Adding hardscaping to your Regina and area residential or commercial landscaping is an ideal way to expand your living and entertaining area outdoors. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, hardscaping is the addition of non-living materials into a landscape, materials such as wood, stone, metal, and concrete. Hardscape features serve as compliments to your “softscaping,” that is the grass, trees, shrubs, and flowers that provide your outdoor space with natural beauty.

Some hardscaping projects we have done over the year are small and others are grand, taking significant planning and installation time. Regardless, each hardscape feature adds beauty, style, value and curb appeal to your yard and property.  Below we list some of the more common hardscaping features and some tips.

Hardscaping Features – Patios 

Patios are the most delightful places for entertaining, getting lost in the company of a good book and enjoying family together time. Patios increase your outdoor living space, and a quality patio will add value to your home.

There are a number of material options to consider when building a patio. Concrete can be poured or assembled from precast slabs, it can also take on a variety of textures, patterns and colours. Stamped concrete has been fashionable lately and if done well can look fantastic. Gravel is inexpensive and easy to install, and accordingly is a top choice for anyone seeking an informal patio that can easily accommodate curves and requires little more than the occasional raking to maintain. Baked clay bricks and interlocking concrete pavers are small, modular, and lightweight enough to easily fit into place single-handedly. Dense stone, such as bluestone and granite, resists flaking in the freezing Saskatchewan winters.

A word of warning – don’t be tempted by softer, more porous limestones and sandstones as they are only good considerations if you live in a warm, dry climate.

Hardscaping Features -Decks 

Deck provide vantage points from which to appreciate your outdoor space. When adding a deck, it’s best to consider the style of your house so that the addition either blends in with or complements your home. If you are looking to maximize space opportunities in your yard, the installation of a tall deck provides space underneath for a patio, a hot tub or a play area for kids.

There are many material options for deck construction.

• Cedar decking is durable and versatile, and it does not transfer heat, ensuring you can walk barefoot no matter the temperature.
• Pressure-treated decking is now the most popular choice of deck materials in North America, mostly due to cost.
• Composite decking is becoming very common in Saskatchewan, it is made up of a combination of wood particles and plastic. It can be embossed with a wood-grain pattern that provides a very natural appearance. Typically the colour will lighten over time. Consider buying materials that contain preservatives to extend the colour life.
• Vinyl decking can get very hot underfoot during the summertime. It is more expensive than wood, but it requires less maintenance as it does not absorb stains.

Hardscaping Features – Fire Features 

Fire features are becoming much more common in the outdoor living marketplace. They offer a warm place for friends and families to gather in chillier Spring or Fall Saskatchewan evenings. Fire features create a mood for outdoor living, a mood that can be energized, relaxing, or romantic.

Fireplaces are the ideal option if you plan to entertain smaller groups of people or if you are looking for a strong statement piece for your patio. Fire pits, generally the less expensive fire feature, are ideal for more casual entertaining, particularly of larger crowds.

There are a lot of material options to consider for fire pits and fireplaces, materials such as brick, stacked stone, river rock, flagstone, fieldstone, limestone and concrete. It really depends what compliments your lifestyle, budget and existing landscaping.

Hardscaping Feature – Water Features 

Water features offer instant calming effects. Ponds, lakes, fountains, water walls and waterfalls provide statement pieces to any landscape. Understated water features can bring small garden plots to life just as larger water features more readily compliment vast spaces. Small pails and interesting pots of water can be used to house aquatic plants or a small tabletop fountain can be added if you enjoy the sound of running water. If you are looking for ways to attract wildlife – like birds, frogs, and butterflies – to your yard, a pond may offer just the enticement they need.

Hardscaping Feature – Pergolas, Arbors, and Trellises 

These three vertical structures add dimension, height, and beauty to any landscaping.

Pergolas are features that provide cover and shade for walkways or sitting areas. They are a simple structure that allows vines and other climbing plants to easily create a lush foliage cover. They often help define an outdoor living area and can be incorporated into a more permanent structure like a deck or installed as a freestanding accent in a yard.

Arbors and trellises are both architectural structures that provide support for climbing vines. In addition, they offer focal points that make impact statements in your landscape design.

There are a host of other hardscape projects, like the addition of retaining walls, stone pathways and fencing that can all add decorative and practical benefits to your landscape. We hope you enjoyed our hardscaping inspiration.

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Rapid Lawn Landscape Solutions Ltd. Ltd. is your one-stop Regina landscaping company. We have experience working on several large and small-scale commercial projects. Our equipment and our team are ready to tackle a variety of commercial landscaping jobs from snow removal to hydroseeding and anything in between. We also have access to an extensive network of professionals across Saskatchewan and Canada so give us a call to get your project started.

In addition to landscape design, hardscaping and artificial turf, we also do conventional seeding and are suppliers of landscape supply products. We sell all types of turfgrass seed, native grass seed and low maintenance grass seed products.

Our professional Trusted Regina hydroseeding and landscaping team offers innovative re-vegetation, grass seeding, dust control, reclamation, landscaping and erosion control solutions and hydroseeding for all types of residential, commercial, government, industrial and oilfield projects.

Original article: www.loveyourlandscape.org/expert-advice/outdoor-living/hardscapes/working-hardscapes-into-your-landscape-design