Winter Masonry

Wintertime, the night air is vibrantly crisp, and a dull white expanse of snow spreads out beneath punctuate bright stars scattered across the Heavens. This is an opportune time to sit with your family on the backyard stone patio, relax and brown marshmallows over a toasty fire brightly dancing in the outdoor chimney or fire pit.  This is a seasonal experience you don't want to miss, so contact your landscape mason ahead of time, before the first winter snows covers the last traces of green in the outdoor ground cover.  

Go over a checklist of to-dos with your contractor. Be certain your chimney and or fire-pit are clean and in good working order, fix any cracks in your patio's stone work. Enhance your backyard visual effects by trimming all summer blooming bushes (after their leaves turn), and installing outdoor lighting to give visitors the best night view of your yard's features.  Add color to your otherwise drab winterscape by putting in winter plants such as lenten roses, colored-twig dogwoods, or winter foliage conifers.     

If the snow days are still a bit off, you might be able to complete a last minute masonry project. With modern heating technology, outdoor construction companies can work all year around in most locations. Cement loses its hydration when temperatures drop below 40 degrees, but the modern mason is fully prepared to implement sophisticated winter procedures.

Outdoor builders employ a variety of techniques to keep their workers and the cement warm. This may include warming the mortar in an outdoor enclosure or enclosing the whole construction area in poly-draped work areas. Powerful propane heaters generate warm air that can be pumped throughout the site. Masons adapt cement to winter conditions by using bulk delivered dry, unfrozen ingredients, which are mixed with pre-warmed water. Type III, quick drying cement, increases the available heat.  Instead of traditional straw, stone-workers use insulating blankets, electric blankets, or heat lamps to retain the heat of cement hydration for extended periods.

Take advantage of all that your outdoor landscape and masonry can offer you to enjoy this year's winter's beauty!  

For the best in winter masonry contact the Turf Barbers. 2929 Quinlan Street Yorktown Heights, NY 10598; +1 914-302-2469; http://www.trufbarbers.com