​The term for using elements not found in nature within your landscape is hardscaping. When you introduce stone or brick walls, concrete patios, gravel paths and wooden decks into either your back or front yard, you’ve developed a hardscape. Conversely, softscaping means adding horticultural or natural items like plants, flowers, trees and shrubs to your landscape. We’ve gathered seven pointers to help you decide on how to proceed with your chosen hardscape design.

1. Choose a Theme
Focus on any theme you want, but it’s a good idea to have a style in mind that matches the exterior of your home. You also don’t want to include a random mixture of elements that make your yard look like an outdoor museum. A farm design can encompass fish ponds and wooden fences, while a more colonial style uses stone walls, gravel paths and fountains. Maybe a courtyard is more what you have in mind or a modern concept with stepping stones and sculptures.

2. Look at the Big Picture
Even if you can’t do all the yard work at one time, develop a plan for the entire area. Otherwise, one of your elements might be in the way of a walkway or pond you’ve decided you want later on. You want a completed project that you love and that will last for years.

​3. Deal with Drainage
Hardscape elements like a wall or patio can alter how water drains. By including permeable components, water still seeps down into the ground. Also, a very flat, level patio can quickly become a small swimming pool when it rains so you should slope the patio a little. Don’t forget to save that runoff in a rain barrel.

4. Professionals Know Best
When drastically changing your yard, you need to prepare the site correctly. You’ll need a level surface to build upon and you should know where the freeze line is or the depth that frost penetrates the soil. Building codes say footings must be placed below this line. To get this information, talk to an inspector at your local building authority or someone at your state landscaping association.

​5. Follow Nature’s Curves
All straight lines in a yard make it look unnatural. You want to match your landscaping to the shapes of Mother Nature so not all sidewalks and paths need to be linear. Allow some of your hardscape items to bend, sweep and arc gracefully. Ninety degree angles have no place in nature.

6.  Save Some Greenery
Frame your hardscape with shrubs and flowerbeds to balance the amount of vegetation to hard surfaces. Even a small patch of lawn can work as it’s a much safer place for kids to play than concrete. By using green rocks or gravel you tone down the transition from the hard elements to your plantings.

 7.Go from Grass to Gravel
​Those who prefer to conserve water and eliminate chemical use in their yards can opt for gravel and stone instead of a lawn. Once you’ve laid a bed of river rock, crushed granite or pea gravel, you can say goodbye to maintenance and use that time for fun activities.

​#3 – This contemporary Weston Stone® outdoor kitchen includes a multi-functional granite countertop that provides a large linear area to accommodate food prep, serving and dining space. Weston Stone was also used for an adjacent landscape wall to visually tie the design together.

​#2 – A raised bar opposite the grill allows guest to enjoy conversation with the outdoor chef during meal prep in this lovely Weston Stone® outdoor kitchen. A quaint lantern-style light fixture adds both ambiance and functionality to the wood-fired brick oven. Weston Stone was also used to construct a coordinating decorative wall that adds charm to the overall design.

This lovely outdoor living room uses lighting techniques inspired by nature. The focal light emanating from the fire is enhanced by votive candles and low-voltage hardscape lighting that’s built into the walls of the outdoor fireplace. In the surrounding landscape, ambient in-ground lighting reflects throughout the picturesque waterfall. Uplights used for the shrubbery and trees add an ethereal glow.
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​Strategic use of pathway lights adds both character and an element of safety for a walkway or patio. The color of the light fixtures selected below incorporates complementary tones to those in the pavers, creating a cohesive design.

​In the poolscape below, low-voltage hardscape lighting was installed in a pattern that complements the sweeping arches throughout the design. To improve the safety, lights are installed on all steps and elevation changes, in addition to the seat walls. All lights in the hardscaped areas face downward, with upward lights facing the trees. The combination creates a subdued and cozy atmosphere.

Back to nature: Many homeowners choose a design that looks like it was carved out of nature. This can be achieved by incorporating natural stone, or as in the design below, concrete pavers that emulate the look at natural stone. There are a number of added benefits to choosing pavers over natural stone, including decreased materials costs, decreased installation costs and non-slip surfacing.

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​Just as the kitchen has always been the heart of the home, the outdoor kitchen is quickly becoming the heart of the backyard outdoor living space.   More and more homeowners are converting patio grilling areas into fully functioning kitchens that become the central gathering place for family and guests. Check out some of the latest trends and recipes that are sure to be a hit!

BAR-STYLE SEATING
Bar-style seating has become very popular in outdoor kitchen design for the same reason it’s popular in indoor kitchen design…it creates a communal atmosphere where family members and guests can all interact during the prep and cooking process. It also provides additional dining space, and with the addition of a television, becomes the perfect spot for outdoor tailgating where you can serve some delicious Hawaiin Huli Huli Grilled chicken wings or any of your favorite tailgating food!

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​MULTIPLE COOKING SURFACES
Today’s outdoor chef isn’t happy with just a standard grill. Modern outdoor kitchen design quite often includes multiple cooking surfaces — including gas burners, gas or charcoal grills, ceramic smokers,  and wood-burning or gas ovens.

​EVERYTHING INCLUDING THE KITCHEN SINK
A growing trend in outdoor kitchen design is to include all the “creature comforts” of an indoor kitchen. Nearly every indoor kitchen appliance now has an outdoor-rated version — including ice makers, refrigerators, dishwashers, keg coolers and more. With a fully-functioning outdoor kitchen, there’s no need to constantly run indoors for supplies…everything you need is at your fingertips. Add a stereo system, wi-fi access and a TV, and you can truly live in your outdoor living space. Entertain the masses and wow them with a refreshing Grilled Pineapple Mai Tai on a warm spring night!

1. Use Your Imagination

An outdoor getaway is the perfect place to flex your creativity. Designer Matt Partridge of Juergen Partridge Limited suggests thinking of a place that inspires you — maybe a luxury resort you stayed at on your honeymoon or even just a photo you saw online or in a magazine — decide which elements you like best and incorporate those into your design.  For this backyard, Patridge designed it to resemble a Caribbean resort. Separate destinations, from the pavilions to the pool, provide many features for the family to enjoy.

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2.) Add Ambience

A fireplace takes an outdoor living space from typical to luxurious. It's the perfect gathering spot for adults and kids, whether they're cozying up on a cool evening or roasting marshmallows. Designer Heather Lashbrook Jones of a Blade of Grass Landscape Design uses American and Corinthian granite to create this custom fireplace

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3.) Create Go-To Destinations

Designed by Scott Cohen of The Green Scene this backyard has an oasis-like feel. Located below the infinity edge pool is a lounge-like seating area, which can only be reached by walking over the concrete stepping pads. Water spills over the stacked stone wall creating the sound of rain sticks.

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4.) Leisurely Walk Through

This sunken garden is designed in a formal style with stucco perimeter walls in quadrants. Because the garden's grade drops three steps, proper drainage is a must. Designer Margie Grace of Grace Design Associates Inc. added a runnel down the stairs leading to a one-of-a-kind water feature she created from a big copper syrup kettle. "In every space, add something to make people want to linger," recommends Grace.

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5.) Work With the Natural Setting

Make the most of your outdoor space by working with the surroundings. The lines of this garden and structures are geometric closer to the house and become wavy and organic as the cultivated areas blend into the natural forest. Design by Juergen Partridge Limited

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6.) Rethink the Space

When designing for the outdoors, designer Matt Partridge of Juergen Partridge Limited says, "Be objective. Look at your current space as if you have never been there before and think what would I do to make this better?" For this casual entryway, he incorporates an integrated seating wall, which maximizes the use of the space without furniture.

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7.) Think About the Journey
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Crossing over water is an enjoyable experience, so designer Scott Cohen of The Green Scene uses a concrete bridge to link one patio to another. "An important part of hardscaping and landscape design is determining how one will walk through the space," says Cohen.

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8.) Take a Seat

Not only do this patio's low walls act as room dividers, they're also just the right height to be used as extra seating when entertaining. A bluestone cap tops the fieldstone walls for a smooth, comfortable surface. Design by a Blade of Grass Landscape Design

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9.) Mix Stonework

A combination of different stones gives this outdoor space a customized and visually interesting look. Stacked New England fieldstone is used throughout the backyard to create seating walls on the patio and retaining walls that terrace the yard. Antique cobblestone divides the bluestone patio to create a separate dining room and conversation area in front of the fireplace, and reclaimed granite is used to make the steps and pillars. Design by a Blade of Grass Landscape Design

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10.) Extend Your Living Area

Before stepping down into the backyard, the homeowners first walk out onto a curved patio, which acts as an extension of the living room. Sofas mimic the shape of the patio and provide a cozy spot to gather under the pergola. To tie the patio up to the pergola, stacked stones create the lower half of the columns, and Sweetwater flagstone is used to veneer the patio. Design by The Green Scene

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You never get a second chance to make a good first impression, and when it comes to home value this is especially true. Years ago, it was commonly thought that the kitchen and bath were the most important place to put your money when remodeling to increase the value of your home. In the past decade however, that has changed and almost every expert’s recommendations (including an article in the Wall Street Journal) now starts with curb appeal at the top of the list.
 
For this reason, the use of interlocking pavers in driveways, front walkways, and entries has skyrocketed. Most new communities now incorporate the front yard pavers as standard while the backyard landscaping, pool and pavers may be standard or options. Many older communities facing costly HOA repairs to cracked concrete driveways have already instituted driveway replacement plans either replacing all of their driveways with pavers in phases or facilitating group discounts and/or incentives to encourage individual homeowners to replace the driveway and thus relieving the HOA of any liability for the cracked driveways in the future.

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But does curb appeal really start at the curb? Don’t visitors get their first impression at the entry of the community? What do the streets say about the property values? Are they cracked and resealed? Do they bleed black tire tracks onto the driveways and garages?
 
Developers have long known that paver streets sell homes and add value whether it be the high end custom home community that wants the highest value, a high density condo project that needs to look like a warm village rather than a cramped and sterile environment, or the multifamily community that doesn’t want its new project to feel cold and foreign but rather look like it has always been a part of the region forever. Municipalities have woven millions of square feet of interlocking paver streets into the urban fabric of Vancouver’s Olympic Village, North Bay Ontario’s downtown, Seattle’s downtown, Chicago’s Green Alleys, Hong Kong’s airport runways and the Los Angeles Zoo, just to name a few. Europe may have more pavers than asphalt in their streets.

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But can only new communities afford pavers? A recent study performed by Robert Tuvel, a Southern California reserve fund consultant, of the prestigious country club Bighorn, found that over the life cycle of the pavement, interlocking paver streets are less expensive then asphalt streets if you incorporate the cost of maintenance. This is substantiated by an ICPI (Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute) study with the same finding.
 
The lifecycle of interlocking pavers is now longer than thirty years and may be pushing up to forty years. It is important to note that the quality of the installation and the knowledge of the industry technical specifications will impact the life span of the pavement. Any installer performing street work should not only have a contractor’s license for this specific trade, but must have an ICPI Commercial certification, and provide references from other jobs of similar size and scope that are a minimum of five years old. These jobs should be inspected. Since we know that pavers have more load-bearing than concrete, will not crack, do not need resealing, and come in endless colors, designs and architectural styles from contemporary to old world, you may never look at asphalt the same ever again.

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