Hear from Our Customers
You get a pool area that doesn’t fight Long Island’s conditions—it works with them. No more dealing with plants that struggle in sandy soil or drainage problems that create muddy messes around your pool deck.
Your poolside landscape stays beautiful through summer heat and coastal storms. Plants thrive instead of just surviving, and hardscaping holds up to freeze-thaw cycles without cracking or shifting.
The result? A pool area you actually want to spend time in, not one you’re constantly trying to fix or replant.
Stone Escapes has been handling poolside landscaping throughout Suffolk and Nassau Counties for years. We understand what works in Northwest Harbor’s sandy soil and what doesn’t.
Owner Iain Traynor brings union masonry experience and carpentry background to every project. He’s on-site from start to finish, not managing from an office. We’re certified with Cambridge, Techo-Bloc, Unilock, and other major manufacturers because we use materials built for coastal conditions.
Our approach addresses Long Island-specific challenges: proper drainage for sandy soil, plant selection for salt air, and construction methods that handle seasonal ground movement.
We start with an in-person estimate where Iain evaluates your pool area’s specific conditions—soil drainage, sun exposure, existing challenges. This isn’t a quick look-over; it’s a thorough assessment of what your space needs.
Next comes proper preparation. We excavate 8-10 inches deep, install appropriate base layers, and plan drainage before any planting or hardscaping begins. This foundation work prevents the settling and drainage issues that plague many Long Island pool areas.
Installation follows Long Island best practices: edge restraints to prevent shifting, plant selection for sandy soil conditions, and materials rated for coastal weather. You get direct communication with our team throughout, no middlemen or project managers.
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Your poolside landscaping project includes proper site preparation, drainage solutions, and plant selection specifically for Northwest Harbor’s conditions. We handle everything from hardscaping around the pool deck to creating planted areas that complement your outdoor space.
Hardscaping options include paver patios, walkways, retaining walls, and outdoor kitchen areas using materials from Cambridge, Techo-Bloc, or Unilock. Plant selection focuses on species that thrive in sandy soil and handle salt air exposure common in coastal Long Island areas.
We also address the technical aspects many contractors skip: proper base preparation to prevent settling, drainage systems to handle Long Island’s heavy rainfall periods, and edge restraints to prevent pavers from shifting during freeze-thaw cycles. This foundation work is what separates long-lasting installations from ones that need constant repairs.
Sandy soil around pools requires plants that can handle quick drainage and lower nutrient levels. We typically recommend ornamental grasses like fountain grass, drought-tolerant perennials such as black-eyed Susan and sedum, and shrubs like bayberry and juniper that naturally thrive in coastal conditions.
The key is avoiding plants that need consistently moist, rich soil—they’ll struggle in Long Island’s sandy conditions and require constant watering and fertilizing. We also avoid plants that drop excessive leaves or fruit near pool areas, as they create maintenance headaches and can affect water chemistry.
Plant placement matters too. We position taller plants to provide privacy and wind protection while keeping lower plantings away from pool splash zones where chlorine exposure could damage sensitive species.
Pool area drainage in Northwest Harbor requires understanding how sandy soil behaves during Long Island’s heavy rainfall periods. While sandy soil drains quickly, poor grading can still create pooling problems around hardscaped areas.
We start with proper site grading to direct water away from pool decks and seating areas. This often involves creating subtle slopes and installing French drains or catch basins where needed. The base preparation under pavers includes proper stone layers and edge restraints to prevent settling that could create low spots.
For planted areas, we may amend sandy soil with organic matter to improve water retention around plant roots while maintaining overall drainage. The goal is preventing both standing water problems and the opposite extreme—soil that drains so quickly plants can’t establish properly.
For Long Island pool decks, we typically recommend concrete pavers from manufacturers like Cambridge, Techo-Bloc, or Unilock. These materials handle freeze-thaw cycles better than poured concrete and can be reset if minor settling occurs in sandy soil.
Natural stone works well too, particularly bluestone or granite, but requires more careful installation due to varying thicknesses. The key with any material is proper base preparation—we excavate deeper than many contractors and use multiple base layers with proper compaction.
We avoid materials that become slippery when wet or retain heat excessively. We also consider how different materials will age in salt air conditions common in coastal areas like Northwest Harbor. Some materials develop attractive patina over time while others may show wear more quickly.
Most poolside landscaping projects in Northwest Harbor take 1-3 weeks depending on scope and weather conditions. Simple plantings around existing hardscaping might be completed in a few days, while comprehensive projects involving new paver installation, retaining walls, and extensive planting take longer.
Weather plays a bigger role than many homeowners expect. Long Island’s spring and fall seasons provide ideal conditions, while summer heat can stress newly planted materials and winter ground conditions prevent most hardscaping work.
We schedule projects to minimize disruption to pool use during prime season. This often means completing hardscaping in early spring before pool opening or in fall after the swimming season ends. Planting can be more flexible timing-wise, though spring and fall installations establish better than summer plantings.
We focus on installation rather than ongoing maintenance, but we design poolside landscapes to be as low-maintenance as possible given Long Island’s conditions. This means selecting plants that don’t require constant pruning, fertilizing, or replacement.
During installation, we provide guidance on proper watering schedules for newly planted materials and explain which plants need seasonal care. Most of our plant selections are chosen specifically because they’re relatively self-sufficient once established in sandy soil conditions.
For hardscaping, we use installation methods and materials that minimize long-term maintenance needs. Properly installed pavers with appropriate base preparation and edge restraints rarely need major repairs. We also explain simple maintenance tasks like occasional sand sweeping for paver joints and seasonal plant care requirements.
Poolside landscaping requires consideration of factors that don’t apply to other landscape areas. Chlorine splash affects plant selection—we avoid species sensitive to chemical exposure near pool edges. Pool equipment access must be maintained, so we plan plantings that won’t interfere with pump, filter, or heater servicing.
Safety is another key difference. We avoid plants with thorns or aggressive root systems near walkways and pool areas. Slip-resistant hardscaping materials become more important around pools than in other landscape applications.
Drainage considerations are also more complex around pools. We need to prevent runoff from carrying soil or mulch into pool water while ensuring proper drainage to prevent standing water issues. This often requires more sophisticated grading and drainage solutions than typical landscape projects.
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