ᐅ Setting Priorities in Landscaping. Should the entire garden be planned at once?
Created on: 1 May 2018 19:20
R
R.Hotzenplotz
Hi!
We are slowly but surely preparing to get in touch with landscape gardeners – they said that once the ground floor shell is complete, it’s worth meeting on-site.
I’ve read that, based on experience, around 18% of the construction costs should be budgeted for exterior works and the garden. For us, that would be in the six-figure range. However, we only have about €50,000 (around $55,000) available to start with. So priorities will have to be set.
From your point of view, what are things that should definitely be considered and implemented from the beginning? What can maybe be planned for mentally but realized at a later stage?
So far, we have only made rough plans and want to ask 2-3 landscape gardeners for proposals.
Here’s what we have in mind so far:
Front garden:
- Driveway and path to the front door with large stone slabs
- Two small trees in the front garden, maybe a maple and another variety
- Lawn
- Possibly two strips of bark mulch to the left and right of the front door path with small mushroom-shaped trees
Garden:
- Terrace
- Mostly lawn, few flower beds
- Possibly a hedge at the sides of the property; a fence maybe later
- Due to the property’s topography, possibly stairs leading from the terrace down into the garden
- A kind of seating area at the far end of the property
- Possibly a spot elsewhere for our loungers with some of those yellowish grasses around them (I think they are called pampas grass)
- We are thinking of a green pergola – but we’re not sure yet if it should be on the terrace or at the seating area
- I dream of a large tree in the garden, but I haven’t researched that properly yet and haven’t found the final solution with just a quick online search; it probably requires professional advice
- In the longer term, a swimming pool or a hot tub could be an option (but we have no technical information on that yet).
I think it’s important to give landscape gardeners clear instructions from the start.
Would it make sense to have the entire final garden planned and then implement it step by step?
I’m looking forward to some tips on how to approach planning and prioritization, and on how to best communicate with the landscape gardener.
Top priority is of course the access path at the front and probably the whole front garden, so that we don’t start many things in different places but end up finishing nothing.
We are slowly but surely preparing to get in touch with landscape gardeners – they said that once the ground floor shell is complete, it’s worth meeting on-site.
I’ve read that, based on experience, around 18% of the construction costs should be budgeted for exterior works and the garden. For us, that would be in the six-figure range. However, we only have about €50,000 (around $55,000) available to start with. So priorities will have to be set.
From your point of view, what are things that should definitely be considered and implemented from the beginning? What can maybe be planned for mentally but realized at a later stage?
So far, we have only made rough plans and want to ask 2-3 landscape gardeners for proposals.
Here’s what we have in mind so far:
Front garden:
- Driveway and path to the front door with large stone slabs
- Two small trees in the front garden, maybe a maple and another variety
- Lawn
- Possibly two strips of bark mulch to the left and right of the front door path with small mushroom-shaped trees
Garden:
- Terrace
- Mostly lawn, few flower beds
- Possibly a hedge at the sides of the property; a fence maybe later
- Due to the property’s topography, possibly stairs leading from the terrace down into the garden
- A kind of seating area at the far end of the property
- Possibly a spot elsewhere for our loungers with some of those yellowish grasses around them (I think they are called pampas grass)
- We are thinking of a green pergola – but we’re not sure yet if it should be on the terrace or at the seating area
- I dream of a large tree in the garden, but I haven’t researched that properly yet and haven’t found the final solution with just a quick online search; it probably requires professional advice
- In the longer term, a swimming pool or a hot tub could be an option (but we have no technical information on that yet).
I think it’s important to give landscape gardeners clear instructions from the start.
Would it make sense to have the entire final garden planned and then implement it step by step?
I’m looking forward to some tips on how to approach planning and prioritization, and on how to best communicate with the landscape gardener.
Top priority is of course the access path at the front and probably the whole front garden, so that we don’t start many things in different places but end up finishing nothing.
R
R.Hotzenplotz2 May 2018 07:39HilfeHilfe schrieb:
With neighbors like that, you don’t want to be outdone. I understand*laughs* No, definitely not. The house can’t be compared to ours. It’s a perfected architect-designed villa. That’s a whole different league.
Hello,
18% of the total construction costs for the garden? That’s quite a high figure; with that budget, you would have had to invest roughly six figures in the garden. You’d have to pave the terraces with gold leaf to spend that much money.
We spent about €35,000 for roughly 140 sqm (1500 sq ft) of paving with Hydropflaster from Rinn (Rinn Beton- und Naturstein GmbH & Co. KG) — not exactly cheap — plus 50 sqm (540 sq ft) of terraces with 80 by 80 cm (32 by 32 inches) granite slabs, splash protection around the house, a masonry light well made of granite, lawn, a planted berm facing the street, an irrigation system for the lawn and berm, and a large BioHort garden shed. Our plot is smaller, only 650 sqm (7000 sq ft).
So you should be able to manage everything for around €50,000. However, that only works if you’re moderate with the choice of materials. Using paving that costs €100 per sqm (just material, plus installation) won’t fit into that budget.
If I were you, I would try to finish as much as possible while building.
If not everything, then at least:
Beds, fire pits, ponds, and similar features can be added later.
Best regards,
Andreas
18% of the total construction costs for the garden? That’s quite a high figure; with that budget, you would have had to invest roughly six figures in the garden. You’d have to pave the terraces with gold leaf to spend that much money.
We spent about €35,000 for roughly 140 sqm (1500 sq ft) of paving with Hydropflaster from Rinn (Rinn Beton- und Naturstein GmbH & Co. KG) — not exactly cheap — plus 50 sqm (540 sq ft) of terraces with 80 by 80 cm (32 by 32 inches) granite slabs, splash protection around the house, a masonry light well made of granite, lawn, a planted berm facing the street, an irrigation system for the lawn and berm, and a large BioHort garden shed. Our plot is smaller, only 650 sqm (7000 sq ft).
So you should be able to manage everything for around €50,000. However, that only works if you’re moderate with the choice of materials. Using paving that costs €100 per sqm (just material, plus installation) won’t fit into that budget.
If I were you, I would try to finish as much as possible while building.
If not everything, then at least:
- Pave the driveway and path to the house (otherwise you’ll be standing in mud all the time and dragging dirt inside during winter)
- A seating terrace
- A garden shed
- Install the lawn, and definitely have the irrigation system installed during this phase—it’s much cheaper than doing it afterward. You could consider using sod for the lawn; it’s much easier.
- Lay electrical cables and water pipes to the garden.
Beds, fire pits, ponds, and similar features can be added later.
Best regards,
Andreas
You fit perfectly into the target group if you search for glossy presentations on the internet. Premium customers look for premium offers. But this isn’t the first thread where this becomes obvious.
I claim that you could have built for €100,000 (about $110,000) less and wouldn’t have noticed any difference in the result.
I claim that you could have built for €100,000 (about $110,000) less and wouldn’t have noticed any difference in the result.
K
Knallkörper2 May 2018 09:48I don’t have a clear idea of what you can do with 50k, but I spent 20k, and my plot is very small. With that money, I initially set almost the same priorities as the previous commenters: driveway (60 m² (645 ft²)), splash protection strip around the house (46 m (151 ft)), entrance platform, terrace (30 m² (323 ft²)), retaining wall on the slope (1 m (3 ft) high, 15 m (49 ft) long). For me, everything is made from dark granite, and if I had the money again, I would do it the same way. The remaining money was used to bring in and distribute topsoil, and I planted the hedge myself.
Trees on the property are definitely a must-have for this size. Since our space was limited, we needed a slim shape, so we planted a columnar oak (Quercus robur Fastigiata) and a columnar beech – in a suitable size (for me at least 3 m (10 ft) tall), this costs about 1,000 euros.
If you really have to set priorities: driveway, splash protection, a terrace, and anything involving concrete should be done right away. Lighting and irrigation come afterward. Adding topsoil, planting a tree, and sowing or laying turf too. I would wait with the rest of the planting and hedge. Let it settle with you first.
Trees on the property are definitely a must-have for this size. Since our space was limited, we needed a slim shape, so we planted a columnar oak (Quercus robur Fastigiata) and a columnar beech – in a suitable size (for me at least 3 m (10 ft) tall), this costs about 1,000 euros.
If you really have to set priorities: driveway, splash protection, a terrace, and anything involving concrete should be done right away. Lighting and irrigation come afterward. Adding topsoil, planting a tree, and sowing or laying turf too. I would wait with the rest of the planting and hedge. Let it settle with you first.
R
R.Hotzenplotz2 May 2018 10:39Alex85 schrieb:
I claim you could have built it for 100,000€ less and wouldn’t have noticed it in the final result.That may well be true. The more interested or experienced you are with the subject, the easier it naturally is. But what’s great for us right now is that, based on what we’ve seen so far from the shell stage, at least the ground floor layout and the overall size of the house have been done right. We are happy with that.
We were advised by a landscape architect and a garden contractor to estimate about 1,000 euros per square meter (approximately 93 square feet) for outdoor landscaping.
A precise cost can only be determined once the amounts of lawn, perennials, walls, types of terrace surfaces, earthworks, own labor, fencing, and so on are known.
This can quickly add up to a significant amount, easily reaching six figures even without a pool, marble, or water features. However, almost no outdoor area here is done without a wall, since the terrain is flat.
For our project, we plan to install a splash guard strip, terrace, walls, and topsoil filling this year. The driveway will be paved next year because it hasn’t settled enough yet. (We had to fill more than 1.2 meters (about 4 feet) in front of the garage.) That’s the plan.
A precise cost can only be determined once the amounts of lawn, perennials, walls, types of terrace surfaces, earthworks, own labor, fencing, and so on are known.
This can quickly add up to a significant amount, easily reaching six figures even without a pool, marble, or water features. However, almost no outdoor area here is done without a wall, since the terrain is flat.
For our project, we plan to install a splash guard strip, terrace, walls, and topsoil filling this year. The driveway will be paved next year because it hasn’t settled enough yet. (We had to fill more than 1.2 meters (about 4 feet) in front of the garage.) That’s the plan.
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