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Practical Tips To Help You Boost Your Hardscape In Summer!

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Every season has different perks that make it special, but there is something about summer that puts it in a league of its own. Whether you like having a cookout in your backyard with your friends or going to the beach, there is always something amazing to do during these fantastic months. And because you are a lot more active in summer, you will likely spend most of your time on your paver patio, which is generally good for your overall health. Depending on the age of your paver patio, you may have to maintain, repair, or make a few improvements to it by adding some new features. In this article, we provide you with proven tips on how to boost the appearance of your existing paver patio during the summer!

Address any necessary repair issues:

While brick pavers are generally sturdy and long-lasting, you may still have to address a few cracking or paver shifting issues. Cracking and shifting pavers are not only a huge safety hazard but could ultimately force you into making future costly repairs. One encouraging thing about brick pavers is that you’ll only have to repair a small part of the pavers than replace the whole structure as you would do with their concrete counterpart.

Consider adding a fireplace or pit:

A fireplace or pit can significantly boost your outdoor experience. These are highly versatile features that will allow you to unwind and entertain a large group of friends. Simply put, they allow you to get the most out of your paver patio during those warming and inviting summer nights. What’s more, they will allow you to use your patio even when the temperatures begin to drop.

Consider installing seat walls or enclosures:

If you are contemplating installing a fire pit, then seat walls offer a great design solution thanks to their unmatched functionality and appearance. Besides seating, the wall structure will equally help reflect the sweltering heat, guaranteeing a comfortable and relaxing experience. Alternatively, you may also install a walled enclosure without a sitting area to offer privacy as well as an incredible appearance.

Incorporate landscaping features into your paver patios:

Landscaping features can significantly enhance the overall appearance of your paver patios. You can add a brick border featuring shrubs, a retaining wall, or even some paintings to your pavers to boost their aesthetic looks. There are countless design options to choose from, and you can even choose plants to compliment the color of your brick pavers. Of course, you can always rely on the expertise and knowledge of landscaping professionals to help you choose the perfect design elements.

Clean and reseal your brick patio every two years:

This is an important step that you must implement. After addressing all the existing repair and maintenance issues, it’s now time to clean and seal your patio. And while you are free to clean as regularly as you would prefer, it’s recommended that you should seal pavers after every two years.

However, if your paver patio is relatively new, you should wait for a few months before you can seal them. It’s important that you allow your patio enough time for its structure to come together! On the other hand, if you are resealing your patio, ensure you first clean it using a pressure washing machine before removing the old sealing material and then resealing it.

Schedule a Quote from JJW Brick Today!

If you have any questions regarding brick pavers or brick paver lighting, contact us today.  Please feel free to give JJW Brick a call today for your Metro-Detroit, MI home.  We can be reached at 1-800-BRICK-PAVERS.  We hope to hear from you soon!

Knowing The Difference Between Hardscape and Softscape Elements

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The outdoor living space of any home features two important components; hardscape and softscape. But what is the difference between these two essential elements?

Just as the name implies hardscape simply refers to any hard thing available in your yard, including stones, brick, concrete, or any other similar thing. On the other hand, includes all types of soft components in your home, ranging from plants, and bushes to trees.

As you may have guessed, softscape constitutes all living things whereas hardscape is made up of inanimate objects in your yard. Great homes are those that can strike a good balance between softscape and hardscape. Car enthusiast homeowners usually transform their hardscapes into gorgeous and eye-catching driveways. Such driveways not only make your residential property look beautiful but also give it a commercial appeal.

On the other hand, homeowners who are a fan of gardening usually tend to fill their outdoor spaces with huge trees, and bold shrubs as well as bushes. So, as a homeowner, it’s vital that you find the right balance between the hardscape and softscape in your home.

So, what are the most common hardscape elements in your home?

As previously explained, hardscape simply refers to non-living things in your home. But for your understanding, let us delve deeper into this topic. In this section, we discuss some of the common things that can be categorized as hardscape components of your home.

To be more precise, hardscape describes hard but movable elements in your home, including gravel, pavers, and stones, among others, that are found in your outside space. It features non-living and inanimate objects that also don’t change over time.

Hardscape components usually affect your surroundings very differently. In this regard, things such as pavements, or stones don’t allow water to infiltrate the soil, thereby increasing the likelihood of pollutants finding their way into water bodies. On the other hand, porous elements permit water to infiltrate into the soil, minimizing runoffs. Other notable types of hardscape materials may include outside kitchens, gazebos, patios, and decks. It is worth noting that hardscape materials are either artificial or natural.

So, what are some of the most common types of softscape elements?

As opposed to their hardscape counterparts, softscape materials are soft to touch, just as the name implies. In this regard, trees, shrubs, flowers as well as ground covers are great examples of softscape elements. Bearing in mind that these are living things, they will inevitably change over time. As a result, they require proper care. Softscape components such as trees, and shrubs differ in terms of shape, texture as well as size.

Practical tips on how to integrate softscape and hardscape elements into your home:

  • If your home is relatively small, use vertical spaces to incorporate softscape features into your yard. You can also use container gardening techniques as well as pedestals to make your home look bigger.
  • If you reside in an area with government restrictions regarding water usage, forcing you to rethink your softscape elements, don’t fret! You can continue to enjoy having a beautiful garden by making a few alterations. For example, if the water supply is a major concern, you can replace some of your softscape features with hardscape ones. In this regard, you replace your garden’s grass patch with hardscape elements such as pavers, concrete, or even granite. You can also incorporate a few drought-resistant plants.
  • You may also use hardscaping elements, including retaining walls to create additional space.

The bottom line:

We have not only highlighted the key difference between hardscape and softscape elements in your home, but have also provided you with proven and practical tips on how to combine these two important features and make your home a beautiful place.

Schedule a Quote from JJW Brick Today!

If you have any questions regarding brick pavers or brick paver lighting, contact us today.  Please feel free to give JJW Brick a call today for your Clinton Twp, MI home.  We can be reached at 1-800-BRICK-PAVERS.  We hope to hear from you soon!

How Are Landscaping and Hardscaping Projects an Investment Opportunity

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Landscaping and hardscaping elements make an investment that brings both short-term as well as long-term benefits. These elements not only accentuate the beauty of a home, bringing immediate pleasure to homeowners as well as visitors, but they also enhance the value of a property. It is for these reasons that various realtors and landscape professionals highly recommend the addition of these elements to homes.

Unfortunately, many homeowners continue to see landscape and hardscape undertakings as an added expense when they truly are an investment opportunity. The good news is more and more homeowners are seeing landscape and hardscape projects for what they are and are beginning to spend time and money on what they can do to make their outdoor living space better and beautiful. In most cases, these homeowners weigh their property’s specifications as well as the amount of space they have available for renovation before making any final decisions. More importantly, they also spend the most amount of time thinking about what they want to do while outdoors.

In this article, we look at how hardscape elements add value to any property.

They Safeguard Your Property Against Potential Damages

Even small damages to properties can lead to homeowners writing big cheques. Hardscaping and landscaping protect homes and properties from potential damages. For instance, if steep sloping has rendered a part of your home useless, chances are that water and dirt will eventually erode your slope, exposing your foundation and damaging it. However, by installing a retaining wall, you can divert the water away from your home’s foundation. More importantly, other than serving this prime purpose, retaining walls also add to the beauty of any home. Hardscape projects like retaining walls make a lot of sense if your property is susceptible to problems like erosion.

They Attract Positive Attention

When real estate agents decide to take up a house for sale, the word they most often use to entice potential buyers is curb appeal. The curb appeal denotes a home’s physical beauty. If a home is not appealing enough, no potential buyer would even consider giving it a good look. Thus, before they put their home up for sale, homeowners must take some time out to undertake basic landscape and hardscape projects, such as upgrading the pavers, garden up-gradation, and adding functional retainer walls. Similarly, adding a paving stone patio or adding a seating area will instantly bring attention and potential buyers to your home. In conclusion, landscaping projects are a healthy investment that brings returns and adds value to your home.

The Final Word

The decision to add anything new to your home is an important one that must never be taken in any hurry. We recommend you do your research, understand your home, and the space available to you and take decisions accordingly. If at any point, you find yourself getting confused, do not hesitate to seek the help of an expert. Professionals with years of experience often have a keen eye for what will work and what won’t — they will be able to guide you well and turn your home’s exteriors into something that neighbors and onlookers will certainly admire.

Schedule a Quote from JJW Brick Today!

Give JJW Brick a call today to learn more about professional hardscape design.  We can be reached at 1-800-BRICK-PAVERS.

How to Keep Hardscaping Projects on Track

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Are you thinking about your next outdoor hardscape improvement project? Regardless of whether it’s a complete overhaul or just a singular addition or renovation, you will have the best chances of success and satisfaction if you take the time to plan.   

There are far too many variables and factors that come into play with any type of hardscaping projects to leave things to chance. This is one type of home improvement activity you really can’t count on for things to just work out. If you don’t thoroughly plan each aspect, it’s very likely your project will quickly run away from you.  It will be too expensive, messy, disappointing, and time-consuming.

Here are the main considerations that must be on your planning checklist for your next hardscape outdoor home improvement project. By thinking about and then planning each of these tasks, and issues based upon your circumstances, desires, and needs, you will keep your project on track throughout each phase.

Should you hire a professional or do it yourself?

It’s very tempting to pursue doing hardscaping yourself. Yes, it’s physical work, but it really isn’t anything you can’t do, right? Possibly. You have access to a multitude of resources dedicated exclusively to DIYers – and many of them are very good and reliable. But the problem is, what seems very straight forward and easily turns out to be much more confusing and challenging. And that usually doesn’t occur to you until you’re in the midst of it.

So, carefully calculate the full scope of the project you’re getting ready to embark upon before you begin. While a professional contractor adds more expense, in the long run, if you hire the ideal contractor, your job will be constructed and finished accurately, in a friendly, timely manner. And, in many cases, the money you thought you were saving by doing it yourself gets gobbled up in bothersome repairs because it wasn’t done right in the first place.

Establish and verify your budget

Whether you’re going alone or hiring a contractor, you need to have a firm grip on your budget. By having it established upfront, you can consistently rely upon it for all decisions – from the material you use to the add-ons you incorporate into your original design. Your budget is helpful to your designer, contractor or architect for the same reasons and it will help keep your relationship and experience positive and productive.

Define and verify how much space you have to work with.

When it comes to determining how much of your outdoor living space your new project will require or be allocated, you cannot guess. You must be precise about this. Not only do you need to carefully measure but you must also thoughtfully consider the size of the area while you’re designing the project. Just like your budget, having your space allocation clearly defined and verified upfront will help guide all subsequent decisions, especially when it comes to the nuances and options available to you.

Schedule a Quote from JJW Brick Today!

Give JJW Brick a call today to have professionals help you with your next hardscape project.  Our office phone number is 1-800-BRICK-PAVERS.  We hope to work with you soon!

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