Build Your Business with Hardscape
As homeowners aim to make smart spending choices for their landscapes, many are choosing hardscape to enhance outdoor living spaces, beautify their property, and even to manager and conserve water. You can satisfy your customers’ needs by making hardscape a part of your service offering and open your business to new opportunities and profits.Why hardscape?
Hardscape materials are available in a wide variety of colors, shapes, styles and textures, allowing for many creative options. This makes hardscapes a popular, attractive choice for homeowners.
As the popularity of outdoor living spaces grows, hardscape is predicted to become the fastest growing landscape product through 2015, according to a landscaping products survey from the Freedonia Group.
Hardscapes offer many benefits different from traditional landscaping. Hardscape can be an eco-friendly and low maintenance alternative to turf; no watering, mowing, trimming or growing required. Permeable pavers can even assist with storm water runoff by allowing water to drain into the underlying soil.
Small additions bring big results
Pavers are also a stronger and more visually appealing option compared to asphalt or poured concrete driveways or patios. Even small hardscape additions, such as a garden patio, tree rings, or a retaining wall, can beautify a customer’s property and increase its value.
The 2011 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Residential Trends Survey revealed that about 94 percent of survey participants rated fire pits and fireplaces, seating and dining areas, and grills as popular outdoor living features.
Hardscape enhances outdoor living, as well. Outdoor furniture made from hardscape products are durable and long lasting, and can be used to create a beautiful outdoor focal point.
Where to start?The market will continue to grow with opportunities as customers look to improve their properties. Whether it’s a structural feature, such as a garden wall or residential patio, or something more aesthetic, like a dining table or fire pit, hardscape installation and maintenance will attract customer interest.
A great place for the hardscape beginner to start is maintenance. You can keep your customers’ hardscape looking new with specially formulated cleaners to remove dirt or salt buildup from pavers, prevent efflorescence, and remove stains from oil, grease and rust. Additionally, sealers preserve aesthetic value by creating a wet or natural look, with either a satin or matte finish. Offering maintenance services to your customers will also allow you to sustain recurring business following hardscape installations. When you have more to offer, you attract a wider range of clientele.
Hardscape kits, which do not require using mortar or cutting tools, are another excellent choice for beginning installers with some hardscape experience. Kits include pre-cut blocks, adhesive, and simple directions. With these, you can easily build outdoor fireplaces, tables, fire rings, and more.
More advanced hardscape projects, such as walls, patios, driveways and walkways, require more specialized training and equipment to install. Many residential and commercial properties feature advanced hardscapes. These are small or large features, and can attract many customers.
A great place for the hardscape beginner to start is maintenance. You can keep your customers’ hardscape looking new with specially formulated cleaners to remove dirt or salt buildup from pavers, prevent efflorescence, and remove stains from oil, grease and rust. Additionally, sealers preserve aesthetic value by creating a wet or natural look, with either a satin or matte finish. Offering maintenance services to your customers will also allow you to sustain recurring business following hardscape installations. When you have more to offer, you attract a wider range of clientele.
Hardscape kits, which do not require using mortar or cutting tools, are another excellent choice for beginning installers with some hardscape experience. Kits include pre-cut blocks, adhesive, and simple directions. With these, you can easily build outdoor fireplaces, tables, fire rings, and more.
More advanced hardscape projects, such as walls, patios, driveways and walkways, require more specialized training and equipment to install. Many residential and commercial properties feature advanced hardscapes. These are small or large features, and can attract many customers.
Resources and education
Many resources are available to gain hardscape expertise. The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) offers certification for concrete paver installation. The National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) provides education courses, certification programs, and seminars for retaining wall installation. Local masonry associations can also assist you in becoming a hardscape expert.
Ewing can also assist you in building your hardscape experience. Ewing offers seminars, workshops and vendor-sponsored training that will benefit you, and as a result, your customers. Whether it’s a small starter project or a large-scale commercial installation, Ewing’s team of professional hardscape specialists will help you make your next hardscape project a success.
To learn more about hardscape products and training offered by Ewing, and to keep up with product specials, contact a hardscape product specialist at hardscape@ewing1.com, or visit your local Ewing branch.