Brian and Shelley Tritch chose the Pima Acres Estates in Scottsdale, Arizona as the site for their new custom home. For more than 100 years, a Saguaro cactus has been growing on the lot they selected for their home and now towers approximately 20 feet. The Tritch family wanted to not only preserve the magnificent plant, they wanted to showcase it. This posed a couple of challenges for the home developer and paving contractor.

"The original plot of the home was level, but the designer wanted to enhance the Saguaro," Charles Mangine, Sr., President, Chasm Development Co., Inc. explained. "We chose to raise the level of the home and make a sloping driveway around the cactus. The biggest challenge for Chasm Development and The Paving Stone Co. was making the installation level and become "even" at the bottom of the driveway. Starting at the top of the driveway with the steepness of the slope, and the "tear drop" application, meeting at the bottom of the driveway, evenly, and with straight lines was very difficult, requiring careful planning and installation."

The flatroof, Southwest styled home was built about 50' elevated above the street and has a front entry driveway made of interlocking concrete pave stones. In order to raise the home, 250 truckloads of dirt, approximately 5,000 tons were brought in. Every foot was tested and compacted. There is a major drainage wash along the side of the house, which is controlled by the Corp of Engineers.

"To provide more access for parking and turn-around traffic flow, the driveway was designed in a teardrop shape encircling the Saguaro," explained Heather Peters, Commercial Sales, Pavestone Company, Phoenix. "To assure the drive remained even and level on the slope, a string line was used. A lot of attention to detail was given by installer Matt Heldt's team at The Paving Stone Company to maintain a homogeneous design throughout. Some pave stones were cut to allow a beautiful, smooth flow of the circular design."

It was important to find a paving material that would blend well with the natural desert sand color of the home as well as one that is approved by the Covenant, Codes and Restrictions (CC&R) . Established in the 1950's the CC&R restricts home and paving material colors, limits homes to one-story, and does not allow traditional paving methods like gray poured-in-place concrete or black top. The regulations were written to assure the natural integrity of the desert landscape.

Plaza Stone Series pave stones in green, purple and light tan create a stunning entryway to this upscale Nevada home. The Plaza Series comes in eight different shapes and sizes and modulate together to provide an expanse of design options.

"While concrete interlocking pave stones are approved by the CC&R for aesthetic reasons, they are also a good solution for the desert climate," Peters stated. "Pavestone pavers are a flexible paving material and move. They adjust to the weather and do not crack, which is important in climates like Arizona that average 108 degrees. And we are able to manufacture stones that look natural in earth-tone colors."

"We selected the Plaza I pave stone because of the beveled edge look," said Matt Heldt, General Manager for The Paving Stone Company. "There are a superior number of colors to choose from and they are the only manufacturer to make pave stones in Two-Tone Brown and Three-Tone Brown. Two-Tone Brown was selected to complement the color of the home and Three-Tone Brown was included to make the driveway stand out while at the same time still blend with the house."

The Plaza stone series provides a natural, cobble stone look in a variety of sizes that modulate together. Plaza I was selected in two sizes, 8.25" x 5.5" and 5.5"x5.5." The choice of two sizes allowed for a more natural stone installation, adding interest without competing with the design. The driveway is approximately 5,000 square feet.

The combined efforts of the developer, paver contractor and manufacturer were able to make the homeowners' dream a reality. The completed project is a beautiful custom house and driveway that incorporates the rich heritage of the desert landscape into a showcase they call home.

Residential landscape designs are exploding with innovation and creativity with the many options available in today's hardscape market. Never before has the Landscape Architect had such an expansive variety of product choices to choose from. Manufacturers continue to deliver exciting new selections of shapes, colors and textures in concrete pave stones and segmental retaining walls. It is truly a designers' world with such a vast array of creative tools to design magnificent residential landscapes

"A homeowner in the Bella Veranda upscale tract home community in Nevada wanted a visually stunning entrance to their home. It was the homeowners idea to incorporate a star into the entryway," Peter Davidson, Pavestone Co. Las Vegas, explained. "They commissioned Doug Anthony, Stonescape Pavers President, to bring their design to life. Together we selected Plaza Series pave stones in green and purple for the three-dimensional star and a light creamy tan for the field background. Green stones were used for the borders for a nice framing effect."

"The wide range of pave stone colors and shapes allow me freedom to involve the customer in the design of their project," Anthony said. The colors of the entryway plaza beautifully complement the muted hues and textures of the home.

New products are continually being introduced to the market, while there are some shapes and textures that remain timeless. The following describes some of the more innovative products, textures and colors.

The new Highland Stone provides rustic elegance to this country home. An innovative three-piece system used here in a blended color stone uniquely replicates natural stone, yet is a more reliable alternative to boulder or field stone installation and is a structurally sound design.

New Product—Highland Stone: An innovative three-piece retaining wall system that replicates natural stone, the Anchor Highland stone with the popular, patented rear-lip offers accurate, fast installation and a structurally sound design. Suitable for a variety of commercial and residential projects, Highland Stone brings a fresh look to the segmental retaining wall market.

City Stone Series: Seven different shapes and sizes in two different thicknesses allow the designer to create a variety of intricate pavement designs. Used alone or in combined modules of symmetrical squares and rectangular shape to create extraordinary patterns. When a variety of color options are factored in, design options are virtually endless.

Plaza Series: Pave stones in eight different shapes and sizes modulate together to provide an expanse array of installation design options. Squares, rectangles and other modular shapes allow installation patterns ranging from runner bond to fan.

Parkway Series: a straight, defined, non-chamfered edge create an elegant, tight fitting installation with the beautiful natural appearance of clay pavers, but with the strength, durability and functionality of concrete pave stones.

Provencial: a smooth finish with a fine gradient texture allows for a brighter color presentation and endurance.

Heritage Series: stones are smashed against each other in a large cylinder creating a stone with a tumbled finish reminiscent of old world European charm.

Colors: manufacturers continue to introduce new standard single and color blends. Most will generally work with designers to create custom colors and blends to meet project requirements.

Even the simple styled Holland stone can transform an entrance into one of elegance by using colors that complement the home as seen here in the herringbone pattern at this Florida residence.

From the natural earthy designs to the colorful, vibrant decorative patterns there is a hardscape product, color and texture available to achieve a design as unique as the designer and property owner. The American landscape becomes more beautiful each day with creatively designed residential and commercial applications. Decorative pave stones and retaining walls allow the spirit of the landscape to be expressed fully with ambience as diverse as America.

Alva D. Logsdon is the Director of Marketing for Pavestone Company and is a frequent contributor to Landscape Architect and Specifier News.