Everything is ready.
After a final weekend of preparation, you are ready to host friends and family for a graduation celebration. You made some updates to the interior of your home, but most of the efforts went toward the outside areas. You took out some of the landscaping areas that had been in place for the 20 years since you moved in and transformed those spaces into hardscaping. With the use of rocks, a water feature, and some permanent art, you know have an outdoor space that is both fabulous and functional.
What Is Hardscaping Used for in Commercial Spaces?
In an effort to make sure that a space is easier to care for, more and more companies are creating hardscaping design ideas. By adding in custom water features, local rocks, and other outdoor structures, spaces of all kinds can be transformed into areas that do not require all of the maintenance that traditionally landscaped courtyards need. From fireplaces to waterfalls, there are many ways to create a hardscape design that can serve as a resting spot, a reception area, as well as other purposes.
What Is Hardscaping Used for in Residential Spaces?
As more and more cities across the country limit the amount of water that residents can use, there are a growing number who are making it against the law to water yards. As a result, hardscaping is a way to transform spaces that once required constant water and up keep. With a recycling water feature and large boulders brought in from around the country, a hardscaping space can serve as a tranquil area with great curb appeal. In the backyard, large patios with fireplaces and cooking ovens make a great setting to entertain family and friends.
Consider some of these facts and figures about the trends that many people are following as they update the spaces around their homes and their offices:
- Money Magazine reports that landscaping can bring a recovery value of 100% to 200% at selling time.
- Nearly 900 thousand people are employed by the U.S. landscaping industry, and many of these are offering hardscaping options as well as their more traditional offerings.
- 60% of potential home buyers believe that a well landscaped yard influences the home buying decision making process.
- Landscaping, especially with trees, can reduce air conditioning by up to 50% by shading the windows and walls of a home, according to the American Public Power Association.
- Spending 5% of the value of a home on landscaping or hardscaping can increase the resale value of a property by 15%.
- Research shows that the landscaping services market in the U.S. reached $80.06 billion by the year 2015.
Before you decide on any new landscaping project, you might want to make sure that you look into the latest trends in hardscaping designs. If you are still trying to find out the answer to the question, “What is hardscaping?” it might be time for you to go visit you a local show area to see what they have to offer.
