Hardscaping is a perfect alternative for adding to your outdoor living space and creating an area where you can enjoy entertaining and relaxing throughout the year. It is a great way to make the most of Georgia’s climate as well as utilize your yard to its full potential. As a landscaping option it offers many benefits, which is why so many homeowners have opted to implement it. Unfamiliar with the term hardscaping? No problem. It is a landscaping approach that includes any hard landscaping materials - concrete, wood, stone, brick, metal, gravel, mulch, boulders and even pottery -and structures to cover up soil or grass in your yard. And, while especially popular in more urban areas, it is also a great fit for the homes a bit removed from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Why Opt for Hardscaping

There are many reasons the Outdoor Makeover and Construction team gets asked to design a hardscaped lawn, but these are some of the benefits of hardscaping you will want to consider:

• Low Maintenance – One the best aspects of hardscaping is that it is very low maintenance. Typically, once the design is chosen and installed you don’t have to do anything but enjoy it. No need for watering, pruning, snipping or trimming.
• Water Efficient – Georgia summers can be long, hot and often include drought-like conditions. Hardscaping means you don’t need to water plants or worry about grass turning brown.
• Property Value – When you have us design a hardscaped landscape, your property value increases because you are adding more useable yardage to your lawn because a hardscape incorporates ways to make your yard more inviting. In fact, features such as patios, porches, gazebos and other elements of a hardscape are listed by 84% of buyers as a reason to choose one home over another.
• Dimension – Hardscaping incorporates not just buildings, but pathways, outside seating areas, fire elements, fences and other features that make a yard visually appeal and inviting. In addition, these elements often add texture and color tom your yard without the need for gardening or painting.
• Less Erosion – Thanks to introduction of barriers in areas of your yard where erosion is an issue, you will keep more of your ground intact.
• Entertainment – Hardscaping makes your yard more inviting and useful which makes throwing parties even easier as you don’t have to keep everyone indoors. Not one to entertain much. Then hardscape your yard to suit your needs for unwinding and relaxing in nature.
• Direct Traffic – Tired of people walking all over your front lawn? Add an elegant walkway that compliments your home – and keep foot traffic off the yard.
• Extra Living Space – Hardscape features such as an outdoor kitchen, fire pit, pergola or patio means you have plenty of room to simply immerse yourself in the great outdoors.

These 8 benefits are great reasons to give the Outdoor Makeover and Construction team a call for best hardscape installation services in Decatur – and now is the season to get started.  We would love to come assess your landscape and help you determine how to improve your landscape with hardscaping features. Contact our team today.

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If you are new to the world of landscaping, then it can be overwhelming to keep up with the assorted lingo used in the nursery or when talking to other landscaping enthusiast. Whether it be terms regarding types of irrigation, to those referring to types of plants, there is certainly a lot to learn about the world of landscaping. However, two of the most common terms are hardscaping and softscaping. These two main elements of landscape design are significantly different, yet your yard needs to include both in order to create a landscape that is functional as well as inviting. So, you might wonder, “What exactly do these terms mean and how can they affect my lawn?”  Glad you asked. Hardscaping, as the term implies, are items such as concrete, brick, stone, rocks and structural elements such as retaining walls, patio, water features and other architecture. It should also be noted that hardscaping works great in regions where drought is an issue, as hardscaping elements require little, if any watering. Softscaping are those more natural aspects like the soil, plants, shrubs, trees, turf and even the color schemes. Typically, hardscaping components are those features that stay the same for years while softscaping elements are more fluid and changing as they mature. To create a yard that is inviting and yet still meets your family’s needs, it is important to have a balance of hardscaping and softscaping.

Balancing Hardscaping and Softscaping For an eye-catching landscape, having a perfect balance of softscaping and hardscaping features is a must. But, if you are new to the landscaping world that can seem challenging. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you begin thinking about a landscape makeover.

When introducing tall hardscape elements such as a gazebo, outdoor fireplace or high wall, incorporate similarly sized trees, shrubbery or other organic elements to offset it. This allows the eye to flow naturally from feature to feature without being blocked or overwhelmed.

Don’t forget the greenery! Hardscape elements such as pavers, driveways, pillars and other built in items can be softened in appearance by introducing planters on steps, along a retaining wall or on pillars. This greenery gives the illusion that your hardscape items and softscape features are not independent of each other, making the space more natural and inviting.

Include focus points such as fire pits, a water feature, outdoor seating, and even retaining walls are a great way to draw the eye along the property and cause one to be curious as to what else might be “hidden” along a pathway.

Keep things in proportion. If you have a small patio, then don’t dwarf it with large shrubs or trees. Conversely, if you have a large driveway or outdoor space, select softscape elements that compliment it size and style. If all the talk of softscaping and hardscaping leaves you overwhelmed, don’t panic! Contact Outdoor Makeover & Construction and have one of our landscaping professionals determine what elements will be best for your landscape. We look forward to hearing from you.

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