Stonework, done right, is a virtually maintenance-free way to make your home more enjoyable and increase its value.
With Winnipeg's always-shifting clay ground, lasting stonework needs to be engineered to adapt to inevitable movement. This can be accomplished through a proper foundation and a flexible interlocking brick system.
First, we remove as much organic material as possible – organic material is what absorbs water and therefore changes in volume, causing the ground to shift. The area under your future patio will be excavated to a depth of 10" (or more, if necessary). This is beyond the depth that many landscapers try to get away with.
We install a geo-textile membrane, sometimes called landscaping fabric, as a barrier between the stone base and the clay sub-soil. The geo-textile is a water-permeable fabric that allows water to drain out of the base stone while preventing the clay sub-soil from mixing with the foundation.
The organic material will be replaced with an inorganic foundation of crushed stone. 3/4" down crushed limestone has excellent drainage properties, allowing moisture to drain away from the surface of the patio where it can do the most damage. To increase load-bearing capacity and prevent settling, the crushed stone is pressed down with a vibrating plate compactor.
We ensure that the stone base extends beyond the finished square footage of the patio, driveway or retaining wall. No cutting corners.
With the construction of a proper foundation, we have done what we can to minimize and control the movement of the ground. But unfortunately we cannot eliminate movement completely, so for the surface itself, we need to use materials that will accommodate movement. This is where concrete pavers and modular retaining walls come in. Rather than a single piece of concrete, hundreds of bricks function as a system that allows for movement between units.
Many once-beautiful patios have transformed into weedy eyesores over the years. The sand often employed to fill the joints between pavers and stones tends to blow away with wind and washed away by rain. Weeds love unoccupied dirt and so do ants.
Polymeric sand all but eliminates this problem. It's a fine sand mixed with a powdered-epoxy. We sweep and vibrate polymeric sand into the joints then we wet the entire surface. Water activates the epoxy adhesive, cementing the sand into places. It creates a flexible interlock.
Patios with polymeric sand can be cleaned with a hose or even a pressure washer without a worry.
We leave your yard clean and ready for you to enjoy the moment we leave.
We value the confidence you have placed in us. Thank you. We make every attempt to ensure that the work we do is completed on time and on budget and fulfills your own vision for your yard. And so, if something goes wrong, we make it right.
In the case of patios, walkways and retaining walls, we have such confidence in our materials and techniques, that we guarantee our work for a full five years from the date of completion. With proper preparation, these parts of your landscape should stand strong for years to come. If not, we will make it right.
All of our work covered by an unconditional one-year guarantee. This means that if there is anything not to your satisfaction we will do our best to find a remedy.
★★★★★
We heard about this company and the good work they do from a family member. We subsequently hired them to do a large interlocking brick patio and raised stone planter at the rear of our house. TheRead more … patio was large, with an intricate design. I was extremely impressed with their work, right from protecting our lawn from damage to the excellent work they did on the patio and planter. The crew was very pleasant and worked hard in very hot weather. We have already had many compliments on our new patio and planter and we will be hiring them to do a stone planter in our front yard next year. Very professional and service oriented, which is a nice trait in this day and age!
★★★★★
Very pleased with quality of workmanship. Highly recommend
★★★★★
These guys are fantastic. So professional. We got them in to build us a patio about 8 years ago, and they were so good I would never use anyone else. We had them back this summer to do anotherRead more … walkway job and they were just as good. The quality of the work is perfect.... beautiful. Their work is so good that the company who built our garage asked for their contact info so they could work with Earthworks in the future. They are very quick, efficient, and polite as well. I highly recommend them.
★★★★★
We had many contractors come to give estimates and we chose Earthworks. Dwayne's estimate on when he could do the project was incredible and he charged us what he quoted. We had done some changesRead more … after the initial meeting and within 24 hours we had a revised estimate sent to us for review and he made additional suggestions to us for consideration. He actually was able to start before the estimated date and we couldn't be happier with our new backyard space. I was most impressed when emailing questions that he would answer them very quickly. Not only was the workmanship excellent but the professionalism in returning questions and offering alternative solutions exceeded our expectations!!!!