Hardscape for Business Greenspaces

While reviewing and considering different hardscape options with you we take into account the current layout and configuration of your business to incorporate the best hardscape design features. For example, adding a paved area somewhere in the landscape can provide a relaxing place to sit and enjoy the day or serve as an outdoor bar area for customers.

In some cases, we may suggest including unique contrasting borders and inlays to enhance the aesthetic beauty of your hardscape project. Here are some other hardscape options to consider:

• Retaining walls: These walls can serve several purposes. Structurally, they help hold back soil and minimize erosion. They can also provide a transitional elevation change, while adding a decorative element to your business.

• Planter Boxes: Commonly used to grow edibles like vegetables and herbs. They can also provide a special place to bring colorful plantings into an outdoor gathering space.

• Paving stones, Bricks, Flagstone and Natural Stone: These hardscape elements can add visual appeal and a practical element to outdoor paths and/or walkways. These features can also help guide people through the outdoor oasis you have created.

The benefits and beauty of a hardscape design is that it is not limited to pavers, rocks, stones, and walls. There are a variety of hardscape design options that can enhance your business through functionality and visual appeal.

If own or operate a restaurant or eatery an outdoor kitchen can be a practical, functional, and resourceful use of space. It may also impress customers who see you are utilizing your available space to produce fresh ingredients for your business. These are often constructed in an island configuration where guests can gather around and socialize and, in some cases, take part in the cooking experience. Often included elements are a barbeque grill island with storage, a mini-fridge, a pizza oven, a flat-top grill and even a smoker.

Here are some other hardscape design options that can enhance the features and functionality of your business:

• Outdoor Fireplaces and Fire Pits – You can take the party outdoors by including the ambiance that a fire provides. A fireplace or fire pit creates an ideal atmosphere for customers or small parties to gather and converse.

• Xeriscaping - This type of hardscaping often incorporates rocks, stone, and gravel. This design reduces water usage and requires minimal maintenance, while improving biodiversity, lowering pollution, and mitigating heat within urban areas. We utilize native/indigenous vegetation as opposed to store bought grass and imported plants to retain water and minimize supplemental irrigation.

• Dry Creek Beds - A dry creek bed is usually lined with large, medium, and smaller stones and edged with plants to mimic a natural creek or riverbank. We often use dry creek beds to guide or divert rainwater to prevent erosion during runoff following heavy rainfall.

• Outcropping or Accent Stones: Accent stones can be integrated into a landscape as centerpieces, functional structure elements, or to fill gaps where plants struggle to survive. Outcropping stones are larger natural stones that can be stacked or placed strategically within the landscape.

• Brick or Stone Borders: Defining the edges of your landscape with a brick or stone border looks beautiful. This helps to differentiate your beds from the lawn or encircle trees with a small border.

• Paver Driveways: A paver driveway enhances curb appeal, adding both classic and modern aesthetics to your business’s outdoor space. Pavers are highly durable, so your driveway will hold up for decades under all the weight and wear of vehicles. These driveways significantly outlast driveways made of asphalt or concrete.

• Sitting Walls: This type of wall is usually double-sided and free standing. We use Sitting Walls to help define outdoor living spaces by enhancing their geometry and design. They provide additional seating in your outdoor space as well.

• Stairs: Whether constructed using wood, natural stone, or wall stone with a paver overlay, adding structural access to your outdoor area a functional element to your landscape.

• Pillars: Pillars are a focal point and add a vertical element to your landscape. They are often used at the end of sitting walls. They are used to welcome guests at the entrance of your business or entrance of your parking area.

• Decks: A deck can serve as a gathering place for your family to enjoy special memories together. Whether you choose a natural wood or composite finish, a deck can add an aesthetic appeal to the exterior of your business.

• Patios: A patio can be for your customers and/or employees. It can also be an additional room that extends outside. The extension can be constructed of pavers or natural stone and we can add to your existing patio or build a new one to meet your specific needs.

• Fences & Gates: The benefits of fencing are security, screening, privacy, and peace of mind. With options of wood, vinyl or aluminum, our fences are built to last and look good too.

• Trellis, Pergola, Pavilions: Adding structural features to provide screening, shade or elevation to your outdoor space will enhance the aesthetics and beauty of your landscape. These are often made of wood, vinyl or aluminum.

Improve Curb Appeal and Your Customer’s Experience

The exterior of your property is in a sense, an extension of your business. It projects so much about your company to the public, your employees, and your customers. Our team of experienced professionals are ready to help you design a hardscape that takes advantage of existing outdoor features to improve your customers’ experience, extend gathering and entertaining space, so your customers can spend more time in the fresh air and natural surroundings.

Designing Your Commercial Hardscape

When you contact our team, we meet with you in-person for an initial consultation to discuss your vision, preferences, and needs. We’ll work together to develop a design that incorporates your ideas, existing structure(s), unique restrictions, and special features. Our hardscape design experts will also offer ideas and suggestions, based on our experience.

What Sets Us Apart

As a nationally recognized leader of premiere landscape services, we always put our customers first. As a result, we hold our employees to a high professional standard and expect excellence in execution on every job. In addition to prioritizing your needs, we are also good stewards our communities, and the environment.

Perform a Site Analysis

Part of our planning will include a site analysis to factor in existing features that must be accounted for in the hardscape design. This will include taking measurements, photos, and a visual inspection of your property. Once completed we will provide one or more of the following:

• 3D photo imaging of hardscape material
• CAD drawing of features, structure, and existing hardscape
• A design, fact sheets and scope of work proposal

Reviewing and Finalizing the Design

Once the initial plan has been developed, we will review the design with you. The design will indicate how space on the plan relates to space in your actual property and the relationship between sizes of specific elements of the design. We’ll review the hardscape contrast and the differences in tone, texture, or mass between the various hardscape design elements.

We will also take the ecological aspect into account to create a landscape design that is compatible with a sites’ environment in both appearance and sustainability without negatively impacting the surrounding environment.

During the design review stage, we will confirm your specific landscape goals, offer ideas based on our experience, and discuss the overall scope of work. But it is your hardscape goals and vision that will guide the process and determine the final design, not our style and/or preferences. We’ll consider things like, existing structures, required maintenance, and any restrictions before finalizing your design. During the hardscape design process, you’ll receive a basic drawing or plan containing the key details of the design and showing the footprint of key elements within the design.

Design Changes

Once installation of your design has begun, changes to the original scope of work will be initiated through a change order. Once requested changes are reviewed and approved, they will be implemented.

Our Mission

The Grounds Guys are on a mission to cultivate lasting relationships with our customers through exceptional customer service. Therefore, it is essential that we deliver artistry and excellence with every job we accept. As a customer you can expect a seamless experience from design to project completion.

Because we understand your hardscape is an investment and an extension of your business, we take extra steps to ensure every detail of your design is reviewed to ensure your complete satisfaction.