As lots get smaller and homes get larger in today’s real estate market, less room is available for expansion—and more and more homeowners are looking for creative ways to spice up their outdoor living spaces. Hardscape projects are rising in popularity, and can also help lower watering costs as an alternative to landscaped areas in a time when water is quickly escalating in price, and many areas are facing watering restrictions.
You can increase a home’s outdoor living square footage with hardscape by installing a patio, an outdoor kitchen, walkways or other features, often for less than a full remodel or building out more square footage on the property. This would allow for a nice outdoor area while increasing the property value.
Some types of add-ons have additional advantages. Hardscapes made with permeable pavers or Xeripave, for example, will allow more water to percolate into the soil than others. This allows for the installation of beds and trees nearby, and still allows water to get to the plant. Pavers also allow for flexibility and future growth in a landscape; if a tree root is coming to the surface, the paver can flex with the root and not break apart, preventing unsightly cracks or breaks. These permeable options can help eliminate soil erosion around foundations, control rainwater runoff, and can even direct rainwater to an underground storage system for later use.
3 Steps to Getting Started
All levels of contractors can get into the hardscape business. Here are some steps to follow if you want to break into the business:
1. Talk to your supplier. Find out what’s selling in your area. They’ll have a good idea about what’s popular, and that will be a good place for you to start.
2. Take a class. Learn how to install the products you are interested in selling. The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) offers classes for pavers, walkways and patios.
ICPI can also certify you, which would give you credibility and a leg up on another contractor who may not be certified. You can become certified in concrete paver installation, and can receive designations for residential paver technician, commercial pavers technician or PICP specialist.
Your supplier may offer classes or training events in outdoor kitchens or other hardscape options. Contact your local Ewing to see what’s available in your area.
3. Ask! Talk to your customers and as them if they have ever thought about hardscapes. Show them what can be done with their property, and what it would look like with 3D rendering, which is easily done with common programs like Pro Contractor Studio, VizTerra and Go iLawn.
All you have to do is ask. It may surprise you which of your current customers are looking to add this to their space.
