Landscaping tips..

[awwchrist]

We're looking at making our backyard functional (finally!). Part of it is getting us some space to set up the barbecue/patio furniture.

I'd love some professional suggestions on the pros and cons of decking vs pavers vs concrete. Pm'ing would be fine.

If anyone knows some good forums for info, that would be great too.

I know someone out there has their general contractors license or is a landscaping consultant.

Eh?

[houstonherdfan]

try both the Home Depot and Lowes websites I believe they both have a ask the experts section.

[MadScott]

My cousin recently worked with pavers and the one thing that I learned there was that it was almost the same price as concrete so do your homework.

[Lushcrush]

I'm a concrete man. Decks are nice but even if you're good you gotta seal them every three years. Thats a lot of work compared to just washing your concrete down with a hoze end sprayer whenever you feel like it.
Of course if it is a raised deck, its hard to do that with concrete. We need to see a print ...

[Homeless]

As lush said, decks are nice but they are a pain in the ass to keep in top condition. We re-seal our deck every 2 yrs at a cost of $600.00 ive done it myself before but its a hassle.

I would go for some kind of stone, looks nice and is very durable.

[SwiperNoSwiping]

I just did my landscaping in the front yard. Actually used what's called "austin stone"....

Turned out nice. About to start on the patio, and have all kinds of thoughts on the subject if you are still looking for advice or opinions..I am leaning toward concrete myself..You can stain it or raised pebble it too now. Would look very nice in my opinion.

[awwchrist]

thanks for the responses)

I'm leaning towards concrete myself.

[Evolution]

From experience in landscaping, unless you're going to have it raised off the ground, the best option is easily concrete. It's low-maintenance and is more durable than wood. Re-sealing and eventually replacing wood is a major pain in the ass.

Now if you're looking for raised deck options, for the northwest (where we are ), I would recommend fiberglass. It's basically the low-maintenance version for a raised deck, since concrete is very difficult to do raised up. We inherited a wood deck when we moved to where we are now, and after trying to maintain it, we just got rid of the whole thing and put in fiberglass. It's not as pretty as wood, but it doesn't have the upkeep cost either. The one downside is that when it gets hot, it really gets hot.........

[Lushcrush]

thanks for the responses)

I'm leaning towards concrete myself.

Patterned (stamped) and /or stained concrete is really cool if you want something a little different.

[SeaWolf]

When we bought our current house we decided to have a nice wood deck. I can't stand having to restain the deck, and also the bees love it under the deck. The wife and I are kicking around the idea of having the deck torn out and pouring a patio.