Hardscaping : High Style, Low Maintenance Outdoor Spaces (Home & Garden)

Hardscaping -- the use of materials such as stone, wood, brick, and tile in landscape design -- has become enormously popular in recent years. Low maintenance, durable, and attractive, hardscaping brings a totally unique, personalized look to any outdoor space, and increases curb appeal and property value. This gorgeous, full-color reference, written by the host of HGTV's Garden Architecture, explains how to blend function and materials to create a beautiful, long-lasting outdoor living space. Projects range from simple to complex, and the author covers every issue from budgeting to planning and installation.

• Covers porches, patios, retaining walls, walkways, steps, poolscapes, driveways, and more
• Practical advice on choosing and working with contractors and designers
• Beautifully illustrated with 200 full-color photos
• How to establish and stick to a budget
• Details the properties of popular materials such as wood, concrete, asphalt, pre-cast and natural stone

Haig Seferian is the host of HGTV’s Garden Architecture, which also airs on DIY and several other networks in the United States, Canada and internationally. He appears frequently as a guest on radio and TV shows such as the Indoor Gardener and The Gardening Challenge and has also hosted numerous TV specials, including Best City Gardens. As principal of Seferian Design Group Limited, and the founder and president of Certified Landscape Designers International, Seferian routinely travels throughout North America to work on unique and challenging projects.

Claire Whitcomb is a nationally syndicated design columnist. She has been a writer and editor at Victoria, House Beautiful and House & Garden.