When it comes to the great outdoors, it’s easy to dream up a beautiful backyard where you can relax after a stressful day or entertain family and friends in an outdoor kitchen paradise. The big challenge of creating that perfect outdoor hardscape is merging your dream with your budget.
In designing your dream outdoor living space, you have to consider both the hardscape and the softscape. Constructed from a mixture of stone, wood, and related building materials, hardscapes are the pathways, structures, sitting areas, and waterways that help define your outdoor living space. Ornamental plants, flowers, and trees are the softscape part of the picture that truly turns your backyard into a small oasis of relaxation and entertaining. In order to complete the dream, you add the grill, furniture, and hospitality elements.
The hardscape is a significant part of your budget, which means that it is a place where you can also find significant savings based on several choices. As you consider the foundational elements in your plan, materials for hardscapes come in all different prices. Stone hardscapes are the most expensive, yet also the most appealing. Brick, wood, and other materials can cost less, but the actual footprint or area of the space will determine the total cost of your project. Since the size of your plan has the greatest impact on your hardscape costs, take a look above at the three finished hardscapes to help direct your dream, and guide your budget.
THE PREMIUM OUTDOOR HARDSCAPE
In this hardscape plan, you have stone and wood design blending various material textures. The center is a complete outdoor kitchen with ample room for eating along with seating areas and extensive pathways to pools and fountains.
THE CLASSIC OUTDOOR HARDSCAPE
This hardscape plan has grilling and seating areas for entertaining, and the outdoor kitchen is built into the hardscape without the added construction costs of permanent coverings or shelter.
THE BASIC OUTDOOR HARDSCAPE
You can still achieve a great hardscape for relaxation and outdoor entertaining by maintaining simplicity and limiting your hardscape to low-level ornate walls, basic patio design, and short pathways.
When you are trying to blend your dream outdoor space with the reality of a budget, the hardscape design is a great place to start. Whether you go for the premium or the basic, you can find beautiful options for your hardscape to create an outdoor space perfect for relaxing and entertaining. Come to Friedman’s today to take advantage of our free outdoor living space design service. Our team will sit down with you, discuss options, and begin the design process. Let us help make your outdoor living dream a reality.
