Oct. 4, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by Knife River South Dakota.

There’s still plenty of time left to enjoy a newly improved outdoor living area – if you start today.

“October has been pretty nice the last few years as we’ve gotten to Halloween and still had warm weather,” said Ray Landberg, who manages Hardscapes Outlet. “We’ve definitely calmed down from our peak summer season, but that’s what makes this a great time to come in while you can still get some work done or start planning for next year.”

Hardscapes Outlet is a division of Knife River South Dakota that offers products for residential and commercial landscaping projects.

“We sell everything you need for your outdoor space other than what’s living – no plants and flowers – and we service everyone from contractors to do-it-yourselfers, which keeps us busy as long as the weather allows,” Landberg said.

We caught up with him for insight on how you can start taking your outdoor living area to the next level.

What kind of year has this been for Hardscapes?

It’s been very good. It starts with weather – the dry, warm year ends up being very strong for us because it allows contractors to keep working and people are motivated to get outside and work on their properties.

Plus, we continue to see homeowners really investing in outdoor living. They’re spending time at home, they’re enjoying entertaining, and they’re continuing to look for ways to make the outdoor experience even better.

What has been especially popular this year?

We continue to see growth with natural stones.

Our Black Hills Rustic Flagstone, for instance, has a nice earthy color that hits really well and has been very popular. As much as people think tans and browns are a thing of the past, they’re still rich and prevalent, and we’ve seen a lot of that. We’ve had a handful of pavers that have become really popular, including a new Cheswick color from Belgard that’s on the lighter gray side and plays well off both dark and light houses. It’s at a really nice price point that’s worked well for homeowners. 

What do you recommend people consider if they’d still like to improve their yard this fall?

We’ve really found people still enjoy being outside for at least another month, and it’s a great time for using your grill or smoker. We see a lot of people on the patio wheeling out a TV to watch the game and having friends and family over. You can still be adding rock or mulch, and it’s going to look great. And then this is prime fire pit season weather.

It’s a little cooler at night but not too cold, and we sell tons of fire pits this time of year – round, square, different natural stone ones, gas, wood, we handle them all. It’s the kind of thing you can spend hours around on a Friday or Saturday but then enjoy during the week on occasion as well.

What advice do you have for people considering starting projects yet this year?

Go for it. This is still prime season for enjoying your outdoor living – actually, sometimes during the summer it’s too hot, and people don’t take advantage as much – so stop in, and we definitely will be able to talk through your project and make some recommendations.

This is also a great time to shop some of our products that are going to be discontinued and get a good deal. Sometimes, we’re no longer going to carry a certain color or texture or size, and so we do our best to promote that, but it can be a good time to shop.

What about next year? Is this a good time to start planning a project?

For sure. With Fall Parade of Homes and the Showcase of Remodeled Homes, people tend to get inspired and the sooner the better if you’re planning for next year, especially with a sizable project. A lot of contractors I talked to are starting to book into the spring, so the off-season is the time to connect with them and then come in and look at your options for materials. You can always try and measure and envision a backyard in the snow, but it can be difficult. In the fall can be a great time to design and then hammer out questions over the winter and be ready to go in the spring. This is when you want to start dreaming and visioning.

Hardscapes has locations at 3500 N. Potsdam Ave. and 100 N. Ellis Road in Sioux Falls and at 47055 Smith Circle west of Harrisburg along Interstate 29.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays in the fall, and they will adjust for winter based on the weather.