Thanks to the effects of the recent economic crisis, homeowners are looking for other ways to improve and upgrade their homes rather than selling them. As often happens during a period of recession, home improvements become the order of the day as people try to increase their home’s value whilst making it a more pleasant place to live.
Whether you are hoping to make your home more attractive to prospective buyers or you plan to make improvements for your own aesthetic pleasure, it’s important not to forget the garden. After all, this is the first thing that visitors to your home see, and as we all know, first impressions count.
A well-maintained lawn is a beautiful sight, but it takes a lot of hard work to achieve and maintain a bowling-green finish. A well-stocked border can add to the charm but once again there is a fine line between a glorious riot of flowers and shrubs and an out-of-control rampant jungle.
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Creates a peaceful outdoor space
As busy homeowners struggle to find time for the gardening chores, more and more people are realising the benefits of creating an easily maintained ‘garden room’. Many people are taking up the lawn, or at least reducing the size of a lawn to a much smaller area, and choosing decking, gravel or paving as a low-maintenance alternative.
While decking requires a great deal of assembling and constant maintenance to keep it looking pristine, gravel has a tendency to spread everywhere and is uncomfortable underfoot. Where car parking is a requirement, decking is not strong enough to withstand the weight and gravel can sink and become difficult to manoeuvre on.
The benefits of stone paving
Stone paving is available in a huge variety of colours and textures, with prices ranging from luxury to budget options. Natural stone is the most expensive type of paving and although beautiful to look at and easy to maintain, manufactured alternatives come in a wider range of colours and finishes and are indistinguishable from the real thing. Moreover, the manufactured pavers will not crack or split after heavy frosts, unlike many of their natural counterparts.
Unlike timber decking, your patio paving requires no surface treatments and can be scrubbed down or cleaned with a power washer if necessary. Stone is incredibly strong and durable, but even if a paving slab does become damaged in some way it is a simple matter to replace it, or even just turn it over in many instances, avoiding costly repair bills.
A paved area of garden provides a firm, level surface for entertaining or relaxing and you can choose to either allow grass, moss and small plants to grow between the cracks or fill them in with sand or other infill material to keep the look clean and uncluttered. With no time required for upkeep, you get to spend time enjoying your garden rather than being a slave to it.
With little preparation required other than a levelling off of the area to be paved and a layer of substrata to support the pavers, a patio can be installed by even the most unskilled of gardeners, adding instant value and improving your quality of life at the same time.