A new year means a new idea for your Greater Chicago area backyard. You’re ready for your landscape transformation.
One of the most essential steps in bringing your outdoor living vision to life is the design phase. This is when ideas begin brewing and expand from concepts to reality. When you see it on paper, you know it’s getting real. A great landscape design holds a lot of value, so you want to maximize the first phase in this process: the landscape design consultation meeting.
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There’s nothing like a fire pit in your backyard.
The warmth and dancing light that an outdoor fire pit brings are very welcome through the seasonal transitions. Not only do they make you more comfortable when temperatures dip, but they also extend your outdoor enjoyment hours and add another visual element to your space.
Choosing the best type of fire pit, however, takes some consideration. That brings in the question of a gas fire pit vs. wood fire pit.
Here are some tips on how to match the right type of fire pit to your specific needs.
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*While this article offers helpful landscaping tips for residential properties, we now specialize exclusively in commercial landscaping services. If you manage a commercial property or HOA, see how we can enhance your landscape here.
Life is hectic. After a busy day, nothing is better than getting outside and breathing in the fresh air. A great backyard patio can be just the escape you need to unwind and improve your quality of life.
A patio also increases your living space, giving you a great spot for outdoor entertaining, sipping your morning coffee and listening to the birds, or even just reading a good book. What’s not to love?
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Whether you’re hiring your first landscape design and installation professional or you’ve worked with one or more landscaping companies in the past but were unhappy, finding a business that you can count on to bring fresh ideas, follow through on promises, and do amazing work may feel overwhelming.
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What we do at K & D with our landscape design is usually applied and installed in suburban locations but we enjoy a creative stretch in a small scale garden when those opportunities arise.
Recently we had the opportunity to design for a Peterson Park (Chicago) residence. Our staff responded with a team effort that grasped the opportunity and developed a landscape plan to meet the needs of the client while developing a space that was both exciting and functional.
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Our garden and landscape lexicon continues to evolve year by year and sometimes day by day. A few years ago, the terms ‘sustainable’, ‘outdoor room’ and ‘low-impact design’ were just mentioned in a whisper.
But of all the newer landscape terminology, perhaps none is more well-known today than ‘hardscape’. It is mainstream to the point that most homeowners understand its broad meaning immediately when discussing their own gardens with contractors or neighbors.
The definition of hardscaping may extend to containers, armillary, sculpture or anything in the landscape that is not a plant. However, it is most widely referenced when discussing patios, walls, fireplaces, fire pits, and larger wood structures such as pergolas and arbors.
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Brick patios define our landscapes and gardens.
It is a pretty bold statement. But when you reflect on the ambiance, serenity and utility of a brick paver patio the statement becomes less bold and more accurate. A brick paver patio is an extension of the home and a reflection of lifestyle for the homeowner.
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Brick paver patios are frequently viewed as a commodity and pricing is sought and sometimes quoted based on that assumption. While the brick itself is a commodity the final product is all about the labor and the prep work.
There are “best practices” that apply to brick paver installations as there are to both technical and artistic functions. In the end it’s all about the skilled labor and the prep involved.
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