Love is a rock
-REO Speedwagon
If there’s any drawback to beautiful softscapes like grass and flowers, it’s that they lie dormant under grey winter skies, just when we need their beauty the most. Watching them bloom back to life is part of what makes spring such a magical season.
But since the blooming season isn’t year-round, consider installing beauty that shines even in harsh winter temperatures. Fall in love with outdoor hardscapes that chase away winter gloom in your yard and your heartscape.
Low maintenance beauty and living
Hardscapes are the man-made features in your landscape architecture. They’re both practical and beautiful–adding visual interest, upgrading the livability and usability of your outdoor space, and increasing the value of your property.
Hardscapes include:
Patios
Retaining walls
Fencing
Decks
Waterfalls
Pathways
Firepits
Columns and pillars
Though hardscapes need the occasional power wash or repair, the maintenance doesn’t amount to the level of weeding, pruning, and cutting their softscape counterparts require.
Love in the next dimension
Hardscapes infuse your space with a new dimension. Color, texture, and varying heights combine to make your space feel both finished and inviting.
For example, a patio of beautifully aligned pavers squared off with stone columns and finished with comfortable seating extends your living space and adds elegance to your property. It also adds property value when you sell. Plus it’s more beautiful to gaze upon from a frosty window than brown grass.
To get maximum beautifying benefits for your money through hardscapes, make a master plan for your property. Then, figure out your budget. Even if you can’t tackle all the projects you want to right now, a plan helps keep things cohesive as you complete what your budget allows.
The key to making heartscapes last
Every construction project has to start with proper ground preparation and foundation work before building. Regardless of the type of hardscape, make plans for excavation and soil compaction.
Foundation work also includes making water drainage accommodations before you build.
Determine if the soil on your property drains well or collects puddles. Figure out the best base material for your soil and project, such as ¾ wash crushed stone or AB3 gravel.
A note on patios: they should have a slight slope away from the house and allow water to pass through seams.
Gatherings of the heart
Even when it’s cold outside, looking out the window at beautiful hardscapes, sitting on the patio to enjoy unseasonable warmth, or warming up by a firepit with people you love helps usher warmth of the heart while relieving winter malaise.
Gather up your hardscape dreams and start working toward them. Life is too short to let the weariness of winter depress your heartscape.
Don’t forget to give us a call and share your hardscape dreams! We love helping you make them a reality.