Each month we like to put a spotlight on someone or something that helps make Texas Custom Patios succeed.  We take into consideration not only the people that work with us, but the products we use in your home.  We would like to bring things to the surface and highlight a company that has been with us for over a decade!

Full Company Name: Texas Custom Granite

How long have you worked with TCP? 11 years

What’s your specialty? (we know, sounds obvious with granite in your name, but we want to know more)  Stone countertops are our specialty. We have invested millions of dollars in the latest fabrication technology in order to produce the highest quality countertop.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?  We love being able to produce countertops that any homeowner would be happy with. Stone counters are an investment and customers deserve countertops that match or exceed that investment. The fact that we can satisfy this demand by utilizing both the latest fabrication technology and a team of skilled employees dedicated to this end goal make us proud.

What’s inspiring in the construction/build world to you? The construction world is always changing and that is inspiring. With new designs and materials constantly coming to market, our job stays exciting and fresh. You never know what’s around the corner but having the ability to jump into the newest trends when they hit is a lot of fun.

Do you have a favorite project from the past?  One of our favorite TCP jobs would be the first job we installed for TCP. When switching to a new trade/vendor there is always a bit of uneasiness, it’s the beginning of a new relationship and regardless of all the due diligence you do, you don’t quite know how the job will go. The home owner was very concerned with the radius of the counter tops matching the radius of the cabinets and stone. With our laser templating system we were able to produce counter tops that not only met the home owner’s expectation but exceeded them.

What trends have you seen in outdoor design in the last few years? The porcelain slab is a new and exciting product that has recently began to pick up steam. Porcelain can endure the outdoor elements and is resistant to staining and scratching. We feel there is more work to do in this area. The fabrication requires special tooling and edgework is limited. Pricing can be much higher than natural stone, so that’s something to think about, too. Once this material becomes more mainstream, many suppliers will lower pricing and hopefully solve some of the fabrication difficulties.

What do you see to be popular in the future? We continue to see clean lines and solid colors gain in popularity. The modern or contemporary styles are being seen everywhere inside the home. We believe this will find its way to the outdoors as well.

Why is granite the best? GRANITES are undoubtedly the most popular stone type used in countertop applications today. These stones are some of the hardest of the common countertop stones, offering high levels of resistance to abrasion and scratching. The primary minerals in granite are resistant to almost all chemicals commonly found in a home. These characteristics still make granite the premier surface.

What’s the one thing that most clients say they HAVE to have? Most clients have to have a quality job. Granite counters are one of the main components people notice. The stone countertop surface often times becomes the talking point. It is exciting to hear the many compliments these countertops receive.

What is your biggest obstacle you face during the design/build process? The biggest obstacle we face as a fabricator in the outdoor world is probably just dealing with the outdoor elements. The heat in Texas can make the epoxies break down prematurely. We have overcome 90 percent of these issues by using 3cm granite where no laminating is necessary along the edges. We still have seams that are filled with epoxy. In most cases if the seams in the counters do not have direct sunlight they remain fairly stable. When counters are heated by the sun during the day and cool during the night movement in the materials can cause the epoxy in the seams to crack. This does not happen as often indoors as temperatures are regulated within a few degrees.

What do you hear most often from clients when everything is completed? What we hope to hear most often when the job is completed is how great the project turned out and that they already have their first party planned to show off their new project.

What do you think outdoor living space does for a home and person? Outdoor living spaces create an atmosphere to bring families together. It pulls us away from our electronics and allows us a time and place to make memories. These spaces are synonymous with entertaining and just having a good time. The great part is the fact that unlike having to take a vacation to relax you can walk right outside and live the vacation over and over.

What do you hope to build/design in the future? We will continue to build and design new applications for natural and engineered stone. To walls, floors and counters-stone continues to be a surface for the ages.