Monday, September 27, 2010

FYI: KRC Rock has D.I.Y. Boulder Placement


The addition of natural stone boulders provides variety and character to any style of outdoor landscaping. With KRC Rock’s transportation and precision boulder placement services, you can pick out the boulders of your choice and have them placed where you desire.


Here are some helpful tips to picking out boulders that are right for your landscape!

Shape

Simply put, boulders are generally available in two shapes:

1. Round, such as water-washed or river run granite. The surface stone is generally decomposing granite and sandstones.

2. Angular, which have jagged, blasted edges and flat faces. With columnar, boxy or rectangular shapes, these boulders may be composed of, but not limited to, granite, quartzite, sandstone and basalt.

Color

Contrary to what you might think, boulders are available in many colors, including various shades of pink, gold, brown, gray, tan, green and many combinations in between.

Size

We’ve developed a simple, yet effective way to “size up” your landscape rock. Before you come out to our yard,
·         Fill plastic trash bags of various sizes with crumpled newspaper creating ‘boulders’ of the size you think would work into your landscape design
·         Place these in the areas where you would like to have the boulders. A good rule of thumb is placing your boulders in odd numbers and groupings, with varying sizes
·         Record the dimensions, (height, width and depth) of your ‘boulders’ and bring these with you when making your selections at our yard

Placement

It’s important that your stones and boulders be stable and secure. The general rule is to place approximately 1/3 of the boulder below grade.

Transportation

If the boulders are small enough you may be able to use a wheelbarrow or one of our “Rock Dollies.” For larger boulders, KRC Rock’s experienced equipment operators will deliver and place the boulders in your landscape using our custom boulder placement cranes.

For more information, please visit our website at: www.krcrock.comor
Call 1-800-KRC-ROCK.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

KRC Rock Presents…

“Romancing the Stone”

Featuring: Honey Quartz Boulder


At KRC Rock we are passionate about our products and believe that each of our stones have a unique story to tell. Utilizing natural stone forged from the earth itself adds a primal beauty to your home and landscape that can be as unique as a fingerprint. Knowing the type of rock, its origin and the process by which it has entered your landscaping or countertops is an amazing story that goes beyond the name on the label.




Honey Quartz Boulder


The origin of the Honey Quartz boulder is a savagely guarded secret. But it is known that the same area it is derived from was once mined for its gold! Yes, real genuine gold! Hosting an array of decadent colors such as honey, creams, gold, and splashes of rose and purple tones, the honey quartz boulder is a color coordinating dream for landscape artists. With sizing ranging from 12 inches to 6 feet, honey quartz is one of the finest boulder materials around for landscaping purposes. Its angular appearance and quartzite base properties also make this stone great for water feature applications like pondless waterfalls.

Monday, September 20, 2010

F.Y.I: KRC Rock has D.I.Y Dry Streambeds

Add excitement and uniqueness to your landscape with your own do-it-yourself dry streambed. Take a water guzzling, grass-filled area or a dull flowerless landscape and transform it into breathtaking, natural-looking riverbed. Dry streambeds add the perfect amount of creativity to anyone’s yard. In just 7 easy steps, you can transform your yard into an awe-inspiring landscape.
1. Plan Your Streambed: Streambeds should suggest a purpose. When determining the path of the stream, keep in mind that water, real or imagined, should flow from higher elevations to lower. For a natural look, cut the stream diagonal across your property and ad variation in width, course (direction) and slope.
2. Select Material: For natural looking streambeds, variation in rock size is important. Ranging from large boulders to small pebbles, you want to select a variety of sizes that are complimentary in color. Also, in natural streams rushing water smoothes the rough edges of the rocks. To build a more authentic looking streambed, you should try choosing round rocks, or angular rocks with smooth edges.
3. Site Preparation: Remove any unwanted vegetation, sprinklers, pipes, wiring and debris from the area. Lay out the streambed on the ground with powdered gypsum, lime or marking paint.
4. Grading: Grade the area to establish the stream channel. Natural streams are narrow in steep areas and wider on flat areas. Allow for the extra soil you will generate when digging and remember to take drainage and boulder size into consideration.
5. Install Filter Cloth: Fit the filter cloth/weed barrier to conform to the streambed. Lap joints no less than 2” and cut irregular edges around boulders or other objects. Nails (8d) are great to hold down the edges of the fabric.
6. Install Boulder: Most boulders are found at the edge of natural streams or in the stream as an island. No matter where they are placed, boulders should be buried a portion of their depth to give them a natural appearance.
7. Install River Rock: Dump a mixture of rock sizes in the streambed and spread them across the width of the bed by moving the largest rocks to the outer edges. Fill the voids with smaller rock. Remember larger rock has a “nestled in” appearance so surround boulders with smaller rock. Spray the streambed with water to eliminate dust and settle fine materials.

Monday, September 13, 2010

FYI: KRC Rock has D.I.Y. Water Features!

Bring life to your landscaping with the sounds of trickling water from your own unique water feature. Water features are a great way to add movement and character to any landscape design. Embrace the peace and tranquility of a Zen fountain, reflect within a still backyard pond, or listen to the crashing water of a pondless waterfall. With a full line of pumps, liners, predrilled stone fountains, and a variety of natural stone options, our experts at KRC Rock can help your do-it-yourself water feature come alive.


Center your chi by following these simple instructions on how to build your own Zen fountain.


1. To set-up your Zen Fountain the first thing to do is establish the desired location. If using large stone and a large basin, this is were you will actually want to put the fountain together.


2. Place the pump in the bottom of the bowl and extend the electrical cord to make sure you are close enough to an electrical outlet.


3. Fill the bowl with enough gravel to cover the pump inside the bowl. (Keep in mind; you’ll want to camouflage the hose, pump and connections with the gravel and topping pebble).


4. Place the drilled stone fountain on the gravel and situate it so that the hose can be connected to the submersible pump.


5. Fill the rest of the bowl with the gravel and topping pebble to cover the equipment as much as possible.


6. Now its time for the water! Add just enough to bring the water level up about two inches below the surface or upper rim of the bowl.


Tuesday, September 7, 2010

KRC Rock’s Rock Star of the Month

KRC Rock is proud of all our employees that work hard to make us the industry leader in customer service and product support. Each month, we will highlight one of our “Rock Stars” via our social communities to give you a glimpse into our KRC Rock family.



September Rock Star- Jacob Sutherland


Jacob works in KRC Rock’s full-service transportation/dispatch department where he maintains the integrity of KRC Rock’s shipments and deliveries through his effective communication skills and “whatever it takes” attitude. KRC Rock’s excellent customer service stems from Jacob’s positive and professional approach to incoming customer requests and inquiries. With a genuine enthusiasm for the business and always willing to take the initiative, Jacob is a valued member of the KRC Rock team.


Wednesday, September 1, 2010

FYI: DIY at KRC Rock!

Become your own landscape artist this September as KRC Rock pays tribute to the “Do-It-Yourself Homeowner.”

Push up your sleeves and roll out your plans as we highlight various cost-effective, DIY hardscaping projects. No need to own a pick-up truck or be able to lift a ton of stone. KRC Rock’s comprehensive services provide boulder placement, transportation of your natural stone kits, and knowledgeable experts who are available to answer any questions regarding your project.


Whether you want to build your own dry streambed, replace that dying grass with rock mulch or even build a unique water feature, KRC Rock is here to help you Do-It-Yourself.


Be sure to follow our blog and also our Facebook and Twitter pages for all the latest on KRC Rock.