Why Add Hardscaping?

As a homeowner, you have to make choices about your home regularly. When it comes to your yard, you have a lot of decisions about how to make it beautiful and functional. We wrote last week about some of the concepts that go into landscape decision-making. But if your yard is about getting outside and enjoying nature, what is the value of hardscaping? Of course, it's a valid question. After all, your yard is for plants, right? Well, there are many good reasons to add hardscapes to your Portersville yard, including that it will help you enjoy the rest. Here's why we think your yard would do well with a hardscape surface! Gets You Outside More People always said that fresh air was good for you. It turns out that now it's scientifically proven! So, technically, it may not be the air itself, but spending time outdoors is good for your health. Studies have proven that mental and cardiovascular health improves for people who spend more time outdoors. But you're less likely to do it if you don't enjoy spending time outside. So when you add hardscaping to your yard, it gives you a place to sit, rest and play among nature on your property. Frames Your Yard Nature is beautiful, but home landscaping is all about taming the wild. One way we do that is by using hardscapes as a frame or container. Walkways take you from one place of landscaped interest to another. While doing so, they frame the gardens that they cut through. Retaining walls prevent hills from eroding or building new gardens on your property. Easier to Care For Plants are lovely, but they take work. Even the ubiquitous lawn, a relatively low-maintenance landscape installation, takes regular mowing, edging, trimming, and more. Likewise, flowers can be fussy, and shrubs and trees need pruning and trimming. That's not even accounting for how these plants can cause a problem for your home if they get overgrown. Hardscaping? Not so much. Once you install a hardscape, the hard work is over. All they need is an occasional hose down and some snow and ice removal in winter. Easy! Many Materials to Choose From You have a wide variety of aesthetic options for your hardscaping. Pavers come in nearly every shape, color, and style imaginable. Some pavers are even designed to look like other materials like brick or stone. As a result, you can match the existing aesthetic of your home or use hardscapes to create a new, complimentary one. Want something rustic? Consider stone! Are you going for a modern look? There are plenty of options there too. Options for Hobbies and Activities With hardscapes, you can create a backyard that caters to your specific lifestyle and hobbies. There are options for cooking, relaxation, and more. Here are some of our favorite hardscape options. Relaxation A simple patio may be for you if you primarily want a spot to sit and relax. Patios are concrete pads located beside the back door. You can deck your patio out with everything you like or keep it simple as a spot to sit and sip a beverage. Another excellent option to aid in relaxation is water features. The sound of running water has been shown to induce relaxation; hence it's used in spas and therapists' offices. Not to mention, the sound of water can help to drown out less desirable noise, such as traffic or loud neighbors. Cooking If you haven't cooked outside in a while, you may be surprised at the variety of options now available to you. Gone are the days when a grill was all there was! You can still have a custom grill built into your living space, but you can also have pizza ovens or run water and electricity outdoors to build a kitchen to rival your indoor one. Party Down? The next evolution of the patio is the outdoor living space. Bedeck it however you like with seating areas and more. These are patios with something extra. Fire pits are among the favorite elements many homeowners add to an outdoor living space. An excellent focal point for any outdoor gathering, fire pits also warm and light up the evenings so that your parties don't have to end until you want them to. Call Lawns and Beyond for Your Hardscaping Needs If you've been thinking about adding new hardscaping to your yard or updating what you have, Lawns and Beyond is here to help! Call us to create the backyard of your dreams!