Hardscaping in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
A patio in Cape Elizabeth usually lands on one of two very different kinds of ground. Across the rocky shore neighborhoods from Fort Williams to Two Lights, the USDA soil survey maps the Lyman-Tunbridge and Lyman-Abram complexes: a thin cap of loamy glacial till over bedrock, with Lyman soils reaching rock within about 10 to 20 inches. In flatter, lower ground the survey shifts to Scantic silt loam, a very deep, poorly drained soil laid down as glaciomarine sediment.
Those two conditions ask for different bases. Where ledge is shallow, excavation for a paver or flagstone patio often stops on rock, and the design has to move water across or around the stone rather than down through it. On Scantic ground the concern flips: the subsoil drains slowly, so a thicker compacted base and a deliberate pitch carry more of the load than they would on sandy soil.
Coverage limits near tidal water and Great Pond
Cape Elizabeth's zoning ordinance counts walkways, patios and driveways as impervious area. Inside the Shoreland Performance Overlay, which reaches 250 feet from tidal water, the Spurwink River, Great Pond and the upland edge of freshwater wetlands, the combined footprint of structures and impervious surfaces may not exceed 20 percent of the portion of the lot inside the district. A new terrace on a shorefront lot is partly arithmetic: what already counts, and how much room is left.
In the Great Pond watershed the cap is 35 percent of the whole lot, graveled surfaces included, and disturbed ground must be stabilized within a week of the last time it was worked. Owners there complete a Watershed Information Form with the building permit, describing clearing, new impervious area and erosion control.
Granite and stone on older Cape houses
Census estimates put the median Cape Elizabeth home at 1967, with roughly 770 of about 3,980 homes built before 1940. Entry steps, front walks and fire pit terraces on houses of that age are often rebuilds rather than first installs, and the original work frequently sits on little or no base.
Our method is the same on every hardscape: excavate, compact and pitch the base for drainage, then set the stone, whether the finish is granite steps, bluestone, cobblestone or veneer on a foundation wall. Where an old walk crosses ledge, steps and landings can be seated on the rock itself, letting natural stone take up grade changes that a flat paver field cannot.
Patios · Pavers · Fireplaces · Stone
How we handle hardscaping
From paver and flagstone outdoor patios to cobblestone entries, granite steps, outdoor fireplaces and fire pits, boulder installs, bluestone, natural rock work and stone veneer on house exteriors, we design and build hardscapes that hold their lines through Maine freeze and thaw. Every base is excavated, compacted and pitched for drainage before a single stone is set.
See the full hardscaping service page or everything we do in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
Hardscaping in nearby towns
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- Hardscaping in Portland
- Hardscaping in Westbrook
- Hardscaping in Falmouth
More services in Cape Elizabeth
- Retaining Walls in Cape Elizabeth
- Landscaping in Cape Elizabeth
- Landscape Design in Cape Elizabeth
- Planting & Garden Beds in Cape Elizabeth
- Hydroseeding, Sod & Turf in Cape Elizabeth
- Lawn Aeration & Overseeding in Cape Elizabeth
- Fall Cleanup & Leaf Removal in Cape Elizabeth
- Commercial Mowing & Cleanups in Cape Elizabeth
- Excavation & Land Clearing in Cape Elizabeth
- Septic Systems in Cape Elizabeth
- Tree & Shrub Services in Cape Elizabeth
- Tree Removal in Cape Elizabeth
Sources for the local facts on this page
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Mon–Sat 7:00am – 5:00pm · Based in Cumberland, Maine