Materials
John McGowan & Sons offers outdoor workmanship utilizing a variety of materials, ensuring that your dream landscape, driveway, or outdoor retreat becomes a reality. Here are some of the most popular construction materials that we use on residential and commercial jobs.
Asphalt
A mixture of sand, stone or gravel components. Usually compacted to 1 ½” and covers a crushed aggregate base or foundation.
Be sure to patch cracks and other openings immediately. Sealing should be done every 3 to 5 years instead of every year or every other year.
Oil and Stone
Consists of either bluestone or burgundy gravel. Base combines layers of recycled aggregate, street tar and blacktop.
Tip: A thin layer of asphalt provides a more stable foundation rather than using a base of crushed gravel or street tar.
Concrete
Stone-like material used for various structural purposes. Usually consists of a mixture of cement and various aggregates such as sand, pebbles, gravel or shale with water. Once this mixture hardens, it becomes concrete. Concrete is virtually maintenance free, lasting up to five times longer than asphalt.
Paving Stone
A concrete product that comes in different shapes and colors.
Paving stones have natural expansion joints built into the design, which resist cracking and crumbling from the freeze-thaw cycle.
Decorative or Stamped Concrete
Identical to regular concrete- but includes a pattern that is stamped into the surface before it dries.
Concrete can be stamped to look like wood, stone or brick. Using decorative concrete over existing concrete isn’t always practical due to the potential broken conditions of the existing concrete.