Landscaping may seem all-encompassing of anything “outdoorsy” around your home, but it’s only one aspect of creating and maintaining the perfect outdoor space. Aside from the essential lawn, tree and shrub care, there’s also landscape design, landscape lighting, and the features that tie it all together with hardscaping.
What is hardscaping? Essentially, it’s any hard surface that’s constructed. If it’s not a plant, it’s hardscaped. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that. Hardscaping is also:
Transitional
From your front door to the driveway, along the perimeter of your home and to the backyard, your natural landscape needs hardscaped walkways for you to safely and cleanly navigate your outdoor space. Otherwise, you’re walking on plants, in dirt—and when it rains, through mud. Hardscaping makes for smooth transitions from one area to the next. Walkways may seem like an obvious feature that every home needs…but walkways don’t grow on trees, making them one of the most common reasons for hiring a landscape architect like High Tech that can design and build custom pathways.
Material
Long-lasting hardscaping requires the right material selection, which will vary from one region to the next to accommodate different climates and home styles. Here in New Jersey, paving stones, aka pavers, are usually the way to go for walkways because they’re durable and easy to maintain year-round. Think of pavers as tiles. They can be brick, bluestone, flagstone, concrete, or any other material available. Material selection is also important when choosing larger patio slabs. One of the brands we recommend and use most for walkways, patios and other hardscaping features is Techo-Bloc. All their materials are extremely attractive and high-quality.
Professional
Laying down the perfect walkway or patio is equal parts art and science, best left to professionals like High Tech. When we design and build hardscaping, we consider every aspect of the home, from its exterior features to the slope of the land as well as the edging and base needed to keep the pavers in place. For example, did you know that despite seeming level, every patio has a slant to ensure proper drainage? Or that the shape of your windows could influence the shape of your pavers? Our goal is to create a design that balances aesthetics, functionality, and longevity.
Ideal
Walkways and a patio are just the start when it comes to enhancing your outdoor space with hardscaping. Also, consider outdoor amenities that can elevate your quality of life. Maybe you want a fire pit for fall, or a complete outdoor kitchen for summer. A retaining wall can also be both a necessity and an amenity by providing patio stability and guest seating simultaneously. Even the patio itself can range from purely transitional to a larger space made for entertaining. Whatever the case may be, hardscaping is an opportunity to bring your dream landscape to life.
Essential
So, what is hardscaping? It’s all the above, but above all, it’s essential. Whether to make your outdoor space safer, more appealing or both, High Tech can help you decide what’s best for your home and build it right before your eyes. Contact us today to start the conversation!
