Upgrading Your Luxury Apartment Complex With Pretty & Practical Hardscaped Seating

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With Millennials flexing their newfound earning power and well-to-do Baby Boomers seeking a low-maintenance luxury lifestyle, your challenge as an upscale apartment complex manager is to offer awesome amenities. Interior design and services remain important to residents, but the property's outdoor spaces can make a big difference in recruiting and retaining discerning renters.

Expansive lawns, tennis courts and putting greens are classic standbys to make a luxury community attractive. But in order to stand out in the increasingly competitive rental market, creating smaller, more personalized spaces can give you the edge on renter satisfaction. By adding a variety of seating areas to the landscape, you'll cater to those who enjoy a little oasis of privacy and those who thrive on a sense of community. Hardscape surfaces make these seating areas cost-effective to install and maintain.

A Quiet Place in the Garden

Small seating areas surrounded by lush plants can be tucked into the landscape at several locations around the property. Designed to accommodate the solo seeker of an early morning meditation spot or a small group gathered for an afternoon chat, these areas take up no more than a few square feet. A hardscape service contractor can install a patio area within just a day or two, but the long-term benefits can last for years.

• Location: Aim for two or more garden seating spaces situated at various places across the property. Areas shaded by leafy branches are favorites, as are those with a view across wide open spaces.
• Surfaces: Interlocking pavers and bricks are perfect as the base for this type of outdoor space, but make sure the layout is visually interesting. Herringbone, basket weave and variegated patterns add rich, luxurious texture to the setting.
• Maintenance: At installation, pavers and bricks should be sealed for weather resistance and to enhance the color. Re-sealing will be necessary every few years, depending on wear and weather conditions.

Gazebos, Arbors and Pergolas

Gazebos add classy touch of elegance to the apartment complex. Pergolas, which are typically attached to a building, offer shade within a few short steps for the structure's exterior doorways. And arbors provide an enchanting framework for flowering vines that bring color and fragrance to the landscape. Build these structures directly on the ground, not on a raised deck or platform requiring steps, to ensure the structures are completely accessible.

• Location: Place arbors and gazebos at far corners of the property where their vertical dimension enhances the landscape design. Place pergolas over patios and courtyards next to residence buildings to create an extension of outdoor living space.
• Surfaces: Slate, bluestone, sandstone and limestone are durable, even under heavy use, for long-term beauty. The flagstone textures and rich, earthy colors blend well with both natural wood and painted structures.
• Maintenance: The stones may be left untreated or can be sealed for a polished finish. Consider installing electric snow-melting cable under the stone so that residents can enjoy the space even in the most inclement weather conditions.

Grilling and Picnic Areas

Spaces for outdoor dining and recreation elevate the sense of community that can make a luxury apartment complex more desirable. Depending on the size of your complex, one large space with multiple picnic tables and grills in a park like setting may be sufficient. But also consider having several smaller spaces available for private group and family gatherings.

• Location: Strategically position grilling areas near enough to building doors so that residents don't have to carry their food and utensils far, but far enough away that cooking odors don't interfere with other residents.
• Surfaces: Decorative concrete provides a level surface for tables and grills. The concrete may be stamped with patterns, colored to blend with the surroundings or topped with an attractive exposed aggregate finish.
• Maintenance: The concrete must have a seal coat applied routinely to protect from wear and keep the color fresh. Properly sealed decorative concrete is easily cleaned with a pressure washer to remove splattered grease, food stains and other debris.

Together, you and your hardscaping specialists can establish unique amenities that set your luxury apartment complex apart from others in the region.

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20 May 2016