-Think ahead 5 years, 10 years, 15 years. How will this duration of time change how your landscape will be used?
-Do you need areas for kids to play?
-Would a quiet corner to read be nice?
-Are you an entertainer with lots of friends?
-Do you enjoy grilling and eating outdoors?
-Do you have pets?
-Would you enjoy sitting around a fire ring or fireplace?
-Do you enjoy nature? Do you want to attract butterflies and birds to your site?
-Do you want a more personalized entry to your home?
-Are there certain times of day you enjoy spending time in your landscape?
-Are there landscapes you have seen that you like? Take pictures of them. Get addresses of landscapes you like to share with our designers.
Take time to think about how you want to utilize your landscape in the future. One of the best ways to do this is to just sit out in the landscape and take it all in.
Utilize marking paint, marking flags, or layout a garden hose to get an idea of size and shape of hardscape elements. This works especially well for patios.
If you are considering a patio, always go larger. We have never had a client tell us their patio was too big. In most cases they tell us they wish they had made it bigger. It is often worth the initial investment to create a larger space.
-What are your favorite colors?
-Do you enjoy fragrant flowers?
-Do you like the sound of water?
-Are there views you would like blocked?
-Are there views you would like enhanced?
-Do you favor the look of brick, natural stone, pavers, etc?
-Would you like areas of the landscape lighted at night?
-Is there any history with your site that could be tied into your landscape?
-Would you want sculptures, decorative pots, focal points, etc?
Consider the things you like, hobbies you have, preferences unique to you. These are the characteristics that can help make your landscape unique to you.
Take time to think about what your budget is for your landscape project. Knowing this information and sharing it with your designer will allow them to better create a design that fits your vision and your budget.
Consider the investment needed once a landscape is installed. This isn't just an investment of money but also time. Many times people are so excited to get a new landscape they often don't think about the necessary maintenance needs it may have. We like to think about this information when putting together landscape plans for clients.
When you are in the early stages of planning and budgeting for your new home it is good to know that landscape design and build budgets are often greatly underfunded.
Many builders only allocate a small amount to be set aside for landscaping and it generally only consists of a foundation planting across the front of the site and a sidewalk.
A realistic figure is 7%-10% of the total construction cost will go towards landscaping (foundation plantings) and installing a lawn. If you are wanting to install paver walkways and back paver patios it will likely be another 8%-10%.
These projects do not need to be done all at once, but it does give you a good average cost to figure that scales with the size of the home.
Experience has shown us that not only is the landscape portion of the new construction the last to be completed but its design and implementation is not even considered until the very end. This often results in design compromises and increased costs.
One of the best things you can do is get us involved early so that we can work with the builder. This will allow elements of the landscape project to be built into the new construction allowing future construction to be more easily facilitated. In the end this will save you money.
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