Outdoor Spots That Combine Art, Science & Beauty

by Julie Brown Patton

The most popular outdoor hardscaping designs this year are stamped patios with sitting walls, columns, a fire pit and low-voltage LED lighting, according to Mark Hoffman, owner of Hoffman Concrete, LLC.

“We expect 2022 to be even busier than 2021 for a range of reasons,” he said. “Outdoor living really took off during the pandemic.”

Hoffman said due to people not being able to travel, many families decided to invest the money they would have spent on vacation into their backyards, stamped concrete patios, in-ground and above-ground pools, outdoor kitchens, fire pits or fireplaces, outdoor entertaining spaces, covered patios, pergolas and retaining walls.

His newly relocated shop in Barnhart, Missouri, offers complete tear-out, removal and replacement of driveways, sidewalks, patios, porches, steps, pool decks, footings, walls, garage floors, curbs, gutters and pavement repairs.

Hoffman said supplies have been increasingly hard to come by throughout the pandemic, so hardscaping jobs take more planning than they previously did.

“I found that out the hard way early on during this pandemic,” he said. “We now get our resources from all over the United States.”

Hoffman added he’s had to purchase several supplies in bulk to guarantee that the products would be available to his crews. Since the pandemic started, Hoffman said his company’s average project is four to six months out from signing. He said most projects last from between one to three weeks.

In-ground pools are usually three to four months from start to finish — as long as the supplies are available, Hoffman said.

“Pools have been the most difficult projects to complete due to supply problems and our vendors not knowing what’s coming in and when,” he said. “Things have gotten better now that everyone knows that it takes way more planning than it used to before the pandemic.”

Hoffman said most of his company’s customers are going with stamped decorative concrete or exposed aggregate. Because stamped concrete — also called imprinted or patterned concrete — is a textured surface, it’s often more slip resistant than conventional concrete. It’s typically created by using rubber stamps designed from “real stone” molds to imprint the concrete to resemble natural brick, slate, cobblestone, tile or even wood planks.

“We’ve added several new stamped options to our collection to offer our customers different looks,” he said.

Hoffman Concrete, a family owned and operated company, was just recognized with a Business Hall of Fame Award for three consecutive years from the Affton Best of 2022 recognition program. The annual initiative honors businesses making positive enhancements to customer service while providing longterm value.

One hardscaping/landscaping trend for 2022 is that more homeowners desire evening and year-round use of outdoor living spaces, so they need level, dry places to have heaters, outdoor furniture, motorized shades and other accessories.

Other general trends reflect expanding outdoor spaces, adding water features, renovating front yards, building outdoor kitchens, putting in pet-friendly upgrades such as dog runs with synthetic turf, inserting native plants, establishing pollinator- gardens, increasing outdoor lighting, planting screen shrubs, seeking out more eco-friendly practices and creating naturalistic, outdoor ambiance.

In 2020, 67.2 million households purchased at least one plant because it benefited pollinators or birds, according to the Garden Trends Report. This interest has led to new landscape features and backyard retreats that intentionally include designated areas for bird feeders, birdbaths and fruiting shrubs or trees that offer birds food or shelter.

Some design industry sources predict more elaborate set-ups. Outdoor bar areas with televisions, for example, are on the horizon as the new, coveted watering hole among friends as people “take the indoors out.”

“We’re really excited to have the opportunities to bring all of our customers’ dreams to life,” said Hoffman. “The one thing I would recommend is to be patient and not to expect anything to happen too quickly — most of us contractors are very busy and short-handed, but we’re worth the wait.”