W
willWohnen28 Jan 2015 17:34Hello,
I know the title is a bit provocative. Let’s just say the goal is to spend as little as possible.
Background (can be skipped):
A part of our household income is suddenly at risk, meaning it has already been slightly reduced and will unfortunately continue to be uncertain, possibly significantly, in the future.
The new construction is already underway (shell/roof/windows are in place).
We will complete the house with the secured portion of our income and be able to pay it off long-term.
However, not only is luxury out of the question, but there is basically no budget left for the garden and outdoor areas. “Basically” because I still need to sit down with my husband at some point and figure out concretely what we can or want to spend. The house construction is still ongoing, and you never really know exactly how much things will cost in the end. We definitely have 10 € left, maybe 100 €, maybe even 1,000 € or 3,000 €. I just don’t know right now.
Several friends have spent tens of thousands on landscaping and garden. My parents have a tiny garden where they simply planted some plants from the hardware store — that’s it. Otherwise, we have no experience.
Exactly because expenses should be kept as low as possible, the absolute priorities need to be clearly defined.
What I see as priorities so far:
* Paths so you can go outside without walking through mud. (Front door/garage/garbage bins)
* Ground cover in the front garden so passersby don’t complain about a thistle wasteland. (Ground cover plant, not the passersby.)
* Things that are much easier to do now because later access to the site may be difficult or because construction equipment can still be used now. (Example: leveling the site, moving large items into the garden)
* Privacy screening – We want a large tree in the garden (in the long term) to protect us from being overlooked from the neighbor’s upper floor. Also possibly a hedge or bushes along the street side.
* Soil improvement. Heavy clay soil with little topsoil. Preparing it so plants can grow well in the long term is more important to me than terraces, walls, fences, fountains, garden furniture, sculptures, etc.
* At least one rain barrel. (We cut out a cistern for cost reasons.)
Conditions:
* Granite step in front of the front door
* Outdoor water tap
* Extension of about 7 sqm (75 sq ft) at the back of the garage with access to the garden
* Topsoil to be redistributed and leveled
* The garage driveway will be paved (permeable surface required)
* Some outdoor lights on the house exterior walls
Now some specific questions:
I’m looking forward to suggestions on what to focus on, what can be skipped, and regarding materials, what to pay attention to even at a lower budget to get good value for money and something that will last long term.
What costs nothing (like a color scheme or keeping paths short) but still makes a difference?
Thank you for your effort and best regards
I know the title is a bit provocative. Let’s just say the goal is to spend as little as possible.
Background (can be skipped):
A part of our household income is suddenly at risk, meaning it has already been slightly reduced and will unfortunately continue to be uncertain, possibly significantly, in the future.
The new construction is already underway (shell/roof/windows are in place).
We will complete the house with the secured portion of our income and be able to pay it off long-term.
However, not only is luxury out of the question, but there is basically no budget left for the garden and outdoor areas. “Basically” because I still need to sit down with my husband at some point and figure out concretely what we can or want to spend. The house construction is still ongoing, and you never really know exactly how much things will cost in the end. We definitely have 10 € left, maybe 100 €, maybe even 1,000 € or 3,000 €. I just don’t know right now.
Several friends have spent tens of thousands on landscaping and garden. My parents have a tiny garden where they simply planted some plants from the hardware store — that’s it. Otherwise, we have no experience.
Exactly because expenses should be kept as low as possible, the absolute priorities need to be clearly defined.
What I see as priorities so far:
* Paths so you can go outside without walking through mud. (Front door/garage/garbage bins)
* Ground cover in the front garden so passersby don’t complain about a thistle wasteland. (Ground cover plant, not the passersby.)
* Things that are much easier to do now because later access to the site may be difficult or because construction equipment can still be used now. (Example: leveling the site, moving large items into the garden)
* Privacy screening – We want a large tree in the garden (in the long term) to protect us from being overlooked from the neighbor’s upper floor. Also possibly a hedge or bushes along the street side.
* Soil improvement. Heavy clay soil with little topsoil. Preparing it so plants can grow well in the long term is more important to me than terraces, walls, fences, fountains, garden furniture, sculptures, etc.
* At least one rain barrel. (We cut out a cistern for cost reasons.)
Conditions:
- Plot size minus house and garage about 680 sqm (7,320 sq ft)
- What is still included in the turnkey contract:
* Granite step in front of the front door
* Outdoor water tap
* Extension of about 7 sqm (75 sq ft) at the back of the garage with access to the garden
* Topsoil to be redistributed and leveled
* The garage driveway will be paved (permeable surface required)
* Some outdoor lights on the house exterior walls
- My father would simply pave an area where the “terrace” is planned.
- The house and garage are white with gray and anthracite elements, so I would like to keep all outdoor areas in shades of gray.
Now some specific questions:
- A local landscape architect offers to be hired for just a few hours and charges travel and hourly rates.
- Has anyone done something like this before?
- Different shades of gray in various brightness levels and surface textures can be nicely combined, right?
- What might soil improvement for 600 sqm (6,460 sq ft) cost? I assume sand and good topsoil/humus need to be sourced and transported, possibly spread with machinery. Does anyone have experience and an approximate ballpark figure?
- The tree should already be larger. 2 m (6.5 ft) is not a problem price-wise, but that’s basically just a stick with three leaves. I need to see if we can afford something a bit broader. I can get tree prices, but what should I expect to pay for transportation, professional preparation of the planting hole, and planting?
- What is a cost-effective alternative for paths? Gravel paths? Maybe with those plastic honeycomb grids underneath to hopefully keep the stones in place long-term (experiences welcome)? Simply placing individual concrete slabs? How does the option of embedding stepping stones into a gravel path compare financially?
- What should be considered when selecting stones for the garage driveway and terrace?
I’m looking forward to suggestions on what to focus on, what can be skipped, and regarding materials, what to pay attention to even at a lower budget to get good value for money and something that will last long term.
What costs nothing (like a color scheme or keeping paths short) but still makes a difference?
Thank you for your effort and best regards
Yes, you can spend a lot of money on the garden – we’ve had that experience too. We had a lot of work done by a landscaping contractor who, for example, offered to let us help with the work to save money (e.g., he prepared the base for the paving and showed us how to lay the paving stones, and once we got the hang of it, we did the rest ourselves). This can save a lot of money since labor costs are especially expensive.
H
HilfeHilfe28 Jan 2015 19:23I don’t understand why you want to hire an architect already when you haven’t even finalized the decision to build the house or determined what budget can actually be allocated.............. no offense, but your considerations seem too early and too detailed. Especially since you will also need to make new purchases for the new house in any case.
W
willWohnen28 Jan 2015 20:25I don’t understand why these kinds of threads always get the same predictable responses that question the basic question and motivation. No offense meant, but it’s true.
It’s not too early for considerations. I have some time for it now; when things get hectic at the construction site again, I probably won’t. That doesn’t mean I’ll suddenly jump up tomorrow to hire an architect or buy plants. The garden topic is just a filler for me right now. I’m starting early because I will have to pause it constantly when other things become more urgent.
But what if I think about it later and a professional tells me, “You should have planted the tree right away, when we could still drive over the then undeveloped neighboring plot and the excavator was on site for the hole.” Also, if I know how much each part costs, I can make better decisions. If the tiler says, “I can do glitter grout in the bathroom for an extra 150 €,” then I can say, “No, for 150 €, I can afford a rose bush instead of the clump of grass.” (That’s a theoretical example; I would never actually choose glitter grout.)
For example, we also planned the kitchen and bathroom in detail before commissioning the shell construction including windows. A friend who first built the shell had to make a lot of compromises later with his kitchen.
The house furnishing is taken care of. We also included our current furniture in the floor plan, as far as we want to keep it. Apart from shelves for storage rooms, everything necessary is already available.
@Dindin: Thanks! Was hiring the landscape gardener worth it, or do you think you could have achieved the same result on your own sooner or later?
It’s not too early for considerations. I have some time for it now; when things get hectic at the construction site again, I probably won’t. That doesn’t mean I’ll suddenly jump up tomorrow to hire an architect or buy plants. The garden topic is just a filler for me right now. I’m starting early because I will have to pause it constantly when other things become more urgent.
But what if I think about it later and a professional tells me, “You should have planted the tree right away, when we could still drive over the then undeveloped neighboring plot and the excavator was on site for the hole.” Also, if I know how much each part costs, I can make better decisions. If the tiler says, “I can do glitter grout in the bathroom for an extra 150 €,” then I can say, “No, for 150 €, I can afford a rose bush instead of the clump of grass.” (That’s a theoretical example; I would never actually choose glitter grout.)
For example, we also planned the kitchen and bathroom in detail before commissioning the shell construction including windows. A friend who first built the shell had to make a lot of compromises later with his kitchen.
The house furnishing is taken care of. We also included our current furniture in the floor plan, as far as we want to keep it. Apart from shelves for storage rooms, everything necessary is already available.
@Dindin: Thanks! Was hiring the landscape gardener worth it, or do you think you could have achieved the same result on your own sooner or later?
I’m really confused: You don’t have much money but want to hire a landscape architect for the garden?
You can buy the tree for 120€ (about 130 USD) at the nearest nursery and have it delivered for 20€ (about 22 USD) — okay, distance plays a role, but gas is cheap right now. You should dig the hole yourself — two people with two shovels. It took us 15 minutes to finish the hole, as we say in Saxony.
Site planning is included in the contract — make sure they come at the very end and do everything as perfectly as possible.
Shrubs and bushes can be planted later. First, you need grass; otherwise, you’ll just have mud everywhere. I’d set aside about 200€ (around 220 USD) for that.
The path can stay gravel for now; paving can be done later. Well, help from Dad is always welcome, of course.
Everything else will have to wait, I’d say.
You can buy the tree for 120€ (about 130 USD) at the nearest nursery and have it delivered for 20€ (about 22 USD) — okay, distance plays a role, but gas is cheap right now. You should dig the hole yourself — two people with two shovels. It took us 15 minutes to finish the hole, as we say in Saxony.
Site planning is included in the contract — make sure they come at the very end and do everything as perfectly as possible.
Shrubs and bushes can be planted later. First, you need grass; otherwise, you’ll just have mud everywhere. I’d set aside about 200€ (around 220 USD) for that.
The path can stay gravel for now; paving can be done later. Well, help from Dad is always welcome, of course.
Everything else will have to wait, I’d say.
Bautraum201528 Jan 2015 20:59For us, it simply comes down to manpower and my own creativity when it comes to garden design. After all, you will be living in this place for the next few decades and can make it as beautiful as you want over the years. I don’t mind having just a nice lawn at first (the hedge is already in place).
Similar topics