Homeowners in the Northeast are staying put and investing in the appreciation of their homes in more ways than one.  Keeping your home updated will certainly help retain its monetary value, but will also improve the likelihood that you can relish enjoyable nights spent right at home.

Many weekend warriors have spent countless hours, months and even years making sure that their kitchen is equipped with the latest appliances, their living space has been transformed to an open concept and their basement has been renovated into the perfect man-cave complete with home theater, but now that the summer season is almost here, they may wish they had paid more attention to their outdoor entertaining areas and hardscapes.

A hardscape is any outdoor area that doesn’t include organic landscaping features such as grass, trees, shrubs, flowers, etc.  These areas are built rather than grown, including your home’s façade, entryway, driveway, walkways, retaining walls, fountains, outdoor kitchens, patios, fireplaces and firepits, and feature elements such as trellises or gazebos.  Besides your sprawling green grass and some amazing gardening feats, these are some of the features that make your house truly stand apart from the rest of the neighborhood.  And as opposed to the continuous tending that your beautiful landscape requires, once your custom hardscape is complete, it requires very little upkeep and maintenance.

Design and installation are sometimes more intricate than indoor projects, depending on what part of your property is being transformed.  Building a stone firepit or installing a new block patio can be accomplished without a contractor if you are familiar with general building and construction practices and are willing to do a little research on creating a solid, long lasting structure, but they take a lot of work to complete.

For those who aren’t as handy or for larger projects that include heavy machinery or water/electric supply, you are best to find a local masonry contractor who specializes in hardscape design and installation.  They will be able to advise you on issues related to structural integrity and can help you choose the finishes that best meet your needs.  They know which materials are better used to build with versus which are better used as a façade, and which will best endure the Northeast’s ever-changing climate.

Once complete, your yard will have a flow and usefulness that is perfect for entertaining and admiration, especially if you include an update to those sometimes less-than-attractive outdoor features.  For example, some homeowners have turned their old aluminum sheds into beautiful outdoor storage spaces with a little help from their local masonry contractor.  Complete with a façade that will seamlessly compliment the home’s own exterior, along with some custom shelving, an ordinary shed can be made to seem like it was meant to be there from the start.  Custom structures can also be designed to hide unsightly pool filter equipment and also to create garbage bin storage spaces that are a true work of art.

In the same way that you have come to relish entertaining at home throughout the colder weather, your updated outdoor hardscapes will make a Sunday at home feel like a day at the park.

For more information about custom hardscape design and installation services offered in Colts Neck, Holmdel, and Rumson NJ and Staten Island by Millenium Stone Works, call 732-519-1112.