INTRODUCTION TO HARDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION
I have been teaching Landscape Construction at Midlands Technical College for almost 10 years. I feel that landscape and landscaping are words that are over used. Today, I am going to refer to landscape construction as hardscape construction. Hardscapes are non-plant parts in the landscape.
Hardscape features are (1) walkways, (2) driveways, (3) patios, (4) decks, (5) retaining walls, (6) ponds, (7) fences, (8) pergolas, (9) arbors (10) gazeboes and outdoor kitchens. Closely related under hardscape construction is water control; (1) irrigation and (2) drainage.
Walkways guide us from one landscape feature to another feature. They should be 4.5 ft. wide. They are constructed with brick pavers, concrete pavers, flagstone and poured concrete.
Driveways lead from the street to the garage. They should be wide enough for the vehicle and pedestrian traffic 14 ft. wide. Some 
of the driveway materials are stamped and colored concrete, clay brick and concrete pavers.
Create an outdoor living area with a deck. A deck is a transition element between the home and the lawn area.
Segmented retaining walls retain soil and produce various levels of the ground plane.
A pond with a water fall is enjoyed as a focal point and as sound of splashing running water.
Fences are used to create privacy, a feeling of security and screen undesirable views. They are most landscape element used in the
vertical plane. This is lattice over solid board.
Pergolas are open and airy structures, extending the living space to the outdoors. When attached to the home, the crossbeams can decrease the afternoon sunlight and glare. They are used to cover patios and decks.
Arbors are smaller than pergolas. They are used to define a landscape entrance.
Gazebos are different from pergolas in that they have a roof and partial walls. They are used to survey (gaze) the landscape from a vantage point.
The Out Door kitchen extends cooking to the out doors. This kitchen is equipped with a gas stove, charcoal grill, hot and cold 
running water and refrigerator under roof.
The proceeding hardscape features are included in the course “Landscape Construction” taught Midlands Technical College. For further information call the MTC registration office 803 732-0432. Enroll for the class beginning Nov. 4, 2013. Late enrollments may be accepted under certain conditions.
