Hello World! Welcome Friends! Are you a homeowner, the summer has just passed, and you realize that you have not taken full advantage of your outdoor spaces? Now is the time to think about your landscaping for next summer!
In addition to being a vector for the immediate improvement of your quality of life, landscaping is an investment that will give your property added value over the long term.
Where to start? Undertake the landscape design work yourself or call in any landscape designers? What are the different elements and steps to take into account? Here you will find 11 tips that will answer your questions!
1. Define your Objectives About your Layout
Depending on your lifestyle and your family situation, your planning needs will be unique. You have to consider the use that you will make of it and define your objectives accordingly.
Think About the Practical Side of your Layout and your Lifestyle
During the development phases of a landscaping plan, we often focus on the aesthetic side, forgetting that it is also a living space that must be designed practically.
Ask yourself the right questions:
- Do I need space to cook?
- What items should be near the house?
- How many people should my terrace be able to accommodate?
- Do I want to be able to enjoy the evenings by a fireplace?
- Do I want part of my pool to shaded?
You also have to think about the maintenance of the grounds. Are you going to maintain it yourself or delegate this task to a professional landscape designer?
If you decide to take care of the grounds maintenance, are you equipped for it? Do you have the necessary time and resources? These are questions you should ask yourself before embarking on any landscaping project.
2. Find Inspiration to Design your Ideal Yard
We all have, in our imagination, a Garden of Eden. Whether you saw it during a trip, in a magazine or at a neighbor’s, there is no shortage of sources of inspiration!
Thanks to the web, the sources of inspiring images are limitless. Sites such as Pinterest are trendy when it comes to decoration, interior or exterior design. There are also specialized magazines that provide examples adapted to the climate of the country.
Even if you have to consider the budget and the constraints of the field, as we will see later, do not bother yourself from the start! Think big! Imagine a space of your own, synonymous with relaxation and beauty.
Create an image board or a mood board that brings together all your ideas and inspirations. This table will help you choose your materials and plants or allow the landscape architect to have a precise idea of the atmosphere you want to create.
3. Take Into Account that a Garden is an Extension of the House
The continuity between the interior and the exterior should not be overlooked when drawing up the development plan.
If your home is very contemporary, but you want a garden with old country fences, there will be a concern for visual dissonance.
4. Take Into Consideration the Characteristics of the Land: Type of Soil, Drainage and Sunshine
Before developing a plan, consider the nature of the terrain. No two development projects are the same because and no two sites are alike.
The soil’s quality must be analyzed. Is it clayey, sandy, its resistance to heavy structures and what type of plants will feel the best there? What is the level of sunshine on the ground? Which parts are shaded?
Also consider drainage, without which you could have problems with water and moisture buildup.
5. Review the Existing Layout and the Format of the Land
When we carry out a development, we do not necessarily always start from a blank page. Very often, especially in the case of the purchase of an existing property, elements are already present on the ground.
We must consider them and decide whether or not we can integrate them into our new development plan. It would be a shame not to feel, for example, keeping a tree that has been there for several decades.
It is also essential to take into account the size of your land and its proximity to neighbors. Is it irregular or perfectly rectangular? Do you want to create privacy by protecting yourself from the eyes of neighbors?
These points will help you decide whether you want a privacy screen or a full-size swimming pool, for example.
6. Find Out About Town Planning and Construction Regulations
Whether it is municipal regulations or the Quebec construction code, it is essential to learn about the rules that govern landscaping in your area and the permits that must be issued.
The use of materials, the size of the structures, the construction of a fence, the vegetated surface: everything must respect the standards in force.
7. Establish a Realistic Budget for your Layout
Good financial planning is the key to a successful project. By calling in the professionals, it will be easier for you to have realistic answers quickly. They are informed about current standards, material prices and the latest trends.
It is the stage where you have to review your priorities! You may have to revise specific desires downwards, or even sort out the essential elements that will add lasting value to your property and your quality of life.
You can also proceed in stages over the years and think your first arrangements to leave room for adding other elements later.
As in any construction or renovation project, always provide a financial cushion for the unexpected.
8. Draw Up a Schedule for Each Stage of your Development Project
Landscape contractors have a hectic summer season! So you have to do it in advance. A year in advance is usually the right way to plan a landscaping plan properly.
Start thinking about your project the summer before work. You will be able to project yourself better lying on a lounge chair than looking at your backyard filled with snow.
Also, take advantage of the summer to note the sunshine areas and the prevailing winds, observe the surrounding gardens and be inspired by your neighbors.
Each season is conducive to a stage in the preparation of landscaping! In the fall, you should contact landscaping companies, which are often overwhelmed in spring, to start developing the plan.
In autumn or winter, the landscape architect will be able to take the ground measurements and prepare plans and quotes.
You will then have all winter to think about it and adjust the details. When spring comes, it will be time for significant work. In summer, then the planting will be the priority.
9. Call in Landscaping Professionals
For financial reasons, some choose to do their own landscaping. It takes a lot of time, energy and specific knowledge. Of course, the budget issue is always important when it comes to entrusting work to professionals. Some people are very manual or have a passion for gardening so that they can carry out their project independently, but this requires free up of time.
And having a green thumb does not necessarily mean being an expert in landscaping! In wanting to save, we sometimes end up with errors that professionals must correct, and in the end, the bill is even higher.
It is why it is essential to define your objectives and set your budget upstream of the work. The landscaping experts will know how to adapt your desires to a realistic landscaping plan.
They know the standards in force; they have partners for materials and plants. They have been confronted with many different situations and can find solutions quickly.
10. Decide What Level of Involvement you Want in your Development Project
Now that you’ve reached out and talked to professionals, you can more easily determine how much you can participate in the work.
Several options are available, for example, calling on a landscape architect to draw the plans and then taking care of yourself. Or do everything from A to Z. Depending on your budget and objectives, you can have part or all of your project carried out.
11. Choose your Landscape Architect Carefully
There are many landscaping service offerings, and it is sometimes challenging to sort through freelance landscaping companies and landscape architects. Do not hesitate to look at the ratings of Internet users or the comments of customers. If the company is part of associations recognized by its peers, that’s already a good sign! When contacting a business, also ask for exact estimates, whether it’s project costs or timelines.
You now have all the tools in hand to prepare to complete your next landscaping and have a yard to your liking!
Click the links below for any posts you have missed:
Tips for Handling Fragile Items During Your Move
Better Ways to Use Your Basement
Understanding the Value of a New Roof
Favorites & Highlights – Top Posts of 2020
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Toodles,
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