Elaborate outdoor living spaces require the assistance of professional contractors who are well-versed in installing the products with which they are

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1 Elaborate outdoor living spaces require the assistance of professional contractors who are well-versed in installing the products with which they are working. For that reason, Belgard developed its Authorized Contractor program, which local Authorized Belgard Dealer Blue Max Materials has long been an advocate for.

2 Blue Max Materials will be debuting Belgard s newest segmented wall system, BelAir, at the Southern Spring Home & Garden Show. Belgard s Urbana Collection has a modern appeal that s well-suited for use in a variety of landscapes. Rest Assured Belgard and Blue Max Materials Pave Way to Professional Results Photos courtesy of Belgard When one Charlotte family decided to tackle a landscaping project they had dreamed of doing for 18 years, it quickly turned into a nightmare. We had a huge slope in the back of our yard that we were trying to terrace, the homeowner explains. His family worked with a designer to create a landscape plan that fulfilled their vision, then found a contractor they felt they could work with to execute the plans. That s when things literally began to go downhill. Frankly, we didn t do our homework. We liked the contractor, so we didn t check his credentials. We were a couple of months into the project and the walls were falling over, because they were not installed properly from a structural standpoint. We were in a real jam. That was when the family started doing more research about the Belgard wall products they had selected and discovered that the manufacturer had an Authorized Contractor program. We called one, and he has been a real savior to us. He tore down the faulty walls, started over and has done a tremendous job. I wish we had called them first, because they are true professionals who can give you great advice, who will tell you honestly whether or not something will work, and who know how to work with the product to ensure that what they are building is structurally sound, he notes. Seven long and costly months later, the family is ready to begin enjoying the space they had always envisioned and more. We actually ended up doing a lot more landscaping than we initially planned to because they just did such a tremendous job, the homeowner reports. But it was a very expensive life lesson.

3 Blue Max Materials is a single source for all of your construction and landscape needs, offering everything from hardscape materials to soils, mulches and the bulk materials needed to build the base of your project. A Better Way Helping homeowners avoid the wasted time, expense and frustration that can accompany improperly done work is why Belgard, an industry leader that has been producing high-quality architectural pavers and retaining wall systems since the 1990s, developed its Authorized Contractor Program. One of the largest advantages of working with a Belgard Authorized Contractor is that they have been approved by the manufacturer through a rigorous screening process, explains Michael Bishop, President of Authorized Belgard Dealer Blue Max Materials, Inc., which has long been an advocate of the program. Those requirements include completing Belgard s initial training and continuing education programs and having completed projects inspected for quality by a Belgard representative. These companies have to submit work that has been done, not just recently, but over a period of years, so they are judged on the performance of not only their present installation practices but on how well their previous projects have held up over years of use, Bishop explains. It s one thing to say that a company is doing their work correctly today, but Belgard wants to see that their work has been done correctly over time. In addition, contractors must have the proper industry, state and local certifications and insurance, be recommended by an Authorized Dealer and have an acceptable credit standing. This is an all-encompassing certification that looks not only at a company s technical expertise, but also takes it a step farther to ensure that they are a reputable company to deal with, explains Blue Max Materials Marketing Manager Barb Luzum. Aside from the assurance that you are dealing with a professional firm, there are additional concrete benefits to using an Authorized Contractor, explains Ken O Neill, Vice President of Belgard, Oldcastle Architectural Products Group. It s in essence an insurance policy. We guarantee the product for a lifetime, with a warranty that is transferable to a future home buyer. We have a warranty card for the homeowner which is a serial-numbered piece of physical information that we catalog so we know what the product is, who installed it and when it was installed. We stand behind the product, and our Authorized Contractors stand behind their workmanship. That s why dealers like Blue Max feel comfortable entrusting their clients to their care. We think the program adds value to what we can present to our customers, Bishop says, noting that the Authorized Contractors his company works with typically guarantee their workmanship for five years. Built to Last, Beautifully Those assurances are important when you consider the longevity of the product. Belgard s engineered pavers and wall products are designed to endure literally for a lifetime. Pavers have a lot of benefits. The product is built and designed as a paving system, so it will deliver years of service and only requires minimal maintenance.

4 Belgard s Mega Arbel pavers offer the look of flagstone on a scale large enough to accommodate the most extensive outdoor area.

5 Arbel offers the same natural appearance of flagstone on a slightly smaller scale that s ideal for use on walkways and more compact areas.

6 Belgard s paving products, such as the Mega-Bergerac pavers shown here, are engineered to withstand vehicular traffic, making them a beautiful and durable choice for driveway applications. Created with Belgard s patented antiquing technology, Dublin Cobble provides an earthy, natural appearance that complements any setting. Other advantages are cost, availability and ease of installation. You don t have to deal with the surface irregularities and jagged shapes of natural materials, O Neill explains. Yet thanks to intensive research and development, these beautiful materials are virtually indistinguishable from natural stone. To create the realistic look of each of Belgard s products, the company first scans hundreds of natural stones. These profiles are then used to create the surfaces which vary from piece to piece some are smoother, some more heavily textured giving the completed hardscape the varied appearance of a natural product. As pavers have evolved over the past 25 years, they have become more and more natural looking, O Neill explains. Homeowners love the value and functionality of pavers, but they want them to look upscale and natural. Put those two components together, and you have an ideal combination. In fact, Belgard has a line to meet any design aesthetic. There s the Urbana Collection whose fine, chiseled textures and random shapes recall vintage cut stone yet give it a distinctly modern appeal. At the other end of the spectrum is the Old World Collection, a heavily textured line for which Belgard scanned timeworn streets made from ballast stone in Boston and New York. For surfaces where only the elegant appeal of flagstone will do, there s Arbel Stone. This modular product is available in a range of earthen color blends with unique textures and patterns that mimic flagstone. Mega Arbel, a larger size unit, is suitable for driveways and more expansive patios. Belgard s latest introduction, BelAir, is a segmented wall product suitable for use in both retaining and freestanding walls that has the realistic appearance of chiseled stone. For homeowners who are concerned about the environmental impact of their projects, Belgard offers a line of water permeable Environmental Pavers that reduce the effects of run-off. A Single Source Your environmentally beneficial choices don t need to stop at the pavers when you deal with a dealer like Blue Max Materials, which also offers a soil mixture that has become a mainstay of area rain gardens. One of our good customers has nicknamed it BioMax, Bishop says with a laugh. It s a sandy growing medium that some native plants thrive in and which allows both water and some impurities that water contains to be absorbed back into the soil. BioMax is just one of the soils offered by the company known for bulk construction materials ranging from gravel and mulch to soils approved by the City of Charlotte and top local landscapers because of the rigorous quality testing the firm routinely subjects them to. The benefit of dealing with Blue Max Materials is that we are not just a hardscape supplier. We are not just a bulk material supplier. We are not just a landscape supplies company. What we offer are numerous products that are centered on the needs of the construction and landscape industries, Bishop emphasizes. So customers can come in here and pick up all the materials that they need from products to build the base of their hardscapes to the pavers themselves

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