Hardscape built for daily use
Hardscape is everything in the landscape that is not alive: walkways, retaining walls, steps, seat walls, plazas, boulders and rock. On a commercial property it has to handle hundreds of people a day, snowplows and ice melt, and freeze-thaw cycles that heave anything built on a weak base.
We build hardscape for HOA common areas, apartment communities, office and retail sites, and new commercial construction, both as stand-alone enhancement projects and as part of a full landscape install.
What we build
- Paver and concrete walkways and shortcut paths where people already walk
- Retaining walls and terraced beds on slopes
- Seat walls around plazas, courtyards and fire features
- Amenity areas for grilling, gathering and outdoor seating
- Boulders, dry creek beds and rock swales that move water
- Steps and landings at building entries
- Bases for site furniture, mail kiosks and bike racks
Materials
Pavers
Concrete pavers are a good fit for walkways, plazas and seat walls because single units can be lifted and reset if a section settles or a utility has to be reached. Permeable pavers let water soak through instead of running off, which helps on sites with drainage trouble.
Concrete
Poured concrete is the most common choice for long walks and accessible routes. Broom finishes and saw-cut joints keep it from getting slick in winter and control cracking.
Natural stone and boulders
Local boulders and flagstone fit the high desert look and need almost no upkeep. Boulders also work as low barriers that keep cars off landscape beds.
Metal and gabions
Steel edging, planters and gabion walls filled with rock give a clean, modern look on office and retail sites.
What matters on a commercial site
- Accessible routes. Slopes, cross slopes and transitions have to work for wheelchairs, strollers and delivery carts.
- Base and drainage. Most hardscape failures in Reno come from a thin base or water that has nowhere to go.
- Snow and ice. Choose surfaces and edges that plows will not catch, and plan where snow will be stacked.
- Trip hazards. Settled pavers and lifted slabs are a liability. Build them right and they stay flat.
- Maintenance edges. Clean edges between hardscape and beds make mowing and weed control faster for crews.
Hardscape as part of a bigger project
Hardscape usually ties into other upgrades. See our guides on fire pits, outdoor kitchens, water features and outdoor amenity spaces, or read about our landscape construction service. When you are ready, request a free quote.