Tag: Myths

When people think of careers in hardscaping, they might picture a grueling, backbreaking job involving nothing but heavy lifting and endless concrete. But it’s a far more dynamic, creative, and rewarding career path than most give it credit for!

There are a few myths and misconceptions about working in hardscaping that have stuck around, keeping many from exploring the opportunities this field has to offer.

We talked to a few of our Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes Association (CMHA) members across the U.S. and Canada to debunk some of these career-limiting myths.

Myth: Hardscaping Won’t Pay the Bills

One of the biggest misconceptions about hardscaping is that it’s a low-paying job, but hardscaping can be a lucrative career with serious earning potential and many opportunities for advancement.

“There’s significant advancement available in construction of any type, and certainly in hardscaping,” said Gary Stowe, President of Stowe Contracting, Inc. in Marina, CA. “…Construction allows you to develop the lifestyle that you want. Everybody sees the computer programmers that making the big bucks. But that’s the minority. That’s not the majority of people. The majority of people are never going to be there, never going to get there, so you need to pick something that has a path forward for you.”

Stowe gave the example of one of his employees who started out as a laborer, cleaning up job sites. He worked his way up through various roles and is now earning six figures.

Myth: College is the Only Way to Get an Education

It’s become a common belief that a successful career requires a college degree and that skipping higher education means missing out on financial success. But for those in hardscaping and the broader construction trades, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

“People are beginning to understand that the construction trades can be a very fruitful lifestyle, and it doesn’t take a lot of education to gain significant advancement in the industry,” Stowe said. “…My formal education is a BSN. That’s a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I went into the service because they offered a program, and I was an emergency room nurse. What did that degree do for me now that I’m a contractor?”

College is not the only place to get an education. Hardscaping offers a lot of on-the-job training and learning. CMHA offers certifications and courses to expand your knowledge base and to gain an understanding of industry best practices.

If college is a good fit for you, there is no one degree option for a career path in hardscaping. Study what interests you and there is almost certainly a way it connects to the hardscaping industry.

Myth: It’s All Brawn, No Brain

People often think hardscaping is all about physical labor with little room for creativity or strategy, but in reality, it’s a field where both brains and brawn play crucial roles.

“I think the biggest myth about hardscaping is that it is a lower paying manual labor career path. While there is a large amount of physical work involved with certain products and jobs, there is a lot of equipment and tools that help with the physicality of the job. The industry is also evolving to more machine set units that are really exciting,” said Sam Hoehner, Chairman of the CMHA Board and Regional Vice President of Lee Masonry Products, Inc. in Bowling Green, KY.

Hardscaping offers a wide range of opportunities to match the unique skills and interests of its diverse workforce.

“A misconception with hardscapes is that it’s a hard and dirty job with low pay, which some of those things are true sometimes,” said Craig Finch, Architectural Representative for RCP Block & Brick, Inc. in Lemon Grove, CA. “…But also, you can become a project manager. You can be an estimator. You can quote jobs. You can be a driver for a company to deliver the material to the job. In the construction world, there’s so many jobs out there. And people are making very good money doing it, too, where you wouldn’t even think that’s a position that exists.”

Myth: Hardscaping Doesn’t Offer Flexibility

Given its work with hard and sturdy materials like concrete, hardscaping might give off the impression of a rigid career path. But in actuality, hardscaping offers a lot of flexibility to people in the industry. Not just in the wide range of job options it provides, but also in terms of schedules.

“I think it’s one of the best careers for single parents. It offers a good schedule. You can work from home sometimes. You can drop off your kids before you head to a job site,” said Barb A. Hatch, President of Southwest Block, Inc. in Rio Rancho, NM. “It’s a perfect job for parents.”

“At our company we work a 4/10 schedule, so we’ve got Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off all the time,” Stowe said. “That’s a great work environment.”

It also doesn’t necessarily take a big investment to jump into hardscaping, allowing many people to work for themselves and start their own companies early in their careers.

Carl Peterson, Director of Education at Nicolock Paving Stones of New Jersey in Sparta, NJ, got his start in hardscaping when he was just 17 years old.

“I started with borrowing my dad’s chainsaw and doing some tree work on the side. And then, you know, I got asked a little bit more, a little bit more. I went to college for a little bit less than a year,” Peterson said. “I came out either winter recess or spring break, I forget which one it was, and did a whole bunch of work on the side. I made more than most of my friends who had four-year degrees. I made more in a month than they made in a year.”

Myth: Hardscaping is Not an Art

Hardscaping is often more artistic and creative than people realize, blending colors, styles, and textures to create beautiful outdoor spaces.

“Hardscaping is artistic in ways people don’t expect. You can find a lot of beauty in this work,” Hatch said.

It’s a dynamic field, evolving with trends and geography, and offers plenty of room for creative expression and problem solving.

“Just like any other trade professional (plumbing, carpentry, masonry, electricians, welding, etc), hardscaping is a professional career path that will combine artistic creativity and business acumen to allow a high potential earnings career path,” Hoehner said.

Myth: Hardscaping is Limited

“Think big,” Fred Adams, Vice President of Fred Adams Paving Co., Inc. in Morrisville, NC, said. Adams said looking at the bigger picture is what really drew him to hardscaping as a long-term career. He noted that paving is one of the oldest technologies in human history, dating back to ancient times when the Romans built their famous roads, like the Appian Way in Italy, which still stands today.

Adams said these enduring structures are a testament to the complexity and skill required to create lasting hardscaping systems. In modern hardscaping, that bigger picture translates into countless career opportunities—whether you’re passionate about design, engineering, or the technical side of projects. And that’s just scratching the surface! Beyond the hands-on work, there’s a whole world of business possibilities to explore as well.

“There is so much more to hardscaping than installing paver,” Robert Bowers, P. Eng., CMHA’s Vice President of Engineering, Hardscapes. “…Hardscaping is not just one skill. It is many skills.”

Bowers notes that hardscaping interacts with elements of construction, landscaping, horticulture, irrigation, masonry, and carpentry. There are a lot of different components that can come in.

“There is a lot to learn and you have to start somewhere,” Bowers said. “The more you can learn, the more you can grow, and the more successful you will be.”

Whether it’s the idea that hardscaping is only for those who love manual labor, or the misconception that there’s no room for growth, these myths couldn’t be further from the truth. Hardscaping is a career where artistry meets construction, and problem-solving is just as important as muscle power. Plus, with the demand for outdoor spaces soaring, the possibilities for career advancement are greater than ever.

“I had an auto repair business and it was terrible. I had to learn, or had to gain the trust of, people every single day. Every day I’d have 10 or 12 people, I’d have to gain their trust, just so they’d start to work with me. When I got into construction, it was 10 or 12 people a year, and they enjoyed what they were doing. They liked you to be there and it was just a completely different mindset,” Stowe said. “It’s a great industry to be in. People enjoy what they’re doing. They’re excited about it.”

“Hardscaping is a solid career path with very nice earnings potential. The amount of professionals owning/operating hardscaping businesses out there are growing and the field has a large upside with more growth potential ahead,” Hoehner said.

“…The future of the hardscaping industry is bright.”

Explore our resources on the variety of options in the hardscaping industry and see why it might just be the creative, fulfilling career you never expected.