Beauty: A little about water
Water is amazing.  It is critical to life and almost all of its processes.  In addition, it is responsible for a great deal of beauty in our lives.  It refreshes our bodies when we’re parched, cleans us when we’re dirty, soothes us by the sound of its tumbling over rocks on its way to the ocean, awes us as it cascades over a great waterfall, or forms the clouds on which a beautiful sunrise or sunset are painted, and provides a lot of fun family moments in the form of water or winter sports.

Have you ever wondered why ice floats?  Most molecules, when moving from their liquid to their solid state, become denser.  If this were the case with water, all ice that is formed would sink to the bottom of the body of water it was in, like an underwater snow storm.  Think about that!

However, as water freezes and turns into ice, it actually becomes less dense, since the water molecules line up in a crystal form which happens to be very strong, but lighter than the free-flowing molecules of liquid water.  Hence, ice floats.

Info: Respect the Power of Freezing Water
When water in the ground freezes, it also forms this same crystalline structure.  As it does, the ground expands.  This is why the ground “heaves” when it freezes, and “contracts” when it thaws.  This heaving and contracting acts with great power, and is strong enough to crack rocks into pieces.

Now imagine that you are watching the ground on a film sped up to show 100 years in 1 minute.  The freezing and thawing would look like a strong vibration of the ground, like a mighty shaking.  Imagine what this great vibration does to roads, patios, foundations, and landscape walls.  One quickly gets the picture that, if something is to withstand the power of the freezing process, it must be built in a way which respects the power of this process.

Propaganda: Build to Last
There is an age-old saying, “you get what you pay for.”  In twelve years of running our business, we have become more and more confident to state this as fact.  Imagine paying for a patio or wall which only lasts a few years before it is messed up, broken, or falling over.  This happens all the time in our industry.

Outdoor living has become increasingly popular, but the spaces which make up our outdoor living areas include patios, walls, fire pits, and other hard structures which must withstand the power of the frost heave.  Many folks have gone a cheaper route so they can afford more of the “look” they are after, but pull it forward too quickly, ending up with spaces which are broken or falling apart within a few years of installation.

My advice?  Be a wise investor, who pays 50% more for a product that will last up to 5, 50, or 500 times longer.  Build to Last, even if it means waiting another year or two to save the money for the right result.

And of course, when it comes time to build your “outdoor rooms”, please consider Paragon, because we respect the power of the frost.

Trent D. Schrock
President