New homeowners take notice, your landscape needs to be an early priority. Whether your home is brand new or new to you, landscaping is a key part of making it your own. Your landscape shows off your style and is your “welcome home” at the end of the day. Well done landscaping can quickly boost the perceived value of your home, and may inspire your neighbors to take on their own landscaping challenges. Enjoying a great yard is one of the best parts of owning a home. 

Planning

As the saying goes, if you want it done right, do it yourself...well not necessarily. Even if you plan on hiring out some or all of the work, you should have a basic plan for how your landscape will be used, and how it will look. Will you entertain guests? Are you looking for solitude? Is security a concern? Is there a swimming pool, patio, gazebo, fence, fountain or other hardscaping or water feature in your plan? What color combinations do you find appealing? How would you describe your style? The answers to these questions will help you define the parameters of your landscape design. Your needs and preferences should be the driver of the design process no matter who is drawing the plan. 

Budgeting

Budgeting is an often overlooked part of the landscaping process, both before and after the work has begun. Know how much you want to spend, what it will be spent on and how much landscaping costs. As with anything else, you get what you pay for. If you expect $50,000 worth of landscaping but only want to spend $30,000, you should pare down your plan or find more money. Beware of deep discounts; it never pays to cut corners because it means the job will not be done properly and failure will ensue. On the other hand, writing a blank check to your landscaper almost guarantees you will overpay. 

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