Patios and Walkways
luxury stone patio contractor in Northern Virginia
Every site is different. Every patio is planned that way.
Holloway Company designs and builds custom patios and walkways across Northern Virginia. Our crews have been laying stone in this region since 1994.Every hardscape project is backed by a 3-year labor and craftsmanship warranty. There are many ways to build a patio, from the bare minimum to a fully considered design. We look past the surface material and study the house, the grades, the drainage, the circulation, the views, and the outdoor spaces already there, so the finished hardscape works as part of the whole property rather than a slab set into the lawn.
Patios and Walkway Materials You Can Actually Walk On Before You Choose
Most contractors hand you a four-inch sample board and ask you to imagine 800 square feet of it.
Holloway Company’s retail partner, Outdoor Living Way, runs a full stoneyard a few doors down from our shop on Azalea Lane. Pavers, natural stone, porcelain, travertine, stone veneer, and wall systems are stocked on site in full pieces and full slabs, in daylight, dry and wet. You can see how a travertine reads in afternoon sun, how a paver color shifts when it rains, and how two stones look side by side at actual size.
That proximity also means our crews work with this inventory constantly. When we recommend a material for your site, it is based on having installed it repeatedly in this climate, not on a manufacturer’s spec sheet.
Walkways
A walkway is the connective tissue of a property. Done well, it makes parts of the yard usable that people simply never walked to before, and it carries the material language of the patio out into the rest of the site.
We design walkways as part of the larger plan, not as an afterthought once the patio is finished:
- Material continuity between the patio, walkways, entry, and any pool surround, so the property reads as one design
- Width and pacing set to how the path actually gets used, whether that is two people walking side by side or a narrow garden path
- Grade and drainage planned along the run, so a walkway does not become the low point that collects water
- Lighting integrated during construction rather than staked in afterward
Intricate paths to private corners and broad, direct routes for entertaining are different design problems. We plan for the one you actually want.
Seat Walls, Retaining Walls, and Edging
The borders of the patio need design and consideration as well. In addition to being visually pleasing, they can be functional.
Walls do structural and design work at the same time. A seat wall defines the edge of a patio and adds permanent seating without furniture. A retaining wall turns a slope into level, usable ground. Edging keeps a lawn or planting bed from migrating into the hardscape.
On sloped properties, tiered outdoor rooms turn an elevation change into a design feature instead of a problem to work around.
Choosing the Right Material for Your Patio and Walkway
Each material behaves differently underfoot, in weather, and over time. The right answer depends on the site, the house, and how the space gets used.
Travertine
Naturally slip-resistant and stays cooler than most stone, which makes it a common choice for pool surrounds and any patio that gets barefoot traffic. Available in walnut, silver, tundra grey, and ivory tones. Holloway Company has used travertine on multiple award-winning projects.
Porcelain
Frost-proof, fade-resistant, and stain-resistant, with very consistent color from piece to piece. Available in large format for a contemporary look, and it can often be installed over an existing concrete surface.
Natural stone
Flagstone and cut stone bring organic variation no manufactured product replicates. No two pieces are identical, which is the point. Best where the house or the setting calls for something that looks like it belongs to the land.
Concrete pavers
The most versatile option, with the broadest range of color, texture, and pattern. Interlocking pavers flex slightly with freeze-thaw movement instead of cracking, and a damaged individual paver can be lifted and replaced without disturbing the rest of the surface.
Brick
Classic, and the right call when the house has brick already. Ages well rather than looking worn.
Stone veneer
For seat walls, columns, grill surrounds, and any vertical face where the goal is the look of full stone without full-depth masonry.
Custom Patios Built From the Ground Up
Ready to Grade
Difficult grades do not automatically make a yard unusable, and unmanaged water does not stay a small problem. On sites with challenging runoff, we plan grades, base preparation, drains, walls, and transitions around one basic rule: water needs a safe place to go, because water with nowhere to go damages the patio, nearby structures, and the surrounding yard.
Built for Northern Virginia's Temperature Changes
Northern Virginia hardscape also has to survive freeze-thaw cycles, heavy rain, and clay-heavy soil that shifts with the seasons. Excavation depth, base material, compaction, edge restraint, grading, and drainage all get specified for the site rather than run as one standard recipe. Those steps are invisible in the finished photo and they are what determines whether a patio still sits flat and drains properly in year ten.