Backyard Hardscapes and Landscaping
As Fall sets in, do you ever wish you had a better area for entertaining outside? Maybe a cozy fire pit to roast s’mores around with the family or to spend a chilly evening with friends. Even a spacious eating area can provide memories during a crisp fall evening (or even spring) dinner with friends under backyard lights. As football season continues, lounging areas with TV set up and grilling pads are increasingly popular. Our team has the experience and knowledge to install both landscape and hardscape designs to help you fully enjoy your back yard.
When it comes to Fall back yard planning, we have licensed NC landscape contractors who adhere to the ICPI standards of installing retaining walls, as well as segmental wall blocks. Failing to engage professional pavers means that you could end up with shifting floor surfaces, open joints, sub standard materials used or even cracked pavers. We’re sure you’ve seen evidence of that or maybe even experienced it within your own DIY project. Believe it or not, there is a very specific process for installing pavers and retaining walls that many people aren’t aware of. Those guidelines are there to not only keep you safe but also to prevent walls from falling eventually or paver pads from cracking and shifting. We want you to have features that last and provide the functionality you want without costing you more down the line.
If you’ve ever visited someone’s house with poor installation that caused the pavers to slide, shift, or crack, you may have a tainted perception about using pavers at all. At S&A Landscaping, we don’t just see a flat surface or a seating area. We treat your landscaping or hardscape as an art form and as an expression of your space and how you intend to use it. We are über careful about our cuts, our accents and, of course, installation, too. We love to incorporate different materials to add flare to your project as well. So what you get isn’t going to be a cookie cutter look, but will have a unique appeal and include design features that are pleasing to the eye. Plus, they will withstand time and wear and tear.
Services that we offer include:
HARDSCAPES
Fire pits – our first consideration is the use of the space. How many people do you wish to entertain? During what months will you be using the space? How much of the yard do you want to occupy entertaining? We use gravel or paver pad for a permanent or semi permanent structure when building a fire pit into a backyard.
Fireplaces, Brick Ovens and Chimneys – for those who wish to not only entertain, but also cook outdoors, these are great options to liven up your back yard and make it a place to spend with family and friends.
Landings for steep properties – Many back yards in the Carolinas have steep grades that seem hopeless when it comes to landscaping or adding to the back yard. In reality, there is a lot we can do with landings by creating gentle gradients to back fill with dirt so you can have a yard to truly enjoy.
Paver pathways – each area of your front and back yard should flow. Paver pathways are great ways to direct foot traffic and keep the spaces where you want lawn looking pristine.
Steps – we’ve all seen the single line of pavers simulating steps in people’s yards. There is so much more we can do to design a really captivating transition between one layer and another in your yard.
Seating Areas – Seating areas throughout your yard can be used for simple relaxation or for entertaining. Examples include:
- Permanent seating walls
- Ground padding for chairs and tables
- Seating around fire pits
- Private reading areas
- Hammock areas
Retaining walls – if not properly installed, there is a high risk of walls falling or failing within a few years. We see this too often with clients who request for us to redo their walls, unfortunately. When approaching any company to handle retaining walls for you, ensure that your installer is up to date on current regulations (like needing an engineer on the job for walls over 4 feet) and installation guidelines, too.
OTHER BACK YARD IDEAS
Hot tubs – you need a water supply on your patio if you are planning to install a hot tub. This can lead to pooling or standing water which can damage your patio. We can fix drainage lines into the pavers, to prevent such issues.
New Landscaping – The fall and winter season is the right time to plant or reseed because the temperatures are cooler, so plants will not die under the hot summer heat. You can also cut bigger trees now and transplant them more successfully. Doing this in the summer will increase susceptibility to diseases, fungus, and also, roots do not recover well in the heat after uprooting and transfer to new soil. Most nurseries won’t transplant trees in the summer so these fall months are the best months to purchase.
Fall and winter will help plants and grass to adjust to their new home, and they can grow roots throughout this period, which means they will be stronger when the warmer months set in the following year.
With the right features, your back yard can be the Fall hang out that everyone wants to enjoy.
We have a few client spaces open for hardscape projects. Call us at 704-860-1660 to arrange a meeting. We’ll need time to discuss design work, pick out your materials, order them, and get started, so you can enjoy your new back yard this winter.
