By Nancy Brumback, Contributing Writer
West Boylston??”Take a look out the back door. Is the deck or patio too small for your needs? Would a new seating area with a fire pit let you enjoy your yard more? How about the soothing sound of a self-contained waterfall?
McCarthy's Landscaping invites you to consider new possibilities for outdoor living space and call them to help make those visions a reality.
“Take a good look at your yard and the space you have,” said Roger McCarthy, who has owned the business with his wife, Sue, for 19 years.? He suggests a low-tech method to start—outlining possible outdoor spaces with a garden hose.
“The hose will permit you to define options, add curved edges and see just how much space you will have and whether the space will accommodate, for example, a table and chairs if you want a dining area. Think about what you will use the space for and the size of your family.”
Roger can suggest and help design options, and his firm can do all of the installation, from hard surfaces to plantings to low-voltage lighting.
For patios, those options can include sophisticated outdoor kitchens, with a grill, built-in refrigerator, bar with running water and full electricity. An eating area might feature a built-in table with stone tabletop.
“I look at creating separate “rooms” with patios,” he noted. Those seating areas can be defined with such features as a fire pit, a koi pond, a hot tub with seating or a pergola. Water features such as ponds and “pondless waterfalls” with just flowing water can add an elegant touch.
In the design process, Roger asks customers to come to the firm's facilities in West Boylston to choose the materials they like from the wide range of stone and pavers on display outside.
“We want you to see the colors and textures,” he said.
“We encourage you to see how it feels when you walk on it barefoot,” added Sue.
The company has just launched a new website, www.mccarthyslandscaping.com, with an expanded selection of photos to give customers ideas.
The length of time a project takes depends on its scope, but Roger said most patio projects take from four days to two weeks. “We will be on the site every day until it is finished. We want to complete a job as quickly as possible.”
All McCarthy's projects have a one-year warranty, and the surrounding yard will be restored after the project is completed.
McCarthy's Landscaping & Irrigation also offers fertilization, mowing and mulching programs, along with installation and maintenance of irrigation systems.
McCarthy's has several choices of mulch to improve appearance and to keep weeds down and moisture in the soil. The company has black pine and hemlock mulch in stock, and customers can pick up what they need or have it delivered. There's a “mulch calculator” on the website to help figure out how much is needed, or customers can call Sue for advice.
Roger also suggested using river rocks instead of bark mulch. The company sells Hudson Valley river rock, smooth stones about 1 ? to 2 inches big, that give a different look and last longer than bark.
After this cold winter, he advises homeowners to look for mole damage??”hills of dirt and signs of tunneling, and for snow mold, which looks like dense white spider webs on the grass, which indicate a vigorous raking is needed before fertilizing.
The McCarthys are adding pink ribbon breast cancer awareness decals to all of their trucks, and choose a breast cancer charity for an annual donation to celebrate Sue's status as a survivor of the disease.
McCarthy's is located at 133 Hartwell St. in West Boylston. Additional information is available on the website, www.mccarthyslandscaping.com, or call 508-842-7110.
Editor's Note: The preceding is not an endorsement and is presented for informational purposes only.
