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Hardscaping Introduction: Benefits, Maintenance, and Trends
Hardscaping is a difficult service to consider getting done because it is so transformative–your yard will look completely different by the time it’s done. People often worry that it will be costly, but when you work with a professional, they can make your dreams a reality while sticking to your budget.
In order to help you make an informed decision about the hardscaping services that would work best for your yard, this blog will highlight the benefits, maintenance, and current trends in the hardscaping space.
The Definition and Benefits of Hardscaping
What Is Hardscaping?
Hardscaping consists of any of the non-living elements in your landscape design. It is often confused with landscaping because of the similar nature of the services, but landscaping focuses on the living elements, such as plants or lawn maintenance. An easy way to think about hardscaping is to think about an outdoor room: patios, walkways, fire pits, etc.
Hardscaping Benefits
The biggest overarching benefit to hardscaping is that it makes your outdoor space more usable. But besides that, there are other benefits to hardscaping that you may not have thought of:
- It provides more privacy: Building a wall or installing some sort of water feature ensures seclusion.
- It reduces maintenance: If more of your yard is covered with hardscaping materials like stone or cement, there is less need for lawn maintenance or related services, as there is less grass space.
- It ensures proper grade: An uneven lawn contributes to all sorts of problems, but installing a retaining wall ensures an even yard.
- It provides greater water efficiency: Similar to reducing maintenance, installing hardscaping in dryer regions means your lawn requires less water.
- It boosts property value: Adding extra square feet and usable space to your yard can increase its value.
- Regular sweeping: dirt and leaves are nasty little buggers that often get in the way of a clean space, but with frequent sweeping and occasional fall cleanups, this won’t be an issue.
- Weed removal: once weeds germinate between your pavers and start to spread, you have a problem on your hands. It’s important to pull them before they cause damage or become a widespread problem.
- Pest management: Monitor ants and other bugs that may be trying to make a home in your hardscaping and take the proper precautions if you notice them in abundance.
- Occasional upgrades: Sometimes, you just want something new, but sometimes, uncontrollable things like harsh weather take their own toll. Whether you want to install lighting for fun or a particularly rainy season means you need more efficient lawn drainage, it’s best to keep on top of it.
Popular Hardscaping Services Here are three top hardscaping trends in 2024:
- Patios
- Fire pits
- Pavers in different shapes and colors
Patios are almost always in high demand, but they often have to change with the demands of the housing market. Currently, it’s becoming more common to build large houses on smaller lots, which means that people are trying to maximize their outdoor space in any way they can. People with large lots still want large patios, but hardscapers have to be a little more creative with smaller lots. Everyone deserves to enjoy their yard, and working with a professional makes it easy to see what your yard can do.
Like patios, fire features are always popular, too, but lately, they’re getting bigger and better. Particularly in commercial spaces, oversized fire features like fire tables are becoming increasingly common. This allows for more people to gather in the same space.
From permeable pavers to pavers in all sorts of shapes and colors, there’s a lot going on there too. With the rise of “millennial gray” and “millennial beige” color patterns for homes, people are enjoying pavers in contrasting colors. There’s also a gravitation toward bigger pavers and geometric shapes.
Conclusion
It’s difficult to decide what to do with your outdoor space, especially when you might not have as much of it as you’d like. By incorporating hardscaping elements into your yard, you can maximize space, which not only makes the space more usable but also cuts down on other landscaping services. Connect with a professional to see the possibilities your yard has to offer.