An Original Hardscape Design Can Make Outdoor Events Truly Special

Is there a wedding, a graduation or special anniversary in your future? Incorporating a family friendly hardscape design and landscaping update into your existing yard not only makes these events memorable, it extends your outdoor living space for years to come.

A well thought out backyard plan results in a great place for entertaining or just relaxing. A paver patio, walkways and amenities – fire pit, grilling station, etc. – not only refreshes an aging space, it brings your lifestyle outdoors to enjoy the Madison WI experience.

If there is a special event in your future and you want a hardscape design and backyard makeover to accommodate it, now is the time to get started. June graduations and summer weddings may highlight your year, but without serious advance preparation your backyard venue may not be ready.

Hardscape Design – Plan for Special Event and Beyond

Because your new paver walkways, retaining walls, seating area and patio space will be with you for years to come, planning for how you’ll use it before and after a special event is essential. You may expect 50-60 guests for a graduation party, but how many people will use the outdoor living space on a regular basis? Design for the long-term, not one event.

Where does the plan begin? First consider what goes into “hardscape” and what is encompassed by “landscape.” The two blend but are not the same.

Hardscape includes all the elements in your yard with hard surfaces. Such things as:

• Concrete patios

• Brick pavers – for walkways, walls, patios, etc.

• Tiled surfaces

• Raised planting beds

• Seating areas

• Outdoor kitchen areas

• Fireplaces and fire pits

• Gazebos and similar structures

• Pools, ponds and water features

While all these elements are found within the landscape, landscape features are usually considered to be “soft” and “green.” Landscaping includes providing natural areas such as:

• Grass areas, lawns and ground covers

• Flower beds

• Hedges

• Trees

• Decorative grasses

• Flowering shrubs

• Land contours – berms, etc.

Creating a balance between these two distinct features is the ultimate goal of a hardscape design and landscape plan. The plan allows for a natural flow from one to the other, combining style with function.

Begin Now for 2018 Events

While a professional crew makes ground preparation and hardscape installation for a spectacular outdoor living space look easy, it isn’t. Nor does it happen overnight – or even in a week or two. While there’s snow on the ground is the time to get started on a hardscape design plan so as soon as the Madison WI weather allows crews can hit the ground at full speed.

Call Proscapes LLC at (608) 244-6464 or email us to begin developing a hardscape design to enhance your total outdoor living space.

What is the Space for?

When the extended family, friends and special guests go home from your big event, what will the new outdoor living space be used for? Planning for your family’s daily pleasures anchors the project even if it was prompted by a big event.

Here are a few of the most common uses for a hardscape design in Madison WI:

• Outdoor Dining/Cooking — Your new paver patio is ideal for the home’s “grill master” to take over and provide hours of pleasant dining. An overhead structure for lighting adds to the ambiance, unique outdoor furniture reflects your style and the indoor life blends with the outdoors. Friends and family enjoy the new space on a regular basis. The cooking area can be as expansive as your imagination – from a basic grill to a true outdoor kitchen with all the amenities.

• A Place for Kids to Play — In a household with children, the backyard is often the sanctuary for all manner of adventures from formal games to creative playtime. Providing space for simple pleasures like swing sets and a sandbox makes sense. Looking into the future to make these spaces easy to modify a kids grow is important too – transforming the swing and sandbox are to a soccer or football field is possible.

• Consider the Seasons — Do you want to use the backyard only when it’s warm and sunny, or do you want to be able to use it all year-round? Windbreaks and covered shelters can extend the use of a paver patio by months. And, adding a fire pit can make even cool evenings pleasant.

TIP FROM A PRO – Before installing a fire pit of any kind, make sure you’re aware of the building codes in your town. In most of Dane County, no fire pit can be any closer to a building than 17 feet, which eliminates it being on most convenient patios.

Put Professionals to Work

To prepare for a big event, or just get started on a backyard makeover, Call Proscapes LLC today to get creative with a hardscape design and landscape plan. Expand your outdoor living space and benefit from dependable professional landscaping services. Proscapes LLC creates outdoor living space in Madison WI and throughout south central Wisconsin.

Contact us at (608) 244-6464 or email us for insights in expanding your outdoor living space through thoughtful hardscape design in Madison WI.