Are you wondering what are the best hardscape projects to boost your home’s value? Homeowners are right to be cautious about sinking a lot of money, time and effort into a project that may or may not yield a good return on their investment.
J & S Landscaping has great news for you! As an industry leader in landscape design in southeast Michigan, we can help you choose the best hardscape projects that will beautify your landscape while increasing the value of your home.
Here are our top five of the best hardscape projects homeowners should consider adding to their landscapes and why:
- Retaining walls
- Patios
- Outdoor fire pits or kitchens
- Outdoor lighting
- Water features
Retaining walls
Visit anyone with a deeply sloped property or who lives on a lake, and you’ll quickly see how important a retaining wall can be. It wouldn’t take many heavy rains for their soil to wash away down the hill or the tides to erode their property. A retaining wall can manage water runoff, keeping it away from your home’s foundation, preventing damage.
Retaining walls aren’t just utilitarian. They can be beautiful as well. A wall can add visual interest to your property and act as retainers for plants, statues, and other decorative landscaping elements.
J & S Landscaping is an authorized contractor and installer for Belgard Hardscapes. These beautiful pavers are extremely durable and come with a lifetime structural warranty. If a sloped lawn describes your property, give us a call! We can help you design a retaining wall that is functional, utilitarian, and beautiful.
Backyard patio
While a retaining wall makes the top five hardscape projects because it’s often a necessity, the makes the list because it extends our living space.
The patio is probably the most popular type of hardscape, listed by nearly every prospective homebuyer as a desired feature. Either they see themselves entertaining there, or watching their children play while they enjoy a beverage.
The warmer your climate, and the more months you can spend outside on your patio, the greater the return on your investment. Some of the best patios include a variety of seating, flower beds or other planters, a water or fire feature and other design elements.
A patio isn’t the easiest DIY project to attempt. That’s why you should call the experts at J &S Landscaping. We know southeast Michigan – the soil, the weather, the culture. Not only will we make sure the right structural foundations are put in place, we’ll offer our expert advice on pavers. There are so many different colors, shapes, surfaces and colors to choose from, it can be overwhelming. Whether you want a clean, modern look or something that evokes the feeling of old Europe, we can help you with your design. Take a look at our gallery of ideas here.
One of the best things about patio pavers? With just a little bit of basic care and seasonal maintenance, your investment will last for years.
Outdoor fire pits or kitchens
Making the top five list are fire pits and/or outdoor kitchens. Either one can add ambiance and warmth to your outdoor entertaining.
If you do a lot of entertaining, especially with large groups, then an outdoor kitchen might be your best option. Whether it’s as elaborate as a gas stove with built in storage and a fire-sourced oven or a simple fire pit big enough to roast a few marshmallows, J & S Landscaping can answer any questions you might have.
Whichever way you go – kitchen or fire pit – there are questions that need to be answered: How will you use it? What fuel source do you want to use? Do you have a design in mind? Do you want to be able to have seating around it?
We can give you the pros and cons of various answers to these questions. Whether your investment is large or small, you want it to give you the best return possible. Don’t make this decision alone – call us, we can help. Meanwhile, take a look at some of our past projects.
Outdoor lighting
Number four on our top five list of hardscape projects is lighting. Ok…..not exactly hardscape. Outdoor lighting isn’t usually placed into a wall (although it most definitely can be!) but unlike a flower or a plant, lighting isn’t going to die or need to be replaced.
More importantly, outdoor lighting is important for safety and security as well as also providing ambiance for your outdoor gatherings. In addition, you can use lighting to highlight special features of your garden or a statue that will wow your guests when they see it.
But adding outdoor lighting can be tricky. Sure, you can stick some solar garden lights into your lawn along your front sidewalk, but with all the available options, why would you want to? Nowadays, lighting options include floodlights, strings of lights over your patio, or even sconces against your home’s foundation.
Water features
Our final hardscape project we recommend for investment, is a water feature. Water features are so much more than a swimming pool. They can be elaborate fountains with recirculating water, a nearby bubbling brook or even a manmade waterfall.
Water features are popular not for the water itself, but for its part in creating a backyard sanctuary. People love to hear the gently sound of water; it’s peaceful and soothing. Whether you want to build that elaborate fountain or have another idea in mind, the design experts at J & S Landscaping can help.
Conclusion
We service southeast Michigan, especially the greater Walled Lake, Commerce Township and West Bloomfield areas. If you need ideas, expert advice, or professionals to get the job done, call us at 248-366-7980 or contact us online.
