PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Patio Solutions

The landscape industry has grown substantially over the last 20 years. More people are investing time and money into their outdoor spaces and home buyers are looking for properties that reflect this trend. “People are looking at their homes as life-long investments and are spending the money to make the most of their properties,” says Larry Smith, marketing manager of Navastone, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. “Homeowners today are committed to landscape projects that will result in the increased value of their homes. They often plan to stay put for a long period of time and they want to adapt their homes to their individual tastes and comfort. The role of a landscape designer is to introduce new and exciting concepts to their clients.”
 
One of these fresh ideas is hardscapes, particularly patios and walkways made of varying materials that add texture to a landscape. Stephen Jones, president of Pave-Tech, Prior Lake, Minn., believes the growth in hardscapes today is adding a newer, more exciting dimension to landscapes. “There is only so much you can do with the soft landscapes and soft plantings,” he states, “and to make it a real liveable space you need to have the hardscapes, retaining walls, patios and arranged areas.”

TODAY’S TRENDS. According to Smith, patios and walkways are increasingly popular and homeowners are requesting specific patterns that reflect their personal styles. “A landscape designer should demonstrate to the client that a patio and walkway can preserve and enhance the natural beauty of their outdoor living space while adding to the market value of their property,” he explains. “In fact, some homeowners feel so strongly that these hardscapes are necessary that they are factoring the extra cost of a completed patio/sidewalk/driveway into their mortgages.”
 
James Alfieri, owner of Pave Ohio, Highland Heights, Ohio, has customers not only asking for new features, such as elevated patios, outdoor kitchens and covered terraces, but they are also requesting these areas be built with materials that bring a bit of nostalgia to their homes. “We have seen the hardscape business grow by leaps and bounds,” he says. “Customers want to use materials that recapture the past – our heritage – and certainly brick is part of that. People are trying to recapture the heritage of their area. Downtowns are renovating and upgrading, going back to the brick look – the more Middle America look.”
 
Jones has also seen a growth in the integration of varying materials. “I think this trend follows what has been going on in Europe for some time. The integration of many materials. From natural stone to aggregate retaining walls to interlocking concrete and clay brick paving and natural stone slabs, I see more integration and more materials being utilized in landscape designs. It’s a great opportunity for growth by expanding both the contractor’s offerings in what he does for a project, and the designer’s opportunity because it really opens up a pallet of things they can select to make the designs better.”
 
The trends in colors and textures have also changed in recent years. Customers are getting away from the primary colors and looking more for natural and earth tones. In moving toward the trend in rustic materials, the industry has seen a rise in the use of tumbling and texturing of material products to create these results.
 
Mark Schmitt of Schmitt’s Landscaping Co. in Wheaton, Ill., has seen a growth in concrete products that mimic natural ones vs. the actual natural stone products. Although the prices remain nearly the same, the concrete products can be laid more efficiently. “It’s really more of a craft to lay natural stone because it’s kind of an irregular process whereas all of the paving products can be installed in a repetitive motion,” he says. The concrete product looks like flagstone, but can be purchased in various shapes and sizes.
 
Alfieri believes the increased popularity of pavers is due to the development of polymeric sand which has helped pavers become maintenance-free. “This sand goes into the joints of all types of pavers and it hardens,” he explains, “therefore, you minimize the weed growth. We are now able to install pavers in a patio at approximately the same cost as a deck, but the customer doesn’t have the maintenance issues that exist with a deck and they don’t have the weed problems.”
 
Another recent trend focuses on the affects of the landscaping on the environment. “More customers are looking at the environmental features of the products they use in landscape project design,” Smith states. ”Many prefer using man-made pavers and architectural tiles as opposed to using natural cut stone because they are concerned about the long-term effects on the environment.”
 
Permeable pavement is another environmentally friendly option for customers. This pavement allows water to seep through it into a drainage system below,  protecting the groundwater supply. “I would say in the next three to five years, this pavement will start taking the place of asphalt parking lots,” Alfieri states. “It’s environmentally friendly because you don’t have the surface water going into the catch basins bringing oil, grease and dirt into the sewers. I’ve already had customers asking about permeable pavement for their driveways.”
 
When assessing the pros and cons of clay vs. concrete, Rick Sherer, paver product manager, Belden Brick, Canton, Ohio, points out that clay can be unique in its properties. “There are some intrinsic values of clay products vs. other products that seem to appeal to today’s customer,” Sherer explains. “For instance, the durability of the color, it doesn’t fade, and the product is able to resist salt deterioration. Another value is the different colors and shapes available for interesting design innovations.”