Hard landscaping is the part of the garden you walk on and sit on in January. It is also how a low maintenance design stays low maintenance: the patio, the paths and the gravel take the ground that would otherwise be weeding.
The same team can design and build. The code of conduct is the same on a short path as on a drive.
What gets drawn, and what gets built
A typical specification from the hard landscaping page runs further than paving.
- Driveways, patios, paths and lawns
- Walling, and fencing in timber or metal
- Decking, terraces, pergolas and gazebos
- Ponds
- Planting plans and the planting itself
- Lighting and irrigation, where the garden needs them
Mr Gorden’s drive in Borehamwood is the plain version: old tarmac excavated, hardcore compacted, a block edge set, sandstone slabs laid and the joints pointed. Wendy Guilder’s garden in St Albans is the designed version: a circular sitting area, curved paths, stepping stones in the lawn and a raised bed behind a brick wall.
Lighting and irrigation are specified with the layout, not bolted on after the slabs are down. Once the base is in, chasing a cable or a pipe through a new patio is the expensive way to do it.