maureen Parker, RLA, owner of Common Ground Landscapes in Boyne City, Michigan, who designed the project and supervised its construction. She also aided the architect in choosing the ideal site for the home to maximize the function of the lot.

The homeowner wanted an "Old World' Tuscan feel to the outdoor living room. They also wanted an outdoor kitchen, dining area and a place for a fire.

"I automatically thought of Rosetta," explains Parker. "The reason I like Rosetta over natural stone is that you don't get spalling. The consistent dimensions also make it easier to install."

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The hardscapes on this project encompassed many different elements. Parker brought in John Hoffman and Sons Landscaping, who she often works with, to install most of it. But first she took the homeowners to a Rosetta of Michigan outdoor showroom in Charlevoix, Mich., where they fell in love with the "Old Mission' pavers. For the patio and walkways, they selected a combination of "Fond du Lac' and "Auburn Ridge' color blends with a bluestone border. To enhance the color, they also chose a matte sealer.

"For the desired look, the pavers fit the bill for the patio area and walkways," Parker said. "The regular heights on the pavers also made it faster to install and saved on labor, whereas natural stone can vary in thickness."

This collection's units come in three sizes: 6 x 9, 9 x 9 and 9 x 12 inches, which integrated to create a beautiful and natural looking driveway, walkway and patio. All units are a uniform 2 ???(R)???AE???? inches thick, creating a consistently level surface for safe walking and smooth driving.

Depending on the jointing material used, the "Old Mission' collection can be permeable. For this project, the owners chose the permeable option because a portion of it is located over septic tanks in the courtyard.

For the fireplace, the custom design incorporated "Dimensional Wall' stones in the "Fond du Lac' color with brick accents. "This was kind of Old World and it just gave them everything they wanted with that look," Parker said.

These blocks feature hand-chiseled texture on five sides and weigh 20 to 28 lbs. each. The face of each block measures 4 x 12 inches wide by 8 inches deep. Block shapes include straight and tapered to fit the needs of any project. Brick accents from Rosetta of Michigan were integrated to add an authentic traditional look to the project.

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Four-ft. wide Rosetta "Dimensional' steps with 5 ???(R)???AE?-inch risers lead down the bluff to the lake. Michigan granite fieldstone retains the slope of both sides of the path.

The small seat wall near the fireplace was designed using bluestone accent pieces, and Belvedere retaining walls were selected for the columns, seat wall, firewood box, spa, tram walls, and outdoor kitchen in the same color blend. This collection is a handset line of wall products that features six block sizes with 64 different stone textures. Multiple unit sizes, along with all the textures, give the Belvedere Collection a very natural look, both front and back, allowing them to be used for two-sided freestanding walls.

The installers faced a challenge when determining how to get down the steep bank to the lake without being too taxing. Rosetta Dimensional Steps with 5 ???(R)???AE?-inch risers were selected.

"Natural stone is an irregular product, especially for steps," states Parker. "It's much easier to install Rosetta because it's all a set riser height. It's easier for people to walk up, too; you're not stumbling over the different heights."

She points out that due to the homeowner's knee problems, the 5 ???(R)???AE?-inch risers made a better choice than the typical 7-inch height. Besides the pavers and the stairs, Hoffman and Sons also installed all the retaining around the property, including sealed-stone walls along the stairs, an area where the spa was sunken in, and a retaining well that holds the mechanics for a tram that goes up to the next level behind the house.

The biggest challenge with this project was access to the building site. It is located at the very end of a narrow one-way road, which meant that trucks hauling in material passed within inches of another home's roofline.