If you live in the St. Louis area and are planning to add a seating wall to your yard, or want more information about what they are, Big Bend Landscaping has your answer!
Did your last cookout look like a new version of musical chairs, with guests trying to be polite to one another because there wasn’t enough seating to go around?
Usually, when we buy lawn furniture for our patio, we get sets that—at best—have six chairs. Most parties have ten or more people in attendance. So what does this leave many of us doing?
- Buying plastic, stackable chairs that are uncomfortable, wear out quickly, and are not always safe.
- Using folding lawn chairs with metal frames that bend and sometimes fail without warning.
- Using folding camping chairs with canvas seats that stretch out and become uncomfortable after a few uses.
- Inviting guests to bring their own chairs—and someone always forgets.
- Dragging dining room furniture outside, putting wear and tear on furniture not designed to withstand the elements.
- Some guests sitting on the ground, combating ants and stiff joints.
What if we told you that there’s a better solution than this? One that is attractive as well as functional?
Have you ever heard of seating walls? Or heard of them, but didn’t see the point? Read on!
What is a Seating Wall?
Seating walls are 18- to 24-inch-tall walls designed with sitting in mind. They are often next to patios and/or fire pits. Sometimes they do double-duty as retaining walls, which are used to stabilize a slope and manage run-off.
Seating walls are built out of a variety of materials, but usually with pavers that are created for just that purpose. Unlike the capstones on retaining walls, the caps on seating walls are smooth, with rounded edges designed for comfort.
Big Bend Landscaping uses only the best available materials for all our projects. We favor products like Belgard, BP, Pavestone, Versa-lok, and Romanstone. We prefer to work with special, interlocking pavers made to withstand the elements and many years of use. When we build a seating wall, we count on you using it a lot so we do the job right the first time, every time.
What are the Benefits?
The most obvious answer is that they are great places to sit and they save your dining room furniture from wear and tear. But there are other benefits as well.
- Seating walls are easy to maintain. They rarely—if ever—require repairs (ESPECIALLY if built by Big Bend Landscaping). If there’s a spill or someone rests muddy shoes on them, a fast spray down with a garden hose resolves the issue. They dry quickly afterward, but if you need the space, grab a towel and rub them down. There’s no long wait for cushions or fibers to dry out.
- They are a stable, safe place for active children to sit while eating, as opposed to lawn chairs that don’t stay upright when beneath active small bodies. Children can easily perch on a seating wall with their plate beside them while they eat.
- No need to store extra lawn furniture in between gatherings. So you don’t have to worry about dry rot, mold, or mildew that sometimes happens in storage areas.
- Over time, it will save the expense of having to replace older folding chairs as they wear out.
- Seating walls are extremely attractive and blend in well with other hardscaped features. With pillars on each end, you can add cap lighting for night time security and beauty.
- When we join a seating wall to a retaining wall or a wall used to line a paved walkway, the finished effect is a seamlessly elegant, winding space that is inviting and warm.
- A seating wall’s usefulness is not limited to any one type of yard. Whether yours is small, medium, or large, you can benefit from this useful piece of hardscaping.
What Are the Ways You Can Use a Seating Wall?
For homeowners with large outdoor living spaces, they are a perfect way to promote a sense of “room” or zones. Seating walls are most often used near fireplaces, firepits, and along the edges of patios. A rounded wall around a firepit can create an intimate sense of space that encourages quiet conversation. One that encloses a larger area promotes more movement and makes it easy to set up outdoor tables for buffet style picnics or cookouts.
Seating walls help the homeowner define the size of specific spaces and how many guests may gather there. When used near an outdoor fireplace or firepit, a seating wall allows guests to sit comfortably near the fire, but not too close. When used to enclose a patio, they set that space apart from the lawn and gardens, channeling foot traffic. This is especially helpful if you want to protect flower beds and shrubs from becoming victims of a misplaced foot.
But those aren’t the only ways they can be used! Seating walls are versatile. They can be placed anywhere that the homeowner needs extra seating. They are great under trees, in gardens, near hot tubs, and alongside swimming pools. Placing one near a play area for children encourages visiting adults to sit down and supervise them without the inconvenience of having to haul a lawn chair over.
In short, Big Bend Landscaping can put a seating wall pretty much anywhere you want a place for people to sit.
Conclusion
A seating wall can make entertaining in your outdoor living space easier than ever! They are a durable, reliable place for guests to sit so that there is one less thing for you to think about when planning a gathering. All you have to worry about is having enough food and whether to make your mother’s potato salad or your great aunt’s famous dip!
Big Bend Landscaping has a Level 1 Certification from the National Concrete and Masonry Association. This means we’ve taken extra training to ensure that we are using the most up-to-date methods and materials available. Our crews are professional, show up on time or early, and always clean up afterward. We guarantee all our work; this includes parts and labor. If for any reason you have a problem with any work we’ve done, contact us. We will make your satisfaction our priority.
Do you live in the St. Louis area and want to know more? Check out our products pages and the work we’ve done for other happy customers. And give us a call at (636) 349-2946 or contact us for an online estimate!