You’re thinking that now that your lawns and plants are under control, it’s time to think about extending your outside living area. I can see that wild dreamy look in your eye.
Luckily, you already have a relationship with a great landscaping group at Year Round Services. They take care of your lawns, trim and maintain your trees, and make sure your flower beds bloom with great enthusiasm. But, of course, we won’t even mention the mulch.
Hardscaping, or adding paths, patios, retaining walls, seating, fire pits, and even barbeque and dining areas, is hard work. You will have to have a plan and expert help for installation and planning. You wouldn’t want to cut through any utilities while creating, would you?
Planning
The first thing to do is to call your landscape partners and ask them for a consultation and give them a short explanation of your plans. Then, someone will come to see you and bring sketchbooks, samples of brick, tile, stone, and catalogs of the various things that can be done to bring the notion of outdoor living areas to reality.
They will probably want to walk your entire property and spend extra time in the areas you want to expand into your outdoor living area. Don’t be afraid to tell them where things go in your mind’s eye. This is valuable information for them, and they can’t do this part of the project without a lot of your ideas and input.
Then, you’ll probably all settle down somewhere with a big table and room to spread out notebooks, calendars, sketchbooks, and catalogs. Samples will be piled up, paint samples fanned out, and the fun part of the work begins. So be creative, and have fun.
A day or two later, your designers will return with sketches, maybe models, paintings, and other plans of what you’ve created. This may be your first time seeing it together, so be prepared for a few breathless moments as you see your ideas in their glorious reality.
If you have questions, suggestions, or problems with what has been created, now is the time to get them on the table. Once the building of your outdoor dream area has begun, changes will be difficult, if not impossible. One of the major considerations is where to leave room for future plans or expansions.
Materials
If you think about it, hardscaping is a lot about the materials available and what is best to use. For example, concrete is a fundamental element of a building, whether for outdoor areas or for pouring a new basement floor. It is made by mixing cement and sand, and gravel with enough water to cause it to set and bind the entire mass of ingredients. From roads and pathways to new homes and business buildings, almost any building project begins with this simple mixture. Another version of this mixture, mortar, holds bricks and outdoor blocks and stones together. This mixture is more like a glue to hold these things together.
Your design will add texture like stone and tile or wood and metal until spaces to sit and have conversation, meals, or games, a fire pit for warmth and visiting, and the perfect spot for telling ghost stories while eating gooey chocolatey goodness.
The addition of live plants, trees, flowers, and other growing things will help bring your space to life.
Let’s get started!
Once you approve the design, your Year Round team will get busy. They will contact utility companies, who will come out and flag any lines, pipes, or other utility areas so that they won’t be accidentally cut or destroyed. You’ll see little flags waving in the breeze, very colorful but with an essential purpose.
Grass, soil, and other surface items will be removed and stored, if appropriate. Once the hardscaping is done, the soil might be used in other areas, but the grass might not survive days of being piled up. Pathways will be marked and the upper layers of turf and soil removed to make pouring the concrete and set in whatever pattern of brick or stone you’ve chosen. Lighting will be added for safety, and irrigation will be relocated to keep your plants, grass, and flowers growing as you build.
Passages for utilities and plumbing will be laid out and marked. Recesses for lighting and other utilities will be marked. There is a lot of preliminary work to building a space like yours.
If necessary, the terracing will be placed with retaining walls, and the first outdoor floor areas will be placed with the concrete matrix and your choice of brick, tile, or stone. The ingredients in the concrete may be varied or added to create the best matrix for your needs. For instance, you might want the concrete to dry with a darker color if your stone or tile is a light color.
Pilings for light poles or supports for roofs or weather-resistant areas will be placed. It’s all coming together, and you can see the “bones” of the work as it’s being created.
And, Done!
Then, one day, the noise stops. The dust settles. Plants are planted, trees are trimmed, and the finishing touches are attached or screwed into place. The propane tanks are charged, and wood is piled near the fire pit. Fire extinguishers are installed. Cushions are placed, tables arranged, and portable lanterns and electric and gas lights are lit and placed. Fire up the new grill, and let’s get this party started!
Your landscapers are honored guests, and many questions from friends and neighbors are aimed in their direction. It’s all good.
The kids are already sitting on one of the retaining walls by the fire pit, their eyes glowing almost as bright as the fire. So what’s that story they’re telling? Oh! That one! Time for a bit of intervention.
Thank you to Year Round Services for all the attention, talent, and work you brought to the project. As always, your work is tops!
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