It’s no surprise that most homeowners focus on their home’s interior when it comes to planning home improvement projects. However, whether you are looking to enjoy your home more yourself, or planning to list it for sale in the near future, improving the overall look and feel of your home’s exterior can be just as important. One great way to add value to your home and accentuate the beauty of your property is with hardscaping. Whether you want to create a relaxing backyard oasis for your own personal enjoyment, or a comfortable space for entertaining guests, you will almost certainly find that there is a hardscaping addition that will fit your needs.
What is Hardscaping?
Hardscaping include almost any type of decorative or practical structure you can add to the exterior of your home, from patios to firepits to walkways and benches. Hardscapes are not just luxury items or superfluous extras, but rather they are a critical part of landscape design, adding valuable design and organization to the natural areas around your home. Luckily not every hardscaping element you can add to your home needs to involve a large budget or the work of various professional contractors making extensive changes to your property. Here we will explore a few ideas for ways you can add hardscaping to your property without breaking the bank or spending months with professionals coming in and out of your home.
Add a Fire Pit
Installing a fire pit is the perfect way to transform your backyard into an inviting outdoor entertaining spot. Whether you are looking for a warm and cozy spot to relax on cool autumn nights, or you want to create an activity center for the whole family to enjoy, a fire pit can provide just the right amount of ambiance and fun. There are numerous sizes and designs available, many of which can be installed easily even if you are a novice at DIY projects. There are some great fire pit kits on the market so that you can choose the one that best matches your desired aesthetic and the space you have available to work within. Once you have your firepit project completed, you can add comfortable seating like Adirondack chairs to make the area perfect for entertaining guests, or simply enjoying quality time with your family. And remember, a firepit isn’t just for keeping warm on cold nights. If you have younger kids, it can be a fun introduction to camp outs, with the ability to roast hot dogs and marshmallows right in your own backyard.
Install a Rock Garden
You’ve likely never even thought about adding a rock garden on your property, but these hardscapes are becoming more and more popular, especially for homeowners with larger backyards who are looking for alternatives to a fully sodded yard, or if you already have rugged parts of your property that you would be starting from scratching turning into grassy areas. A well-designed rock garden not only makes the most of the natural aspects already present in your yard, but can add an impressive touch of character to your outdoor space. When you install a rock garden, you are incorporating natural stones and rocks into your landscaping, which leaves you with an attractive, low-maintenance hardscape that blends in perfectly with your existing surroundings. The best part of choosing this particular exterior home improvement project is the lack of ongoing upkeep. A rock garden is a relatively simple DIY project that doesn’t require a lot of time, effort or money, either up front or on an ongoing basis. With the proper planning and a little bit of creativity, you can easily design an attractive and unique rock garden that will really stand out in your neighborhood and if you an additional relaxation spot on your property. If you are able to add a rock garden near appropriately sized trees, consider adding a hammock so that you can grab a book and relax by your new zen-like installation.
Add a Water Feature
Something many people find even more relaxing than a rock garden is the addition of a water feature to your property. Flowing water in particular is excellent at providing a soothing and calming atmosphere in the midst of your landscaping. A water feature creates a point of visual interest, and gives your yard a multi-sensory experience that can help your entire family when it comes to stress reduction and relaxation. Water features can be added to almost any size lot, because they can be large or small, simple or elaborate. They can also be constructed with various materials that suit your personal preferences and style, from natural stones to a more modern look using glass. As with fire pits, there are kits available that allow you to add water features such as small ponds and fountains yourself, or for larger projects you can consult an outdoor design firm. Once you have installed your water feature, you can elevate the visual experience, by also incorporating lighting. Focused lighting will enhance the ambiance and give the water an even more impressive appearance at night. Whether you’re looking for something to suit your personal tastes or a statement piece to impress your friends and neighbors, a water feature is a versatile addition to any outdoor space.
Invest in an Outdoor Kitchen
Installing an outdoor kitchen may not be as simple as some of the other hardscape suggestions we have made, but the benefits are numerous when it comes to upgrading not only the functionality of your home’s exterior, but also the overall value of your home should you decide to sell at some point in the future. Adding this additional cooking space gives you significant flexibility in how you choose to enjoy the many months of fantastic weather we are lucky to have here in the metro Atlanta area. Luckily there is not just one way to install an outdoor kitchen, and you will be pleased to find that there are numerous options available that fit with every budget and style. If you enjoy the simplicity of grilling and are interested in keeping your project budget low, a straightforward grilling station is the perfect way to go. If money for your project is limitless and you are comfortable hiring professionals to tackle the project for you, you may want to design a deluxe outdoor kitchen, complete with a refrigerator, sinks, and more specific cooking stations such as a smoker or pizza oven. No matter which option you choose, designing an outdoor kitchen is a surefire way to elevate your outdoor living experience.
Consider a Pergola
Almost any yard will benefit from the addition of a pergola. These structures provide well needed shade during our hot Georgia summers, and they do so while also adding a touch of sophistication. Pergolas come in various sizes so even if you have a small space in which to make an addition, you will be able to find one that works for you. Also, pergolas can be tailored to meet your specific needs and design preferences, making them an ideal choice for almost any homeowner. Once your pergola is installed, you can incorporate the natural element of climbing plants such as vines or roses. Adding greenery and/or flowers to the structure gives you a naturally beautiful look that enhances the overall appearance of your property.
Enhance What you Have with a Sitting Wall
Does your property already feature a hardscape of some sort? Perhaps when you purchased your home there was already an outdoor kitchen or firepit present. Or maybe you simply have a tiled patio reaching out from the back of your home. If one of these structures already exists at your home, you can increase it’s value with the addition of a sitting wall. This is a low wall that is built around an already existing patio to that acts as both a boundary and provides additional seating. These walls are typically built to a height of approximately 18 to 24 inches, and they may or may not be built to include a backrest, depending on your needs and preferences. Depending on your lawn’s needs, these walls can also function as retaining walls, and can be a part of your lawn’s overall drainage system. Natural stones are often used for sitting walls, but you can also build them fully out of decorative blocks, or add the decorative blocks into natural stone for a unique design personal to your home. These walls can even be built in a manner so that they have a gentle curve to them, so that they match the shape of the patio or firepit that they surround. Installing a sitting wall is a project that is best done by a professional in most cases, but they do not take very long to create.