If location is the key to property value, then landscape design (and strong contractor hands) are the keys to property enjoyment.

Cruise in your ski boat past this gem of a home on Lake Shannon in Fenton, Michigan and you might forget you’re pulling a skier. Like the organic flow of water, the landscape design moves the eye (and the vacationer) down the hillside from one scenic outdoor room to another on a path of warm toned and smooth textured Indiana Limestone, punctuated with rocky sandstone boulders. You can’t help but call it gorgeous, though that’s a grand understatement.

Landscape architect Daniel Lee Designs took full advantage of the steep waterfront site by stepping down the landscape to create three seating areas, each with their own character and all with magnificent views.

Multiple seating areas for different experiences and varying views, for quiet conversation by the fireplace or watching the kids play in the pool.

Hardscapes Nate takes us on a tour of the property in his latest episode of Contractor Corner where all but one of the hardscapes elements are INDIANA LIMESTONE - FULL COLOR BLEND ™.

Read on for the highlights or click for the full video.

The solid Indiana Limestone garden steps

These solid Indiana Limestone garden steps can withstand the Michigan freeze thaw cycle.

Right away the landscape architect has set the stage for the waterfront experience with a grand entrance. These 6 inch garden steps are solid Indiana Limestone with a split face. One of the new line of Polycor standard hardscape products, they are 16 inches deep and four feet long.

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The patio poolscape

The Polycor Indiana limestone products were supplied by Greenup Landscaping and installed by Michigan Pavers. Abbey Stone Works was the stone fabricator.

The main entertaining space - more poolscape than patio - is anchored in smooth textured large scale pavers laid in a three piece pattern. “The Full Color Blend gives this patio a great range in color from the greys to those rich buff tones for a real earthy feel that’s perfect for this setting,” says Hardscape Nate.

The large scale format pavers are 12”x24”, 24” x 24”, and 24”x 36” - the right size for the scale of this project, Nate says.

The veneer faced retaining walls

The split face of the Indiana limestone steps match the natural look of the sandstone boulders and rustic veneer.

Several concrete retaining walls step down the property, each faced with BERKSHIRE ™ thin veneer from the Polycor Estate Series. Made with the same Full Color Blend and capped with a solid piece of Indiana Limestone, they blend harmoniously with the other hardscaping (and make a great backdrop for those grasses blowing in the lake breeze).

The infinity pool

The four foot long coping pieces accentuate the long lines of the pool sited horizontally for maximum waterfront views while swimming.

If this project has one shining star it has to be the infinity pool, and the smooth neutral Indiana Limestone coping helps it stand out all the more. Indiana Limestone is especially good for pool coping - it’s slip resistant and has a lower Solar Reflective Index than other materials (it won’t get too hot to walk on and the texture feels great underfoot). Plus it looks good wet and dries out quickly. A perfect poolside companion. Pool coping: 13.5” deep, 2.25” thick, 4’ long. Click here for additional sizes and specs.

The family fireplace

The rustic outdoor fireplace is faced with the same thin veneer on the masonry walls. Pool coping with its round bull nose makes an excellent hearth here.

Welcome to Hardscape Nate’s happy place. This secluded sitting area, that gets you just far enough away from the party where you can sit and relax, is Nate’s favorite. “There’s no place I’d rather be on a beautiful fall night in the midwest than overlooking a lake in front of this fireplace,” he said.

The soot on the fireplace is easy to clean with Indiana Limestone. All you need is a garden spray nozzle and some Dawn dish soap.

The sunset fire pit

The most secluded and intimate seating area features a fire pit and the same Indiana Limestone pavers in a three piece pattern.

The closest to the water of the seating areas, this secret lakeside mini patio is just right for two people, a bottle of wine, and the comfort of a warm fire as the sun goes down. Underfoot are the same Full Color Blend Indiana Limestone pavers, durable enough for hot nights in the summer and lake effect snow in the winter.

Peppered throughout the landscape are Michigan sandstone boulders, rich green turf and delicate grasses.

The combination of Indiana Limestone hardscaping, rough boulders and soft greenery add layered luxury that even the neighbors can enjoy. “That opposition of texture and tone just adds to this project,” says Hardscape Nate. “When look up at this property from the lake it gives it an elegant rustic feel.”

“What’s so cool about using Indiana Limestone is its ability to go with any other building product you’re using,” he said. “The Indiana Limestone Full Color Blend was the ideal material for this project.”

Get all the product specs for Indiana Limestone veneer. Download the product sheet.