Homeowners tend to think in terms of seasons, at least when it comes to hardscaping and patio renovation projects. If it’s spring, they want a pool for summer. In the summer, they’re considering walkway lighting for use in the autumn. And once fall comes, they start dreaming of hot tubs or get practical about securing their property for the winter ahead.

All of this is natural, and it’s a great way to ensure you’re enjoying the space around your home. But sometimes I have to encourage new customers to think on a longer-term horizon. That’s because what you want today might not always turn into the best investment five or ten years from now.

In this context, future-proofing your hardscaping project has nothing to do with technology. Instead, it’s about imagining the future version of yourself and having something installed that works for you today and makes that older, wiser version of you happy at the same time.

To give you a sense of what I mean, here are a handful of ways you might plan your patio renovation with an eye towards the future.

Plan Your Patio in Different Stages

If you aren’t sure what kind of patio you’ll want in the future – or don’t have the budget to bring all of your dreams to life – then consider renovating your back yard in phases. You can start with the features that you know will work for your future plans and then continue with more in a year or two.

Sometimes this turns out to be the perfect way to approach hardscaping. That’s because everything looks great on a rendering, but it isn’t until you add something like an outdoor kitchen or tennis court to your property that you realize what else you want in your space, not to mention where it should go. 

By building in stages, you get immediate improvements and the chance to be intentional about your plans.

 

Think of What Future You Will Want

This is probably the hardest way to plan for the future, but it’s also the most important. If you doubt it, think back ten or fifteen years and ask how many pieces of your current life you could have predicted. Most of us aren’t actually interested in the same things as we used to be… or that we imagined we would be.

Still, you might have a sense that your future self would like to see grandkids playing around a pool. Or you could imagine hosting parties that continue around an outdoor kitchen and a firepit. These are just examples, but the bigger point is to imagine life beyond the next couple of years.

What might you wish you had in a patio later on in life?

Invest in Quality for Longevity

The easiest way to make planning easier, at least in the world of hardscaping, is to hire the best people and have them use the best materials. That almost guarantees your renovated patio will stay usable and beautiful for longer.

Life can throw a lot of things at you. You might not be able to predict changes in your family or your interests as well as you imagine. But the one thing you’ll definitely want in the future is an outdoor area that is made to last. You’ll appreciate safety and durability, not to mention the savings on maintenance costs.

Paying for quality is an easy life hack that always pays dividends, especially when it comes to your home.

Choose Classic Looks Over Trendy Designs

I wrote recently about the reality that trends come and go in our industry, just like they do in others. Sometimes new design ideas are interesting, inventive, and perfect for a space or individual personality. But on other occasions they can overwhelm a design or seem to clash with existing elements.

When in doubt, I always advise opting for classic looks over trendy designs. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, you’re much more likely to appreciate something with a classic kind of beauty or style in the future; some patio design looks just tend to age better than others.

The second reason? You might not live in your house forever. And when it comes time to sell, patio elements that are ‘too interesting’ can depress offer prices. That brings me to a final point.

Consider Future Homeowners

If you aren’t sure you’ll hold onto your current property on a permanent basis then you should at least think about future owners and the value they’ll place on certain features.

To me, this isn’t a reason to skip something you love or put in a feature you won’t enjoy. Don’t install a tennis court when you love basketball just to get higher real estate bids at some imaginary point in the future. But you could think about increasing the appeal of your property with sheds, lighting, seating, or other accents that make it easier to imagine the space being valuable (while also making it more usable for you).

Your home is an important financial asset. Consider upgrades to your outdoor space accordingly.

 Is Your Hardscaping Contractor Giving You Advice, Answers, and Options?

In my 20+ years in this business I’ve learned that doing professional work is only half the job. The other half is about helping homeowners to bring their dreams to life. Your contractor shouldn’t be happy unless they know you’re going to love your new outdoor space… both on the day they finish and for years to come.

Getting to that point takes more than a simple quote or a site survey. It’s a matter of asking questions, making suggestions, and ensuring everything is right before we ever put a shovel into the dirt.

If that’s the sort of attention to detail you want from your hardscaping contractor, and if you’re lucky enough to live in the Saugus, Massachusetts area, then you deserve to work with the best. Contact the team at Stefano’s Landscaping today so we can arrange for a free onsite visit. It’s the perfect no-pressure first step to getting the kind of back yard you can take a vacation in.