PATIOS The most beautiful and practical solution to create  useable and functional space in the backyard is to  install a well-designed paver patio.  This unuseable space (above) was transformed  into an area where the family can sit and  pedestrian traffic can move safely and cleanly  around the house from the front to the back yard.   When a paver patio is installed per indutry  standards established by the ICPI, and  maintained, your paver patio should never shift,  warp, bow or puddle. You can rest assured you’re  patio will be installed right with our Labor-Free  Guarantee.   Check out our photo gallery for more of our patio  designs and installations. Including a paver  installation over an old concrete slab in a       Federal Hill, MD backyard.   GARDEN WALLS An alternative to retaining walls are garden walls,  which are used more to enhance a space  aesthetically rather than functionally. Raised  planter beds and seating walls are examples of  garden walls.  This Harford County family made use of both  planter beds and seating walls to maximize their  useable space. They wanted a place for their  children, friends and family to enjoy the outdoors  and to grill.  We presented them with this computer-generated  design for an idea of how their proposed patio  would look.   We got the go ahead! Here is their finished space:   Their patio, along with seatwalls, steps, planter  boxes and an outdoor grill makes this family’s  backyard functional and inviting. The seat walls  enclose the patio as well, just enough to create a  cozy comfortable entertainment space.   RETAINING WALLS    Retaining Walls serve as a functional structure, as they  have for centuries, to hold back earth. They can be used  to either, or both, create more useable space and to  prevent the erosion of a hillside or slope.   This Hunt Valley family’s new home had a tricky slope  for a backyard, where grass would be difficult to grow  and maintain and living space to enjoy was minimal.   We carved out terraces to maximize the useable space in  the back yard and istalled the decorative yet industrious  E.P. Henry Coventry Wall system.   Plants were installed and sod rolled for a complete slope  treatment which is aesthetically pleasing and functional.  Be sure to stop by our photo gallery for more retaining  wall projects by Ferguson Landscape Service. Find an  engineered wall installed to replace one homeowners’  “ancient” railroad ties.