Techo-Bloc | Pro Tips

12 Ways to Make Your Client's Backyard Seem Bigger Than It Actually Is

Written by Jonathan Hendy | Jul 22, 2016 7:51:42 PM

1. Putting in Grass Isn’t Necessary

As a contractor, you know that grass isn’t an essential part to any backyard; especially if the yard doesn’t have that much space to begin with. Lay slabs and integrate grass, turf or moss between them to add greenery while maximizing usable living space.

Featured here: Blu Grande Smooth

2. Creative Walkways

The bends and curves of a unique pathway brings a landscape design to life. Your client will love the fact that offset paths allows deeper, lush beds of flowers and plants. The best pavers to suggest when your client wants an old world aesthetic to their backyard? Antika and Maya stones are particularly useful.

Featured here: Maya slabs.

 

3. Inform Them of Their Plant Choices

Large trees might seem counter intuitive but if a homeowner appreciates greenery in their yard, trees are a good way to add vertical greenery and leave the space on the ground for paved surfaces like outdoor patios. Ever heard of double-planting? Planting high with trees and then making small planting beds around the trees mean you get double the green and leave space for patios, cooking areas and all the fun stuff.

 

4. Suggest Outdoor Mirrors

If you’re a design aficionado at heart and your homeowners need patio ideas, install mirrors on fences and privacy screens. They will add depth and character to any space and will create an epic illusion if they reflect surrounding greenery.

5. Suggest a Pergola

Shying away from pergolas in narrow spaces shouldn’t be the answer for your client! If you recommend for them to build it up against one of the walls in their backyard, cover it with greenery, and throw in a bench; it’ll be a great addition to their small landscape.

Featured here: Blu 60mm slabs and Villagio paver

6. Lighting Is So Important

Their next big splurge besides outdoor paving stones should DEFINITELY be lighting! If you’ve never done lighting installation, partner up with a local landscape lighting guy. It’ll allow you to up-sell your customers and create landscapes that really stand out in the evening. Get the lighting to rise up from the bottom of walls and from under caps; it will help create the illusion of a larger landscape.

Featured here: Raffinato walls and Blu 60mm Smooth slabs

7. Walls Work

Your client wants to capitalize and make the most out of their cozy and intimate backyard feel? Walls are the perfect fit, plus they get the best of both worlds if you transform it into a seating area too.

 

8. Tell them to stick with the same color and surface material

Installing one or two products in the same color is key in order to avoid the risk of rendering a claustrophobic space even smaller. Uniform spaces with one color and small design touches will provide a continuum effect for the eye to follow.

 

9. No space for a pool? What about a dipping pool?

Dipping pools are like in-ground hot tubs, only cold. They allow homeowners to sunbathe near a water feature that they can splash into when looking for a way to cool down.

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10. Focal Points Are Crucial

Whether it be a fire pit, narrow pool, cool water feature, nice paving mosaic art or a cool seating area, a focal point is a great thing to mention when a homeowner wants to deter attention away from their small space.

 

11. Help Them Design Multiple Rooms

Suggest dividing their garden in multiple spaces; a seating area for entertaining, a relaxation space with a small pergola and a hammock, and a small dipping pool create a dynamic feel in a small space.

12. Refer Them to A Great Designer

If they still want more tips on how to maximize their backyard after all of the ones mentioned previously, refer them to a designer. A happy client is a nicer client!

 

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