Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/85702
Soft Side of Hardscaping This issue's special section on hardscaping lays the course for your success. I t's easy to fi nd contradictory reports on hardscaping trends. The Wall Street Journal's sibling Marketwatch website, for example, re- cently posted a story stating outdoor kitchens and fi replaces are "out" with homeowners in favor of "smaller spaces," such as simple patios. Don't tell that to 2012 TLC Landscaper of the Year Finalist, Ryan Young- blood, whose custom paver driveway project, page 22, was just part of a package of hardscaping installments his client purchased that included an impressive ma- sonry wall with a custom iron gate leading from the driveway to a secret garden and entertaining area in the rear of the home. This venture isn't unique ing ( involving an outdoor kitchen, infi nity edge pool and expansive patio entertaining area. "Hardscap- ing has always been a large part of the company," he says. "Hardscaping and softscaping go hand-in- hand. You have to have both. "After working inside all day, people want to be projects, but how to set goals, choose materials and maintain client relations (especially during the project when their property may be disrupted). Think of it like a paver project: The outcome depends on the unseen, upfront work you do — another soft side of landscaping. " for Youngblood, who's cur- rently at work on another ambitious project for a local professional athlete Ryan Youngblood's landscaping philosophy. Hardscape projects are key to outdoors more with their families and guests. But they want the amenities the inside offers, such as a TV and kitchen," he says. "Hardscaping defi nes outdoor living spaces, and softscaping (plantings) connect these spaces to their surroundings." You may not have the advantage of dealing with well-to-do clients that Youngblood often has (and earned). But in our feature, "Hardscaping in Stages," page 26, you'll learn strat- egy for selling clients multi- phased projects that allow you to shape their desires around their budgets. "We've found homeown- ers... may not have the money to do the whole thing at once, but the desire is still there," says Belgard's Ken O'Neill in the story. Managing editor Jenny Agee-Aldridge takes you through the process of not only how to sell such " May 2012 / TOTAL LANDSCAPE CARE 11 Billy R. Sims, Editor billysims@randallreilly.com