Your Trusted Project Partner
Our hardscaping services cover everything in a yard that is built rather than grown: patios, walkways, steps, retaining and seating walls, fire features and outdoor kitchens. Hardscape decides how you move through the property, where you sit and how rain drains away from the house, so it pays to plan it before the lawn and planting go in. We start with the whole layout, then build each piece on a properly prepared base so it stays level through New England winters. Thinking about a single outdoor room? Our patio installation page covers size, shape and materials in detail.
These photos come from real Mountainscapes jobs: stone and paver patios, steps, walls and the spaces around pools. You can find more in our full gallery, along with the landscape work that surrounds them.
Hardscape usually solves a practical problem first and a looks problem second. These are the issues that most often bring homeowners to us.
We plan and build hardscape for homes in Andover, Lexington, Concord and Sudbury, and over the state line in Bedford, Windham, Amherst and Hollis. Some clients want a complete backyard. Others just need one set of steps rebuilt or a sunken walkway reset. Both kinds of call are welcome, and both get the same attention to base preparation and drainage.
// Areas We Serve
We work with homeowners across northeastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Pick your town to see local details, or ask us if yours is not listed.
We walk the property with you and note slopes, wet spots, doors, views and where the sun sits in the afternoon. Next comes a layout drawing that shows each patio, path and wall in relation to the house, followed by material choices and a budget. Before any digging, we call Dig Safe so underground utilities are marked. Construction follows a logical order: grading and drainage first, then walls, then the bases for patios and walks, then finished surfaces, steps and lighting. Larger plans can be phased over more than one season if that suits your budget.
Why Mountainscapes
Christopher Underwood, our owner, studied Landscape Architecture and has spent over 20 years in landscape construction. Your patio, walls and paths are placed for how the whole yard works, not just dropped wherever there happens to be room.
Outdoor rooms for dining and lounging in bluestone, pavers, concrete or natural stone, sized around how you entertain.
Routes from the driveway to the door, the patio to the pool, or through garden beds, wide enough for two people side by side.
Walls that hold back a slope or give guests a place to sit, built with drainage stone packed behind them.
Stone or block steps with comfortable, even risers that connect levels of the yard to each other and to the house.
Wood or gas fire pits and outdoor fireplaces that give a patio a reason to be used after dark.
Built-in grills and counters set close enough to the house to be convenient and far enough away to be safe.
What is the difference between hardscaping and landscaping?
Hardscaping is the built part of a yard: stone, pavers, concrete, walls and structures. Landscaping usually means the living part, such as lawn, trees, shrubs and garden beds. Good projects plan both together, which is why we also offer landscape design. Hardscape normally goes in first, because heavy machinery would damage new planting.
How much do hardscaping services cost?
It depends on size, materials, equipment access and how much grading or drainage the site needs. Resetting a short walkway costs far less than a full backyard with walls and a fire feature. For full outdoor living builds, most of our projects range from $50,000 to $150,000. Smaller hardscape jobs are priced individually after a site visit.
Should the patio or the plants go in first?
Hardscape first, almost always. Grading, drainage, walls and patio bases involve excavators and heavy stone, which would crush new beds and lawn. Once the built elements are finished, planting and seeding follow. If water is already pooling in the yard, our drainage installation work often comes before everything else.
Can you add hardscape around an existing pool?
Yes. Many of our hardscape jobs wrap around a pool that is already there: a wider deck, new steps down to the lawn, a seating wall or a fire pit area nearby. Surfaces near water need grip and good drainage, which we cover on our pool deck installation page.
Do you fix existing patios, walls and steps?
We do, and we like these jobs. Typical repairs include lifting and relaying sunken pavers, rebuilding a leaning section of wall and replacing broken or uneven steps. We always look for why it failed, which is usually a thin base or water with nowhere to go, so the fix lasts.
Do I need a permit for hardscaping in MA or NH?
A simple patio or walkway often needs no building permit, but rules vary by town. Taller retaining walls, gas lines for kitchens and fire features, and any work near wetlands in Massachusetts or near protected shorelines in New Hampshire can need approval. We check what applies and help you through it.
