Issues such as erosion, drainage, and a lack of privacy can greatly detract from the aesthetic and enjoyment of your landscape and outdoor living spaces. If these common landscape issues are stopping you from enjoying your patio, pool deck or softscape, here are ways a Unilock Authorized Contractor can resolve them for you:
Erosion
Erosion is a common problem for properties with sloping or hilly terrain. Often a slope doesn’t even have to be all that steep for erosion to become an issue. Erosion occurs when rainwater washes away the fertile topsoil where plants and grass thrive, leaving unsightly bare patches in its wake. Because of this, erosion can quickly become a significant issue. The fewer plants there are to hold the topsoil in place, the faster the soil erodes, leaving even fewer plants to hold the soil in place and so on. Erosion can also have a knock-on effect, affecting the stability of the soil and can even causing damage to hardscape areas.
To correct this issue, a Unilock Authorized Contractor may suggest incorporating a retaining wall system into your landscape design. This may take the form of a few simple low walls, such as terracing built using U-Cara Multi-Face, or a more heavy-duty solution in the form of a Concord Wall retaining wall to contain large amounts of soil.
Concord Wall is an effective solution for extreme erosion because of its extreme durability and built-in setback design that automatically forms the correct slope. This wall unit is also available in tapered units, which allow contractors to create curved retaining walls that follow the natural contours of the landscape. This is ideal for stabilizing large swaths of the landscape at a time and can help to maintain a natural feel.
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Poor Drainage
Erosion and drainage issues often go hand in hand, and a property that is prone to erosion is likely to be suffering from poor drainage as well. While erosion is caused by rainwater flowing over parts of the landscape and causing damage, poor drainage results in water pooling on flat surfaces such as lawns and hardscapes. This can cause damage to these areas and even result in damage to the foundations of your home. There are a number of ways that drainage issues can be corrected by a Unilock Authorized Contractor, from installing French drains and sumps, to simple surface channel drains.
Another option is to opt for permeable pavers for your hardscapes. These pavers allow water to flow rapidly through their jointing spaces, and allow water to return to natural underground sources. Not only is this better for the environment than directing rainwater into public storm drains, it can also help to keep your patio, pool deck and driveway cool in the summer and ice-free in the winter. Unilock offers a number of attractive permeable pavers that can be used to create stunning hardscapes, such as Town Hall, Tribeca Cobble, Thornbury, and Thornbury Smooth, each offering a unique appearance and the opportunity to complement your design theme. Permeable pavers can also be accented with regular pavers, such as Brussels Block, for added visual interest.
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Unstable Soil
While unstable soil may be due to erosion, your location can have a lot to do with the type of soil on your property. Sandy soil, particularly, can pose an obstacle to an inexperienced contractor, and can result in shifting pavers and a heaving hardscape. However, a Unilock Authorized Contractor will be able to guard against these issues by ensuring a strong and stable base for your hardscapes.
One method a Unilock Authorized Contractor may use to stabilize the ground beneath a hardscape is to use Unilock DriveGrid System in the construction of your driveway, pool deck or patios. This triangular system redistributes forces in 360 degrees, stabilizing both the subsoil and the base aggregate. This prevents issues such as settling and rutting. The Unilock DriveGrid can also help to reduce the thickness of a hardscape’s base, thereby allowing you to save money on materials.
A Lack of Privacy
A lack of privacy can significantly reduce your enjoyment of your outdoor living spaces. Fortunately, with Unilock wall units, this is an easy fix for a Unilock Authorized Contractor. Unilock wall units allow the construction of attractive privacy walls that will block out your neighbors’ view of your patio or pool deck. Raised plant beds are another privacy solution, giving plantings additional height to shield you from the wind and nosey neighbors. Whether you opt for the rustic appeal of Rivercrest Wall , the charming timeworn aesthetic of Brussels Dimensional System or Estate Wall, or the sleek contemporary appearance of Lineo Dimensional Stone, your privacy is assured.
Inadequate Accessibility
Ensuring that outdoor living areas are both accessible from the home and to one another is important for encouraging frequent use of your backyard. This kind of accessibility is also crucial for enjoying one’s time outdoors and allowing outdoor cooking and dining to be as unencumbered as possible. A Unilock Authorized Contractor can help make your outdoor entertaining a smooth process by incorporating wide walkways constructed from safe, non-slip pavers such as Umbriano or Richcliff from Unilock.
If your family includes elderly members or members with limited mobility, accessibility is naturally a priority for you. Special considerations can be made in the design of your outdoor areas, and walkways can be constructed from large, smooth pavers, such as Beacon Hill Smooth XL. While smooth and providing an even, level surface, Beacon Hill Smooth remains non-slip and safe, ideal for use with walkers and wheelchairs.
Accessibility also applies to areas such as plant beds that need access for maintenance, or simply to enjoy the plantings from close up. A Unilock Authorized Contractor can help to ensure this by adding stepping stone paths in your plant beds using premium-quality Natural Stone slabs from Unilock.
The title image features a permeable Town Hall patio with Brussels Block accents and Brussels Dimensional System verticals.
