Renovating your landscaping is a onetime event that you want to make sure you do right. For every landscape renovation project that looks like it came off of the cover of a home and garden magazine, there are literally do­­­­zens of examples that have gone horribly wrong as a result of poorly thought out plans using inferior materials.  These are mistakes often made by DIYers and fly by night landscape c­ompanies with little or no experience in landscape design. At M&S Architectural, we are professionals who have been providing the Greater Toronto area with pleasing and functional landscape design services for many years. Below you will find a few examples of low impact landscape renovation materials that we recommend.

What are “Low Impact” Landscape Materials and How Can They Help Your Landscape Renovation?

Many landscape materials that are non-recyclable use large amounts of energy to produce. They also create a lot of waste when they are demolished or replaced. With a little thought and planning, it is possible to incorporate environmentally friendly materials into any landscape design that not only cost less but are more conducive to water and energy conservation. Besides all of these benefits, natural materials can also look great and last longer than plastics and other manufactured materials. Here are a few ideas to think about when planning your landscape renovation project.

• Permeable Materials- Basically, permeable materials allow water from rain and irrigation to pass through them into the underlying soil. Consider an alternative to an asphalt or concrete driveway or sidewalk by using wood chips, interlocking concrete blocks or some of the newer types of pervious pavement materials that are available.
• Certified Wood Products- These types of wood products come from forests that are certified to be responsibly managed and meet the requirements for a sustainable forest or ecosystem. Try to avoid exotic tropical hardwoods that may have been illegally harvested from rain forests and other vulnerable virgin forests.
• Local Materials that are Recycled or Reclaimed- Using construction materials that have been rescued from landfills is the most visible and efficient way to minimize the impact of your landscaping project on the environment. Today, almost 40% of the materials found in landfills come from demolished construction or landscaping projects. Reusing those materials whenever possible is the most direct and simple way to reduce our consumption of precious raw materials.
• Low VOC materials – Adhesives, paints and other sealants and coatings tend to have a high concentration of volatile organic compounds that contribute to air pollution as well as global warming. Today, there are many new types of products that have very low VOC content. Ask the landscaper you are working with to provide you with low VOC options.

If you are located in King City, Aurora, Caledon, Newmarket or any of the surrounding areas, we invite you stop by and talk to the people at M&S Architectural Ltd. We will show you how we can design an appealing and cost effective landscape design that makes optimum use of low impact raw materials that are not only easy on the environment, but on the pocket book as well.