FUN STUFF                                                           Where you'll find NEW STUFF, COOL STUFF, & OTHER STUFF!!!

PLACES TO SEE IN DECORAH, IA             2 must see places in Decorah are the Dunning's Spring Park and Ice Cave on Ice Cave Road.  Totally Awesome!

 

 

Matt's Niece Graduation Party                !Hola!


FEATURED PROJECT
This Spring we completed a unique project in Ft. Atkinson, IA.  Our customer was building a new home that would have a log cabin style appearance with tall glass windows on the front overlooking the valley below.  There was an 8' slope that needed to be retained by a wall.  We wanted the wall to look natural and fit in with the style of the house.  Many types of manufactured blocks were looked at but none were quite as unique as what we used below--natural stone from the nearby rock quarry.

So, the stone went from here...

...To here!!!


The main challenge was the fact that every piece of stone was a different size and shape!   Thanks to our crew's hard work the end result looks very awesome and will last a lifetime!  We would also like to thank Floyd and Vernelle for the opportunity to build their beautiful natural stone walls.


FALL COLORS!!!                                                A few pictures at the farm.



ROCKS ROCK!!!                                                 And the CAT's too!!!  This job we did down in  scenic Elkader, IA with the river just feet from where we were working!  Why all the rock?  The ground was eroding away just a few feet from the corner of the house--AHHH!!--so we came in with 300 ton of rock and fixed it all up!


SUMMER VACATIONS                               Here Matt is in Michigan (his Most FAVORITE state) totally amazed by all the cool beach rocks along Lake Superior!!!

Tahquamenon Falls

S.S. Badger Ferry from Wisconsin to Michigan

Great Bear Sand Dunes!!!

New York 2 weeks Later for another National 4-wheeler race!!!  Niagara Falls--AWESOME!!  You gotta LOVE the Ponchos!!!

Starting Line!!!  Over 200 Quads.

NIGHT LIGHTING                                             Just wanted to share some cool night lighting pictures!  The first four pictures are of a large patio that is surrounded by retaining walls.  We then brightened up the area by adding low voltage landscape lights!  Cool!


Haans is taking a rest by our office entrance!  This shows  one of our "down Lights" from Integral Lighting just before dark.



BIG BEN TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS!  Dairy Queen leftovers! YUM YUM!



All Done!

ADD COLOR TO YOUR PAVERS!             Pavers always look the best just after a nice rain.  Apply a little sealer and you can have that look all the time!  This is a low cost investment that also protects the pavers from stains and ice melts.  Do this every 3-5 years and your pavers will look really cool--look at the difference below!     

BEFORE

AFTER!!!


3-7-10 27th Annual KDEC & fm100.5 Home, Sport & Garden Show at the Decorah High School                                       We decided to go GREEN this year!  All of our featured products are made from Recycled materials!

A couple of water features--one is even solar powered!!!

The Retaining Wall above is from Millenia Wall Systems.  The blocks are made of recycled automobile door panel plastics and weigh only 5.5lbs each.  When the wall block's hollow cores are filled with clean gravel they will weigh about the same as a regular concrete wall block, which plays an important part in the strength of a wall.  This wall system will not crack, chip, or absorb.  It will also resist deterioration from harsh salts and fertilizers.  If you want a 50' tall wall--no problem!     


These pavers are from Vast enterprises.  They are made of 95% recycled automobile tires and plastic bottles!  They are a great alternative especially if you want the rich color that clay pavers offer.  They will also resist chemicals, harsh salts, and fertilizers.  These pavers also contribute two to three times more possible LEED credits  than with conventional concrete pavers.  LEED is a nationally accepted Green Building benchmark rating system.  The colors and appearance that these pavers give are awesome!


Rubber Mulch!  Made from recycled rubber tires.  Many colors available.  We offer the "Chunk" style (above) that resembles bark chips that looks nice in the landscape but works great for playgrounds because of the injury protection it offers.  We also have a "shredded" style similar to your common shredded bark mulch.  It will not degrade and has excellent fade resistance. 


2-9-10  HAANS IS HELPING MATT PLOW SNOW AT THE OFFICE TODAY!


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COOL SNOW PICTURES FROM THE RECENT HOAR FROST IN JANUARY!


Ornamental grass, AJ Sedum, Pee Gee Hydrangea, Red Twigged Dogwood, and a Pine Tree.


A view of the valley through the backyard!


Looking out of our office!

See the Winter Landscapes photo album for more!

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THE BOSS WENT ON A VACATION!!!
Back to Tennessee for the 5th time, Matt went along with a friend to a national quad (4-wheeler) race and along the way made a few stops!  They of course had to see the really cool Great Smokey Mountains! 


 






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WINTER PROJECT IN PROGRESS!!!
We were recently awarded a bid to construct a large retaining wall in northern Iowa. 

Hauling in the equipment with our Peterbilt tractor.

The installation of the wall is going well given the harsh winter conditions.  The MTL (Multi-Terain Loader) to the left is carefully placing the 6' wide milk chocolate retaining wall caps on top of the butterfinger wall blocks.  The skid loader to the right is backfilling the wall with material from the gigantic iceberg in the distance.  Updates will follow as the project nears completion!

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