If you want to include more than just a garden in your property’s landscape, consider enlisting the help of a hardscaping service. The challenge here is that so many people are offering these services today, and not all are trustworthy. Luckily, a few tips can help you find the right partner for your project.
Always find out what you can about a business’s reputation. You can do this by looking at the reviews left by past customers on its website or a third-party review site like Yelp. As you look for a hardscaping service to hire for your project, you should also prioritize those with several years of experience under their belt.
While most people enter the industry with no experience on how to hardscape a yard, there’s just an aspect of high-quality labor and timely completion that only comes with on-the-job experience. Seasoned professionals know the best materials to use and how long a project will take, which ensures they don’t overcharge you or have you waiting longer than agreed. While it may be tempting to opt for a DIY hardscape, it’s not the best route if you want the job done right the first time. The pros know everything there is to know about what is hardscaping services and will help you achieve your landscaping goals.
Planning to completely redesign your backyard landscape can be a very daunting task if you don’t plan on hiring any professional help. Consider hardscaping companies who will be able to give you great hardscaping ideas, suggest different hardscaping materials, and perform any additional landscaping services.
Why a professional?
By hiring a professional early, you will be able to keep little outdoor problems, such as drainage issues, from becoming costly blunders down the road (such as a flooded basement). Once you’ve hired the right company, the first thing they will do upon arrival is survey the site, analyze your property’s soil, it’s drainage, the climate conditions, and assess any existing vegetation. Then the fun begins.
What is hardscaping? Hardscaping require the use of inorganic materials in order to create a certain aesthetic appearance or to give structural support to the property. More often than not, hardscaping materials are used in conjunction with landscaping plants. Properly selected, placed, and maintained landscaping and hardscaping can offer you great wind protection which can reduce heating costs.
Some popular hardscaping materials include the following:
- Concrete. Very common and currently in style, concrete is a mix of cement, sand, aggregate, and water to create a dense, thick paste that has the ability to take just about any shape, as long as a mold is provided.
Concrete is relatively inexpensive and also incredible durable. These days, many home owners will opt to stain or texture their concrete to give their yard a bit more style and character. It can also be used for patios, walkways, driveways, and retaining walls.
- Brick. Once the most popular choice for facades, brick is making a comeback in subtle ways, but you won’t be seeing it in the front yard. Instead, home owners are opting for brick when it comes to designing outdoor kitchens.
Brick can come in various shades of red and tan. Red will give your property a more classic American feel that never truly goes out of style. Do note that brick will be slightly more expensive than concrete mostly because of the amount of time spent on labor to stack the little blocks.
- Stone. Along with concrete, stone is the top choice among hardscaping materials because of it’s more natural-looking appearance. There are various types of stones to choose from: Flagstone, sandstone, slate, limestone, and quartzite — all of varying density, color, texture and price.
Flagstone is normally chosen for patio flooring because it is cut in flat slabs and is generally very resilient. Sandstone and slate is most often used for perimeter lining and small walkways. Limestone and quartzite are used any place that will generally receive a lot of foot traffic, such as steps leading to the back door.
- Wood. If your house is surrounded by woodlands, this could be a great option to choose because wood is versatile and there are so many different options to choose from. This material is mostly used for fences and decks, but can often be used as a “room” divider outside.
Different types of wood include pine, oak, cedar, and mahogany — all of which can be treated and stained to your liking. Keep in mind that different kinds of wood have different prices. Home owners have also been known to use wood chips to create a less expensive walkway with a rustic feel.
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