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5 Pro Tips For Planning The Landscape Of Your Dreams

by Emily Durgan | Mon, Jan 11, 2016

If you’re thinking of overhauling your landscape, you’re probably excited to get started. You might have visions of a lush lawn, colorful flower displays and new hardscaping. But before you pick up the phone to call a trusted landscaper, you need to do your homework.

The better understanding you have of your project and budget before you start, the more helpful a landscape contractor will be. Here are five tips for planning the landscape of your dreams.

You Can’t Start Too Early

Landscaping renovations can take several months from the initial conception to the installation.

Landscaping renovations can take several months from the initial conception to the installation. You should understand that there’s a process the landscaper needs to follow, especially if your home is in a neighborhood with a review board.

If your community has a review board, find out how often and when they meet. That review process can take time. Some meet once a month, or even just once in the summer. So if you miss a board meeting, you may be waiting one or more months.

Also consider that good landscape contractors are busy, and likely not available to start on your project the next week, even without review board issues. So it’s important to understand that this isn’t an overnight process. It will take time!

Set a Realistic Budget

A realistic budget is key to your happiness and satisfaction with the process and end result.  If you have champagne dreams on a beer budget, you’re likely to be disappointed.

It’s hard to know what’s realistic, though.

Some housing developments set price ranges for the homes in their communities, saying that if you’re installing new landscaping, you need to spend a certain amount. If that’s not the case where you live, consider that a house worth more than a million dollars needs a landscaping renovation budget much higher than $10,000. To get the quality landscaping to match your home’s elegance may cost $25,000-75,000 (or more) for a complete overhaul.

If you want to get a ballpark idea for your budget, feel free to reach out to a landscaping company. The sales department at GreenEarth often provides ballpark figures for clients, before going through the full estimation process. After getting a full estimate, if your budget needs tweaking, we can help you figure out where you can cut or add to give you the ideal design for your means.

Think Through Your Goals

Don’t call a professional for an architectural plan the minute you decide to redo the landscaping. In addition to a budget, you should have an idea of what you want it to look like.

Part of this is thinking through your top five goals. Perhaps you want better curb appeal, or landscaping that’s more enjoyable for family use. When you know what you want from your landscaping, you can call us to help design an outdoor space that meets your goals.

What To Bring To A Landscape Architect

It’s easier for a landscape architect to plan your dream yard if you’ve provided ideas and examples of your vision.

Come to a landscape designer with as many ideas as you can, of what you want, as well as a solid budget. It’s easier for a landscape architect to plan your dream yard if you’ve provided ideas and examples of your vision.

Travel around your neighborhood and take photos of what you like. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel! Plus, if you live in a community that has a review board, you’ll get ideas of what is and is not allowed.

You don’t have to know the plant names, but you can tell the landscape architect that you want a low shrub with pink flowers, or a higher shrub with a certain kind of texture. This really helps the landscape architect start the creative process with your ideas.

Tools To Help You Design

Looking at other homes is one way to get ideas for what you want. But there are other tools as well. Check out major resorts in your area, and take pictures. Resorts usually have more elaborate budgets for landscaping than the average homeowner, and you can get unique ideas.

Lifestyle and shelter magazines and websites like Sunset, Southern Living, Houzz  — check out our Houzz page! — and regional magazines are good resources as well. Local home and garden shows as well as landscaping trade shows like the Native Plant Show in Kissimmee and the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Show in Orlando are perfect places to learn about different landscape trends, and pick up ideas.

GreenEarth Can Guide Give You the Landscape Of Your Dreams

If you want to get a ballpark idea for your budget, feel free to reach out to a landscaping company.

At GreenEarth, we work with homeowners all the time to help them plan the landscape of their dreams. From initial conception to the final installation, we walk them through the process and give our expert ideas while listening to what the client wants.

We know to ask the client the right questions, so that we can help them decide whether it’s best to get a 10 foot palm tree for a few hundred dollars, or one that costs $3,000. There’s a reason that trees on each side of that range are right for different homeowners.

If you’d like a consultation or want to know what we can do to help you, give us a call at our Panama City Beach office at (850) 236-1959, or call our Santa Rosa Beach office at (850) 267-0010 to set up an appointment. You can also fill out the online form on our website to schedule a consultation.

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