Hardscaping for lasting, low-no effort beauty

Nathan Wright

50plus Magazine

Everyone loves a beautiful backyard, but life is busy! Keeping up that backyard takes work and a lot of time. Time that you should be relaxing with family and friends. Did you know that with the right design decisions you can spend less time on upkeep?

Lose the Lawn

According to a survey conducted by House Method, the average Pacific Northwesterner will spend 38 days of their life baking in the sun while mowing their lawn with a push mower. If you’re like 20% of your fellow Americans, this doesn’t sound ideal, so how about replacing your lawn with hardscaping such as paving stones? You could gain back two weeks of your life by installing a patio that covers half of your yard!

Pass on poured concrete

When it comes to hard surfacing for your backyard, poured concrete most likely comes to mind. So, what’s wrong with poured concrete in a backyard application? In a word: cracks. The rigidity of poured concrete leads all poured slabs to eventually crack. Paving stones work as a complete system and their flexibility mean they adapt to the seasons, eliminating cracking.

Additionally, paving stones are made to a higher density than poured concrete, which adds up to years of reliable beauty and performance.

Cleanup is a breeze

What about dirt and stains? Oftentimes, a quick sweeping or a rinse with the hose is all a paver patio needs to look great. All patios should have a built-in slope that guides water into a nearby flower bed or lawn. The higher density helps prevent potential stains from happening in the first place, but if a paver does get badly stained, simply pull that one and replace it. Try that with poured concrete!

Incorporate low-maintenance materials

River rock, decomposed granite and crushed rock are great alternatives to bark or mulch. They never need watering, and they don’t degrade in the sun.

Go with faux

Natural stone looks awesome, but it is expensive and can be hard to work with. Check out textured pavers to get the look you want with uniformity and the price point you need.

Don’t just take our word for it, get outside this spring, and add some hardscaping for durable, low-maintenance curb appeal.