Hardscape Features That Shape Your Outdoor Living Space
Listening First: Every project begins with understanding your goals, preferences, and how you want to use your outdoor space. We take the time to learn about your vision, priorities, and budget before putting ideas on paper.
Constant Collaboration: Design is a collaborative process. We work closely with you throughout each step, sharing ideas, gathering feedback, and refining the plan so it truly reflects your vision.
Site Visits: Visiting your property allows us to evaluate important factors like sun exposure, drainage, existing plants, and topography. These observations help us create a design that works naturally with your landscape.
Engage in Detailed Planning: Once the concept is established, we develop detailed plans that outline layout, materials, plant selections, and key features. This step ensures the design is both visually cohesive and practical to build.
A New Landscape: The final result is a thoughtfully designed outdoor space tailored to your needs and the character of your property and built to grow, evolve, and be enjoyed for years to come.
We have designed and installed stunning and functional landscapes around the greater Portland region for decades, and our creativity and craftsmanship continue. For inspiration on what’s possible for your yard, take a look at some of our past projects.
Our clients wanted a yard with room for active young children to play, but also an adult space for relaxing and entertaining. However, the spaces had to have a clear line of vision between them so the parents could keep an eye on their kids. We accepted the challenge of this Lake Oswego landscape and transformed a shallow forested yard into a modern, usable hardscape that the whole family can enjoy.
In consulting with the homeowners, we learned their needs and wants and laid out a design plan for different spaces and uses. Play and relaxation space, complete with a hot tub, were essentials, as was an area for gardening and room for entertaining. We explored materials that matched their vision and blended with the home’s architecture. Together, we created a plan of action.
Our goal was to remove unusable components of the yard, retain trees, growth, and features that fit the plan, and employ creativity to expand the overall outdoor living space.
To accomplish our goal, extensive excavation and grading were required. We wanted to protect the many tree roots from immediate and long-term damage, but the yard needed to be leveled to improve drainage, dig trenches for irrigation, and allow for the installation of a series of patios that would divide the yard into multiple living spaces.
Our clients were thrilled with the results and couldn’t wait to share their new space with their Lake Oswego friends. It wasn’t just the clients who appreciated our work. This yard project won the Residential Landscape Design/Outdoor Living $100,000-$250,000 award from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).
Take a look at some of the features:
Concrete Castohn Olympic pavers were selected for their durability and sand-finished surface that offers a natural, modern appearance. Framed with Mexican pebbles, the pavers run throughout the yard to unify the space while providing a smooth, durable surface for activities like riding scooters.
Instead of standard drainage channels, we incorporated permeable pavers bordered with ribbons of Mexican pebbles to manage water while enhancing the aesthetic. A Hunter Hydrawise drip irrigation system was also installed to provide efficient, easy-to-control watering throughout the landscape.
Belgard Melville Tandem modular wall blocks were used to construct retaining walls that complement the home’s modern style. These walls reshape the slope to create more usable space and define raised areas for different activities, while also serving as practical backstops for the kids’ play.
Corten steel planters were chosen for their durability and warm contrast against the concrete hardscape. They help define the hot tub area while adding architectural interest, and the nearby space was designed to accommodate a portable fire pit that can easily be moved to create either a cozy gathering spot or additional play space.
To make the yard enjoyable both day and night, we incorporated a layered lighting approach. Path lights improve safety along walkways, subtle ledge lights beneath wall caps add warmth and ambiance, and uplights beneath larger trees highlight their structure and create visual interest after dark.
Many of the existing fir trees were preserved and complemented with espaliered apple and pear trees that maximize growing space while adding a strong visual feature. Stainless steel woven wire between posts supports the espaliered trees, and the surrounding planters are filled with a mix of herbs for both beauty and function.
Local Expertise: Our designers understand the Pacific Northwest climate, soils, and plant selections, allowing us to create landscapes that thrive in the region.
Dedicated to Communication: We prioritize clear, consistent communication throughout the design process so you always feel informed and confident in your project.
Design Education and Training: Several members of our design team hold architecture degrees, bringing a strong foundation in design principles, structure, and spatial planning to every project.
Passionate About the Industry: Landscaping is more than a job for our team, it’s a craft we genuinely care about, and that passion shows in every design we create.
100 Years of Combined Experience: Our team’s decades of collective experience ensure that every project benefits from practical knowledge, creativity, and proven solutions.
Hardscapes are the bones of the landscape that lead you to specific destinations like a patio, outdoor kitchen, water feature, or fire area. The key to hardscape design is to make sure the flow within your space works and that the hardscape features are sized correctly to match your yard use goals.
Hardscape features commonly include patios, paths, water features, covered structures, retaining walls, and outdoor kitchens. The only thing limiting hardscape features is available space, and sometimes the budget.
Hardscapes provide the important areas where we gather, and how we move around the yard, so it is critical to a successful design. However, the softscapes like plants, lighting, and lawn, factor into the hardscape plan. If designed effectively, hardscape and softscape elements will blend together to create the cohesive garden of your dreams.
Professional design or engineering may be needed for certain sizes of retaining walls, but for most, the answer is no. However, a professional designer will help find the best area to locate a patio and walls, and identify appropriate materials. Walls and patios are not simple to install so it is important to do it right the first time.
From first design contact to a finished landscape, including hardscape and softscape, an average project would be three to four months. The important part is the planning and material selection. Once those are finalized and the job starts, work moves quickly. Make sure to consult with your landscape contractor early in the process to get the timeline for completion.
Choosing Landscape East & West ensures your outdoor space is thoughtfully designed, expertly built, and made to last. With skilled craftsmanship, quality materials, and a deep understanding of plant health and site conditions, our professional team can transform your property into a beautiful, functional landscape that adds lasting value and enjoyment to your home.
Take a look at some of our projects and imagine what we can do for your outdoor space.
