Belgard® Hardscapes Helps Create an Intimate Outdoor Living Space for the 2011 Coastal Living Ultimate Beach House Show Home

The 2011 Coastal Living Ultimate Beach House is now open to the public for tours and special events. The 25th showcase home built by Coastal Living magazine to highlight the style and life on the coast overlooks Chesapeake Bay in the East Beach community of Norfolk, Va., and includes a three-story 3,500 square foot home surrounded by 1,500 square feet of outdoor patios and walkways provided by Belgard® Hardscapes.

"Belgard is thrilled to be a part of this project. Our pavers are the perfect complement to a beach home because they offer a comfortable non-skid walking surface that's designed to hold up in harsh environmental conditions," said Ken O'Neill, Vice President of Marketing, Belgard Hardscapes.

The intimate outdoor living space, which includes a living room with a gas fireplace and a separate outdoor kitchen and dining area, was designed by the collaborative efforts of Norfolk native Jane Cantin and international landscape architect Ian Stubbs of Great Britain.

"Ian and I collaborate on a number of projects both here in the states and overseas, and it was a great honor for us to work on this project that will give national exposure to my hometown," said Cantin. The duo chose Belgard's Mega-Lafitt® pavers for the project, which is a textured modular paver with a natural slate-like appearance that is available in a three or four-piece layout.

"Mega-Lafitt offered us a lot of design flexibility," said Cantin. "We were able to use a larger four-piece pattern on the driveway and continue the same look in the garden rooms with a three-piece pattern that was more to scale with the intimate setting. And, the color added a warm patina that picked up the blue hues on the home's exterior and outdoor furnishings."

Cantin noted that she often uses paver patios in her landscape designs. "Installation is easy, and it wears well. And years down the road, if one paver gets damaged and needs replacing, you don't need to replace the entire patio," she explained.

The Ultimate Beach Home will be featured in the October 2011 issue of Coastal Living and will be open for tours from July 29 through November 27, 2011, with proceeds from the $10 per person admission benefiting the St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children in Norfolk. Tour hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The show home will be closed each Monday and Tuesday for special events. Call the East Beach Sales Center at 757-333-6650 or visit www.eastbeachnorfolk.com for more information.

About Belgard Hardscapes
Since 1995, Oldcastle® has set the standard for innovative outdoor hardscapes with the Belgard® collection of paver and wall products. Offering a versatile range of styles - in antiqued, classic, and natural textures - premium Belgard products are found in America's finest homes and dream homes. When quality matters - Choose Belgard. 1-877-Belgard (235-4273). Belgard is a brand owned by Oldcastle Architectural, a U.S. subsidiary of CRH plc. Additional information and product offerings can be viewed online at www.belgard.biz.