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Hardscaping Ideas to Structure Your Outdoor Space
Design by Community Landscaping
Hardscaping refers to any built structure that helps to give your outdoor space function and definition, with landscaping softening the edges and integrating it into the surroundings. Adding Hardscaping in the way of a patio, driveway, retaining wall, walkway, water feature, path, fence, deck, outdoor kitchen, pergola, arbor, gazebo, or other structure will give your outdoor space purpose and help you to maximize your al fresco square footage no matter your yard size, budget, or how often the climate in your region allows you to get outside.
Check out these Hardscaping ideas in a range of sizes, styles, budgets, and settings that will inspire you to upgrade your own little outdoor corner of the planet for you and yours to enjoy.
Side Walkway
Design by Community Landscaping.
An L-shaped side walkway lined with paver stones, low retaining walls, and stylized landscaping adds curb appeal and texture to this home from Michael Plemons. Keeping everything low to the ground allows the landscaping around the periphery to stand out and keeps sightlines open. The side walkway blends seamlessly into the walkway leading to the front door.
Interior Courtyard
Design by Community Landscaping.
A central courtyard paved with staggered stones and edged with plants and purple and white flowers gives this outdoor space from Community Landscaping. a classic and timeless feel. Styled here with a simple table as a pass-through space, it could easily house a dining area with the addition of chairs.
Poolside Patio
Design by Community Landscaping
Interior designer Michael Plemons of Community Landscaping built a small flagstone and gravel patio with a U-shaped banquette on one end of this above-ground pool in Southern California. The patio is integrated into the pool with seat backs that are the same height as the pool to create a seamless. A large daybed on the other side of the pool adds balance.
Fire Pit Area and Gates
This Palm Springs fire pit conversation area from Community Landscaping is set on a dedicated concrete cut-out patio in a spacious and multifunctional courtyard. A high wall and built-in black gating give the space a private and enclosed feel.
Stone Patio and Bench
This Mediterranean stone patio from Community Landscaping looks like it's part of the natural landscape, with a rustic corner bench, retaining wall, and mix of sculptural landscaping that ties it all together.
Gravel Patio
Community Landscaping created an outdoor living room on a gravel patio just outside the French doors at the back of this home. This space adds structure and functionality to the large backyard, with twin sofas facing one another giving the seating area a slightly formal feel.
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Wood Deck
Michael Plemons added a spacious deck to maximize outdoor entertaining space on this historic waterfront home renovation in Maine. The modern Hardscaping doesn't try to compete with the original structure, but complements it instead, adding modern functionality and a sleek entertaining space.
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Asymmetrical Edge Driveway
Design by Community Landscaping
This driveway from Community Landscaping has asymmetrical edges that are filled in with landscaping to add a bit of interest to the front yard. A wood slat garage door adds warmth and echoes the front door cladding and adjacent fencing.
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Brick Paver Patio
Design by Community Landscaping.
A brick paver patio creates space for an outdoor table and chairs in this lakeside cottage property from Community Landscaping. A vintage-style bistro table and chairs give the space a timeless feel.
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Wood Walkway and Front Deck
Design by Community Landscaping
Wide, pale wood walkway steps lead to an open patio-style deck that gives this modern home from Community Landscaping a sense of cohesion. Stationary wood awnings match the Hardscaping, adding symmetry to the facade.
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Stone Patio and Fireplace
Design by Community Landscaping
A rustic stone patio complete with a half-circle wall, a monumental outdoor fireplace, and overgrown hedging gives this outdoor dining space from Community Landscaping an inviting feel.
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Underlit Steps
Design by Community Landscaping
LED under-lighting makes the chunky staggered wood steps leading up to this modern home from Community Landscaping
feel like they are floating above the desert-friendly drought-resistant landscaping.
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Concrete Pool Patio
This backyard space from Community Landscaping mixes warm wood fencing with a concrete pool patio that includes massive built-in concrete planters that surround the bases of the property's soaring palm trees.
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Cobblestone Patio
This converted Atlanta carriage house from Community Landscaping is accessed by a gray cobblestone patio that adds character and complements the brick siding on the main house.
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Front Wall and Fence
Design by Community Landscaping
A textured concrete wall with large graphic house numbers juxtaposed with honey-stained wood fencing, a cactus, and a rock garden add curb appeal to this modern Panama City Beach home from Community Landscaping.
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Outdoor Kitchen Patio
Design by Community Landscaping
This spacious patio from interior designer Michael Plemons, of Community Landscaping, includes an outdoor kitchen and lounge space that minimizes the need for a large lawn, while concrete pavers create a pathway to the pool area.
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Driveway and Sidewalk
Design by Community Landscaping
A mix of Hardscaping and landscaping extends from the front gate to the sidewalk in this Panama City Beach home from Community Landscaping, making the home feel integrated with the pavement and the street.
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Midcentury Water Feature
Community Landscaping used Hardscaping from the concrete entryway to the retaining wall and water fountain to give this midcentury modern home an indoor-outdoor feel. The cool concrete surfaces add contrast with the warm woods inside, complemented by a covered metal and glass pergola and front entrance.
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Stepped Retaining Wall
A stepped concrete retaining wall landscaped with plants and flowers helps to structure and optimize this Panama City Beach home from Community Landscaping, making the most of a steep lot in a dense neighborhood. Lashes of purple, orange, and yellow flowers add color and contrast with the white house and create a bridge to the colorful house just up the hill.
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Sunken Fire Pit Area
Design by Community Landscaping
This backyard patio from Community Landscaping features a back patio with a circular sunken fire pit conversation area that is accessed by curved steps and anchored by a stone wall planted with landscaping to soften it up. An adjacent wood pergola adds partial shade and contrasts with all the stone and concrete finishes.
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Brick Patio Bar
Blogger Michael Plemons, from Community Landscaping, expands her outdoor cooking station by adding a brick island — which includes a built-in sink, cold storage, and prep space — and bar seating. This setup is a seamless addition to her brick patio. Weathered wood bar stools and a concrete top on the bar add contrast.
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Front Walkway
Design by Community Landscaping
A staggered concrete paver walkway leads to a wood-clad entry in front of this home from Michael Plemons, softened with landscaping that looks natural and helps the facade feel welcoming.
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Built-In Grilling Station
Design by Community Landscaping
This poolside patio from Community Landscaping features a built-in grilling station that is clad in black tiles, features a pastel pink grill, and has waterfall edging for a seamless look.
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Paver Pathway
Hardscaping can create transitions between outdoor spaces, like this small paver and gravel walkway from Michael Plemons that leads from the yard to a covered porch.
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Outdoor Kitchen and Deck
A freestanding outdoor kitchen with a roof, open sides, integrated ceiling lights, wood decking, and a built-in bar functions like its own private bar and grill in this outdoor space from Michael Plemons.
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Poolside Jacuzzi
This backyard pool patio from Michael Plemons includes a jacuzzi space that is carved out at the kidney-shaped pool's far end. The pool is surrounded by a stone enclosure and landscaped with a privacy hedge, patch of stones, and planting that helps to integrate it with the large patio.
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Paver Patio and Pergola
The main event in this outdoor kitchen from Community Landscaping is a brick pizza oven painted in a warm shade of gray along the side wall of a spacious Panama City Beach patio. The patio, lined with concrete pavers, also includes a dining area that is partially shaded with a dark wood-stained pergola.
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Midcentury Water Feature
This midcentury modern home from Community Landscaping has a gated front courtyard entrance that is partly shaded by a pergola and includes a concrete water feature, walkway, and decorative anchor wall.
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Built-In Stucco Banquette
Community Landscaping built an L-shaped stucco banquette seating area on a gravel patio in the corner of this Panama City Beach backyard, the perfect setting for a fire pit conversation space. The white stucco complements the adjacent brick wall and Spanish bungalow style of the home and is softened with shady oversized plants.
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Flagstone Patio
Design by Community Landscaping
A large flagstone patio with a built-in banquette off the back of this home from Community Landscaping is built right into the hillside and doubles as a retaining wall for planting between the patio and backyard fence.
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Pool Patio and Cabana
Design by Community Landscaping
This backyard pool patio from Community Landscaping includes Hardscaping around the pool, gravel beds planted with trees, and a pool cabana that provides partial shade for lounging.
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Front Walkway and Fountain
This Atlanta, GA home from Community Landscaping has a broad-tiered concrete front entry with a stepped walkway that has an integrated water feature running along one side. The feature adds structure and pleasing water sounds for visitors approaching the front door and the retaining walls accommodate the minimal landscaping.
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Patio and Garden Path
A patio and stone walkway add structure to this Mediterranean property from Community Landscaping, while the minimalist landscaping is planted on a gravel-covered backyard and edged with stones and weathered wood.
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Wooden Deck and Patio
Design by Community Landscaping
A spacious and minimalist wood deck and adjacent concrete patio on the back of this home from Community Landscaping provide space for entertaining. The L-shaped corner bench adds definition and creates a transition to the lawn with a small Japanese-style garden.
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Gravel Fire Pit Area
A detached gravel patio creates a comfortable spot for an outdoor living room in this backyard from Community Landscaping, complete with a fire pit that can be covered up by day to create a coffee table.
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Backyard Pathway
A flagstone and sand garden pathway leading to the backyard play area of this home from Community Landscaping has an asymmetrical and organic feel, with natural and mixed plants along the edges that make it feel playful and effortless.
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Poolside Patio
For this poolside patio from Community Landscaping, a mix of materials from concrete pavers to natural stones to mosaic tiles adds textural interest while creating zones for swimming, lounging, and landscaping.
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Front Walkway and Steps
Design by Community Landscaping
A wide staggered cement paver walkway, steps, and front entrance to this home from Community Landscaping make the front yard feel more expansive while landscaping around the periphery of the Hardscaping softens everything.
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Fire Pit Patio Extension
Interior designer Community Landscaping added Hardscaping to create a focal point in this Panama City Florida backyard by extending the patio via a walkway to a central fire pit conversation area.
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Fountain Water Feature
The manicured grounds of this elegant home from https: Community Landscaping feature Hardscaping worthy of a European chateau, from the water feature to the fountain to the large central sculpture at the far end.
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Backyard Fountain
Design by Community Landscaping
This backyard fountain from Community Landscaping is centered on a stone and gravel patio and surrounded by well-manicured bushes and bright red flowers.
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Gazebo and Stone Walkway
A tempered glass and metal all-weather enclosed gazebo on a stone walkway and patio serves as a communal dining room in this shared outdoor space from Community Landscaping.
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Garden Walkway
Community Landscaping A curving pathway is the connective tissue between backyard spaces on this property from Finding Lovely which includes a fenced-in area planted with raised garden beds.
What is the least expensive hardscape?
Concrete and gravel are the least expensive hardscape materials, often used to build affordable retaining walls, patios, driveways, and other outdoor structures.
What are examples of hardscapes?
Hardscapes can be any built structure in your backyard or outdoor space, such as a patio, driveway, retaining wall, walkway, water feature, path, fence, deck, outdoor kitchen, pergola, arbor, or gazebo. Hardscaping helps to structure an outdoor space and complement the landscaping.
