When discussing your outdoor living space, you often hear the term “landscaping,” but “hardscaping” is just as important. Hardscapes are the man-made structures in your yard, such as walls or pathways.
When hiring a contractor to design and construct hardscapes for your home, it’s important to consider the types of materials used for each project. What you use for your patio may not be the same thing you use for your pool area. You will want to choose materials that will work well for its intended space and purpose, but also look cohesive with the rest of your outdoor living area.
- PATIO
When it comes to a patio, a material that is flat and stable is what you will want to seek out. You want to be able to add furniture and things of that nature to the space, and you won’t want to end up with a wobbly chair or table. The best options are going to be poured concrete, wood, or pavers.
Pavers come in a large variety of sizes and colors, and they can be mixed and matched to create eye-catching patterns. Paving stones are also a great option because you can add on later if you decide you want to increase the size of your patio, and there will be minimal to no difference between the old stones and the new stones. Since there is such a large variety of these stones, prices can vary since concrete pavers are more inexpensive than, say, brick pavers.
- POOL DECK
The area around your pool is definitely an important hardscape to choose the right materials for. It also needs to be flat and stable, like the patio, but it’s also important to be picky about the material you choose because the area around your pool will definitely get wet from the water and hot from the sun. You don’t want to make a slipped hazard, or burn your feet .
It’s also important to think about what will happen if you need to repair part of your pool. Concrete will unfortunately have to be ripped up and re-poured if certain parts of the pool need to be accessed. With pavers, though, it’s easy to pull them up and replace them once the repair is done.
- WALKWAYS
To prevent your landscaping from being destroyed by people walking all over it freely, it’s smart to consider putting in pathways dedicated for people to get around your yard. Walkways not only protect your lawn, but they also add sophistication as well. You can create them out of stone, brick, pavers, wood, and even pebbles. Creating borders for your pathways is important as well, so people stick to the clear path.
- LOUNGE AREAS
If you have the space for it, having an area dedicated to relaxing and enjoying the outdoors is a great idea. You can add an outdoor fireplace or fire pit and some outdoor furniture and really make a serene place to spend time with friends or family.
Since a lounge area is quite similar to a patio, you’ll again want to make sure the materials you use are flat and stable, and if you do intend to put in a fire feature, you will want to make sure you use a material that isn’t combustible.
These are just a few options of hardscaping you can do, but the possibilities are endless. If you have a project in mind but are still unsure about the type of materials you should use for it, we would be happy to help. Just give us a call or fill out the form on our contact page and we will get back to you with more information.
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