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Hardscape Design in Madison, WI

Make your outdoor space a place you’ll love spending time. From beautiful paver patios and inviting fire pits to retaining walls and complete outdoor living spaces, Carrington Lawn & Landscape brings your ideas to life with custom hardscape design in Madison, Middleton, and surrounding Dane County communities.

Your Needs
Always Come First

There’s nothing more satisfying than bringing your ideas to life. That’s why we start by listening. We want to understand your vision, how you plan to use your space, and what matters most to you.

With your goals, style, and budget in mind, we’ll help you explore the possibilities.

Thoughtful Design, Down to the Details

A beautiful hardscape should feel like it belongs with your home. Our designers consider the layout, materials, drainage, and surrounding landscape to create a space that looks great and works for everyday life.

From individual features to complete backyard projects, our landscape design and installation services bring everything together.

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Outdoor Living Spaces Made for Gathering

Bring the comforts of home outside with spaces made for relaxing, cooking, and gathering.

  • Outdoor Kitchens: Custom cooking areas with built-in grills, pizza ovens, counters, and storage.
  • Fire Pits: Wood-burning and natural gas options for cozy evenings outdoors.
  • Outdoor Living Areas: Comfortable spaces with seating walls, lighting, and gathering areas.

See how these features come together in our DeForest patio and fire pit project.

Outdoor living space with fire pit and lounge furniture

Custom Patios & Walkways for Your Home

Whether you’re creating a backyard gathering place or a welcoming path to your front door, we’ll help you find the right combination of style and function.

  • Paver Patios: Choose from a variety of colors, patterns, and textures to complement your home.
  • Walkways & Garden Paths: Create attractive connections between outdoor spaces.
  • Permeable Pavers: Explore options that can help manage stormwater runoff where site conditions allow.
  • Site Preparation & Drainage: Proper grading and base preparation help patios and walkways stand up to Wisconsin’s changing seasons.

Not sure which material is right for you? Explore our guide to choosing patio materials for Wisconsin homes.

Aerial view of a backyard featuring a two-tiered paver patio with a built-in fire pit, dining set, hot tub, and softscape landscaping in Middleton, WI

Retaining Walls & Steps That Make More of Your Yard

Make the most of your landscape’s natural elevations with walls and steps that are both practical and attractive.

  • Retaining Walls: Help manage slopes and create more usable yard space.
  • Garden & Seating Walls: Add structure to planting beds, patios, and gathering areas.
  • Outdoor Steps & Stairways: Connect different elevations with natural stone or modular materials.
  • Lighting & Handrails: Add visibility and support where needed.

Our team considers grading, drainage, and material selection to ensure each feature fits your property.

Image of a hardscape design backyard with a custom-built shed in Middleton, WI

Why Choose Carrington Lawn & Landscape?

Since 1998, Carrington Lawn & Landscape has helped Madison-area homeowners create and care for their outdoor spaces.

With experienced crews, a structured design process, and clear communication, we bring the same attention to planning as we do to installation. And with comprehensive landscape services, our relationship doesn’t have to end when your project is complete.

 

Get to know our team.

Homeowners reviewing finalized landscape design plans and project agreement with designer before installation by Carrington Lawn & Landscape in WI

Our Hardscape Design Build Process

From your first conversation to the final design, our five-step process keeps everything moving forward.

  • CONSULTATION

    Review your ideas, project scope, and budget

  • Design-Build Agreement

     Confirm the design scope and preliminary budget.

  • DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

    Evaluate site conditions and develop the design

  • CONCEPT REVIEW

     Review the proposed design and discuss adjustments.

  • FINALIZED PLAN AND PROJECT AGREEMENT

    Approve the detailed plans and project scop

Let’s Talk

Gallery of Projects

Hardscape Design FAQs

Costs vary depending on the size of your project, materials, site conditions, and features. Our landscape pricing guide can help you understand what to consider when planning your investment.

Hardscaping includes built features such as patios, walkways, retaining walls, and fire pits. Landscaping also includes plants, lawns, trees, and other natural elements. We can design and install both for a coordinated look.

Concrete pavers and natural stone are popular options. The right choice depends on your style, budget, and maintenance preferences. Proper base preparation and drainage are especially important with Wisconsin’s freeze-thaw cycles.

Often, yes! We’ll review your current patio, available space, and project goals to help determine what additions make sense.

Yes. Retaining walls can help manage elevation changes and create more usable outdoor space. The design depends on the slope, soil conditions, and drainage needs.

 

Our Customers Say It Best

  • Carrington did a large landscaping project at our house, including putting in a new patio and re-doing all of our beds. They were fantastic to work with from start to finish. Mark did a great job on the design, and was extremely flexible and easy to work with. Brian and his team were fantastic doing the work. The property was well cleaned up every night. I loved the customer service that everyone at Carrington showed. We had a couple of changes to the project timeline due to weather. Mark and Brian were proactive in letting us know what was going on, where they would be, and what work was planned each day. I couldn't recommend Carrington more.

    John M.

  • Top-notch landscaping experts. Very competitive pricing and quality work. I have now worked with Carrington's team on a few different projects and I have been completely satisfied each time. They are honest folks that clearly care about the work that they do. This can be seen from their management team throughout the entire organization. I will certainly hire Carrington in the future.

    Ross H.

  • We very much appreciated and enjoyed working with Carrington Lawn and Landscape. We had a 2 boulder walls replaced. All aspects of the interaction were very well done, including the review of our project needs and requirements, estimation process, and modifications to suit the design choices and budget. The project crew was excellent -- very professional, knowledgable, skilled, and friendly. The end result is beautiful. Many neighbors have complimented us on how nice it looks. We highly recommend Carrington and would work with them in the future. Carrington is a very high quality organization.

    Martin P.

  • The entire experience working with Carrington Lawn & Landscape was a rare pleasure and resounding success ! The 7 trees they discussed planting on our property are perfectly place and installed. Everyone we worked with at Carrington was professional, expert and friendly. We look forward to working with them again and recommend them without reservation. Many thanks to everyone at Carrington Landscape. You have renewed our faith in the American work ethic!!

    Penny B.

  • Our project involved A paved patio, with wall, attached to walkway with some landscaping and lightening. It looks great! Carrington was great to work with from revising plans as we changed what we wanted, bringing multiple samples out and meeting me to look through various options to make sure it was excatly what we wanted. The install crew was equally as professional and the job was done on the timelines estimated. These projects are not cheap so if you’re going to spend the money, do it with a company that is professional and will make sure you’re pleased!!

    Amy B.

  • We are very happy with Carrington and the job that they did! This is our second project with them and they did not disappoint. They drew 3 plans for us to choose from. Once we decided, the crew was meticulous in their work and clean up. They were quiet, respectful of our yard and paid attention to every detail. Everything looks great!

    Wade H.

  • Phil, I just wanted to let you know that the guys did an amazing job on the landscape work.  They were very hardworking and careful in their work.  They had great attitudes and were all very approachable.  It was a great experience working with you guys and I will be passing your name along to others I know.  Thanks.

    Rob C.

  • Sean, the whole landscape looks amazing.  Everything turned out perfect.  I am really happy and don’t know what else to say.  I am glad we made the changes we did as we went through the different parts of the project.  I will have more work for you to do next year.  Thanks again.

    Jamie B.
  • Everything looks amazing.  I am so happy with the landscaping and am going to use this area all the time.  The guys were awesome, as they always are, and I can’t believe how well it turned out.  I love everything.  You guys are amazing!
    M.C.
  • I just wanted to let you know what a fantastic job the men did.  It is absolutely fabulous.  It’s the envy of the neighborhood.  I have told everyone about it and they cannot believe how cost-effective the wall was.  So please, please pass along my message to your crews on an outstanding job.
    Bill K.
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Let’s Build Your Outdoor Space Together

Have a hardscape project in mind? Whether you’re starting with a few ideas or a complete vision, we’d love to hear about it.

Let’s Talk