Almost all gardens require some sort of hardscape to accommodate outdoor entertaining, seating areas, and foot traffic. Front yards typically need a means for visitors or residents to walk from the driveway and the sidewalk or street to the front door, and sometimes around to the side gate and on into the back yard. Backyard patios are perfect for dining tables and chairs, lounge chairs, and even outdoor furniture sets, and provides a gathering place for family and friends.
Details Landscape Art specializes in offering functional and beautiful hardscape surfaces. The cost of backyard patios and/or walkways is probably the largest single expense of a landscape project, and is a function of size of the area and the surface material chosen. We begin by designing the surface size and shape according to the needs of the homeowner, and then, depending on budget, choose the materials. The size should be determined by ascertaining the function for which the patio will be used, such as dining, fire pit, barbecue space, outdoor kitchen, etc. It should accommodate what ever outdoor furniture will be used, such as dining table and chairs, fire pit and chairs, outdoor sofa and love seat configuration or lounge chairs.
We offer several choices for hardscape surfaces as follows:
-Broom finish or ‘swept’ concrete, with or without integral color. This is the least expensive finish, but still beautiful when coordinated with other rock or stone. This is a one step, one day installation project.
-Exposed aggregate with several stone options. The wet concrete is ‘seeded’ with an external pebble, which becomes embedded, and then the very top of the stones are washed off and thereby exposed. (Also a one step process)
-Stamped concrete with two or more colors blended. After the colors are applied and floated into the wet, freshly poured concrete we wait until the concrete has dries and hardened to the correct texture. We then stamp the surface with texture mats leaving a permanent impression of veins, nooks and crannies and texturing. It is a beautiful natural look which may then be sealed (optional) to bring out the colors and protect the finish.
-Brick is a two-step process where the base concrete is poured and let harden. Then we come back later and mortar the bricks in a variety of possible patterns and colors. It is an older style look, most common on homes that already have a brick façade.
-Tile is also a two-step process. There are also a myriad of tile size and color options available, as well as a variety of patterns.
-Flagstone is our specialty at Details Landscape Art, and will be the subject of a future blog. It can be set on a concrete base or can be set in a compacted fill dirt base. There are a number of Arizona flagstone colors, and a few different Connecticut Bluestone colors, as well as some other more unusual stones.
Backyard patios are a function of size shape and surface materials. We ensure that all elements are designed according to the homeowners lifestyle, uses and taste.