Hardscapes
Hardscape Design & Construction
Hardscape is what turns a yard into rooms. A patio with somewhere to actually sit, a fire pit with seating built around it, a pool deck that drains the right way — these are the things that get a back yard used every evening instead of twice a summer.
We design and build all of it in-house, on the same compacted base and drainage detailing as our driveway work, so the seating area and the patio it sits on are one job with one crew and one warranty.
What we build
- Paver patios and seating areas, sized around how you use them
- Pool decks and coping set flush and drained away from the water
- Fire pits, wood or gas, freestanding or built into a seat wall
- Seat walls, pillars, columns and gate piers
- Retaining walls, structural and decorative
- Paver driveways and walkways tied into the same materials
- Steps, landings and grade changes handled properly
- Drainage designed into the build rather than added afterwards
How we price it
Free on-site estimate
There is no square-foot number that survives contact with a real yard, so we don't publish one. We walk the site, measure it, and give you one written price for the whole build.
What moves the number
- Paver style, colour and size — the material spread is wide
- New construction versus working around an existing surface
- Demolition and haul-off of grass, shrubs, trees or old concrete
- Slope, backfill and how much regrading the drainage needs
- Access for machinery, which decides how much is done by hand
Warranty
2 years on workmanship
Two-year workmanship warranty on everything we build, plus the manufacturer's one-year warranty on the pavers, block and product itself.
How it works
From site visit to first evening out there
- 1Week 1
Site visit & how you'll use it
Where the wind comes from, where the sun sits at six, where people already stand — that decides the layout more than the plan does.
- 2Week 1–3
Layout & fixed quote
We lay the space out on site with you, agree the materials, then put one written price on the whole build. No design fee.
- 32–4 weeks lead
Approvals & scheduling
HOA submittals prepared where the community reviews hardscape, any county permit pulled, and material ordered against a firm start date.
- 4Days 1–4
Demolition & base
Old surface out, subgrade cut to depth, limestone base laid in lifts and compacted. This is the part nobody sees and the only part that decides whether it stays flat.
- 5Days 4–9
Build & finish
Pavers laid and cut, walls built on footings, edge restraint set, joints filled with polymeric sand and compacted twice.
- 6Final day
Clean-up & walkthrough
Site cleaned, sod repaired at the edges, drainage checked under a hose, and a walkthrough covering care, sealing and storm season.
Materials & brands
Pavers and wall block are Belgard, Tremron or Pavestone, with natural flagstone where the look calls for it. Walls are built on poured footings with proper drainage behind them. Nothing structural sits on sand.
We work in the manufacturer systems we install every week rather than chasing whatever is cheapest that month — it is the only way the product warranty is worth anything.
Built for here
What hardscape has to survive here
Sand under everything
Coastal sand moves. A patio laid straight onto it settles into a birdbath within two seasons, so we cut to depth, lay geotextile fabric, and compact a limestone base in lifts before a single paver is set.
Storm season
Anything not anchored is a projectile, and any surface that ponds is a problem. We anchor walls and pillars to footings and grade every surface so water leaves the house rather than collecting against it.
HOA and design review
Pool decks, walls and anything that changes a roofline or a sight line get scrutinised by the review boards in the 30A communities and at Sandestin. We prepare drawings to their submission standards before we order material.
Outdoor living & fire pit questions
Do you build outdoor kitchens?
No, not any more. We focus on the ground and the structures around it — patios, pool decks, seating areas, driveways, walkways, retaining walls and fire pits. If a kitchen is part of your plan we'll build the space it sits on and coordinate around whoever builds the kitchen itself.
How long does a patio or seating area take?
Most take four to nine days on site once material has arrived, depending on size and how much demolition comes first. The base work takes longer than the laying does, and rushing it is what causes settling later.
Gas or wood for a fire pit?
Gas if you want it lit in thirty seconds and off just as fast, which suits rental homes. Wood if the fire is the point. We build both, and gas needs a line run that is far cheaper to install during the build than after it.
Do I need a permit for a fire pit?
No. A fire pit does not need a permit in the counties we work in. Permits come into it when something permanent is being built — a structure, a garage, a house — and we confirm the requirement for your address before work starts.
Can you build a seating area on an existing patio?
Sometimes. It depends on whether the slab or paver base can carry the point loads of a seat wall or fire pit. We check that on the site visit — building masonry on an inadequate base is how you get a cracked wall in year two.
Can the patio and the driveway be one project?
Yes, and it usually should be. Doing them separately means mobilising machinery twice, and matching pavers across two orders months apart rarely comes out perfect.
Thinking about a patio, pool deck or fire pit?
Send photos of the space and how you picture using it — we'll come out, lay it out on the ground with you, and put a number on the whole build.