Concrete Patio & Hardscape Design
See how concrete, pavers and gravel were used to create unique hardscaping in this backyard.
A video transcript featuring Joseph Huettl, Huettl Landscape Architecture
For the ground plane, it's nice to break up the materials to a certain extent. You don't want to get overly busy. I would generally recommend two to three materials for a given project for the ground plane, and then maybe another one, two, or three materials for the walls or other vertical planes.
Choosing materials for high and low traffic
On a small project such as this, where it's intensely developed for the client's usage, we have quite a bit of paved area, but we mixed up the materials to provide a warm composition. For the high-traffic areas, for outdoor dining and everyday use, we have the concrete. And then for the lower-traffic areas, we have both the grids of blue stone (2-foot squares) and the Tuscany crushed rock. We repeat the grid, both in this transition area and also in the lounge area, where they can lounge. In the lounge area, because we don't want to irrigate it, we did a Tuscany crushed rock in-fill. And then for this area, since it's more of a visual, we did the in-fill of creeping time.
