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.Hotzenplotz13 May 2018 08:29haydee schrieb:
For me, this is a sign that the exterior landscaping is underestimatedThat’s exactly what the neighbor said. It’s the same for us. The general contractor only included about €45,000 (around $48,000) for the exterior landscaping in the cost estimate. I only started looking into it late as well. But that’s how it is. We can manage it immediately, but any further investments will have to wait 1-2 years. After that, we will realize it exactly as we want.
I find the discussion very interesting as well.
We will probably also fall into the category of "underestimating the outdoor area" [emoji23]. In other words, we will have to be satisfied with terrain modeling, spreading topsoil, and sowing grass. There will also be a fence and a self-built terrace. That’s it.
At least we have mature trees in the garden that can remain. At the back of the garden, there will be a wild hedge to provide nesting areas for birds and habitats for insects. We just need to consider precautions against ticks.
Oh yes, we plan to spend about 12,000 euros (approximately 13,200 USD) on the garden. No more than that. About half of this will go towards raising and stabilizing the terrace. Modeling the garden (around 500sqm (5,400 sqft)) is estimated to cost 1,500 euros (about 1,650 USD) and take one day. The final price for topsoil is still pending.
But I don’t see this as a problem. Gardens have different purposes, after all. For us, it should be a place to play, grill, and grow vegetables. Nothing more.
And you can also keep the costs in mind when designing it. We never intended to completely redesign the garden, but rather to make the sloped garden usable by terracing and moving some soil.
We will probably also fall into the category of "underestimating the outdoor area" [emoji23]. In other words, we will have to be satisfied with terrain modeling, spreading topsoil, and sowing grass. There will also be a fence and a self-built terrace. That’s it.
At least we have mature trees in the garden that can remain. At the back of the garden, there will be a wild hedge to provide nesting areas for birds and habitats for insects. We just need to consider precautions against ticks.
Oh yes, we plan to spend about 12,000 euros (approximately 13,200 USD) on the garden. No more than that. About half of this will go towards raising and stabilizing the terrace. Modeling the garden (around 500sqm (5,400 sqft)) is estimated to cost 1,500 euros (about 1,650 USD) and take one day. The final price for topsoil is still pending.
But I don’t see this as a problem. Gardens have different purposes, after all. For us, it should be a place to play, grill, and grow vegetables. Nothing more.
And you can also keep the costs in mind when designing it. We never intended to completely redesign the garden, but rather to make the sloped garden usable by terracing and moving some soil.
Old trees are something special, aren’t they? There are so many birds here; you could listen to them for hours.
I want to have the apple tree’s variety identified. My mother says it has always produced well. This year, I plan to make apple juice from the harvest.
It’s a winter apple, good red apples, an old variety planted by my great-grandfather. That’s all she knows. Her uncle says it was already there when he was a boy.
In front of the house, I’m allowed to plant fruit trees up to 50cm (20 inches) closer to the property boundary. The local authority agreed, provided I don’t treat it like a lawn but rather as a bee meadow.
For ticks, I swear by coconut oil for both people and pets.
I want to have the apple tree’s variety identified. My mother says it has always produced well. This year, I plan to make apple juice from the harvest.
It’s a winter apple, good red apples, an old variety planted by my great-grandfather. That’s all she knows. Her uncle says it was already there when he was a boy.
In front of the house, I’m allowed to plant fruit trees up to 50cm (20 inches) closer to the property boundary. The local authority agreed, provided I don’t treat it like a lawn but rather as a bee meadow.
For ticks, I swear by coconut oil for both people and pets.
I believe that if you go to a “luxury landscaping contractor,” you should expect to pay a luxury price. Most trees grow faster than you would like, so there’s no need to plant a huge, expensive tree right away. A lot can be done in the garden by yourself (if you want to), and it can even be fun. Installing a simple fence around the garden can easily be done by setting the posts in concrete yourself; it’s really not difficult and doesn’t cost much. I also don’t think landscaping costs can be directly linked to the price of the house. It really depends on the size of the property and what you want. We have just contacted a pool builder to request a quote and I’m very curious to see how much that will cost. If I were you, I wouldn’t invest a lot of money in landscaping now and then add a pool later. The pool builder will likely destroy half of your garden again with their excavator.
Best regards,
Sabine
Best regards,
Sabine
R
R.Hotzenplotz13 May 2018 10:49Curly schrieb:
A simple fence around the garden can easily be set in concrete by yourself; it’s really not difficult and doesn’t cost much.I have no idea how to do that. I’m happy if I manage to hammer a nail into the wall and assemble an Ikea dresser. Definitely not capable of building a fence.
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