Hello everyone,
We are currently working on the interior finishing of our single-family home and plan to move in at the end of August/beginning of September. Naturally, we want to set up the garden as soon as possible so that at least the children can play, our privacy is ensured, and we don’t track dirt into the house. Of course, not everything can be done at once, but we can start with some tasks and “prepare” the garden for its future use.
What kind of work did you begin with?
Attached is our current plan (with approximate dimensions) showing how the final result should look. South is at the bottom of the plan. The street runs along this side. On the west side, we have only 2.75 m (9 feet) to the neighbor (driveway); their garage is located at the property boundary where we have planned the children’s play area. On the east side, next to our garage, there is a 3 m (10 feet) wide path (see driveway) which belongs to us but may also be used by the rear neighbors for hedge trimming. For this reason, we cannot plant anything there. Beyond the path is another plot owned by the family which will not be built on for the time being. A north-facing terrace is also planned at some point but is currently the lowest priority.
Is there anything we could improve or any suggestions for the design? Have we placed everything in the right spot? What would you start with? What can be prepared ahead?
So far, we’ve only had a small townhouse garden that was already set up when we moved in, so this is really a big project for us.
Best regards, milkie
We are currently working on the interior finishing of our single-family home and plan to move in at the end of August/beginning of September. Naturally, we want to set up the garden as soon as possible so that at least the children can play, our privacy is ensured, and we don’t track dirt into the house. Of course, not everything can be done at once, but we can start with some tasks and “prepare” the garden for its future use.
What kind of work did you begin with?
Attached is our current plan (with approximate dimensions) showing how the final result should look. South is at the bottom of the plan. The street runs along this side. On the west side, we have only 2.75 m (9 feet) to the neighbor (driveway); their garage is located at the property boundary where we have planned the children’s play area. On the east side, next to our garage, there is a 3 m (10 feet) wide path (see driveway) which belongs to us but may also be used by the rear neighbors for hedge trimming. For this reason, we cannot plant anything there. Beyond the path is another plot owned by the family which will not be built on for the time being. A north-facing terrace is also planned at some point but is currently the lowest priority.
Is there anything we could improve or any suggestions for the design? Have we placed everything in the right spot? What would you start with? What can be prepared ahead?
So far, we’ve only had a small townhouse garden that was already set up when we moved in, so this is really a big project for us.
Best regards, milkie
So far, we don’t have a clear idea about the budget. It won’t be cheap. However, we plan to do most of the work ourselves and invest in it over several years. Only the driveway and terrace will be professionally done right away. We have budgeted 10,000€ (about 10,000 USD) for this. We’ll see what it actually costs.
N
nordanney3 Feb 2015 13:52milkie schrieb:
So far, we don’t have a clear idea about the budget. It won’t be cheap. However, we plan to do most of the work ourselves and spread it out over several years. Only the driveway and the terrace will be done professionally right away. We have budgeted 10,000€ for this. We’ll see what it actually costs. Several landscapers have told us that average outdoor landscaping (garden, terrace, driveway, trees/plants, lawn, etc.) typically costs around 80 EUR per square meter (about 7.50 USD) when everything is included — lawns are cheaper, trees are expensive, and wooden terraces (IPE, Bangkirai, etc.) can be shockingly costly.So everyone, one more question about the garden design. We are planning to move in around August/September.
When would you start the first work? Only after moving in? Or earlier? My question refers to specific points:
1. Driveway construction:
(leveling heights, shaping, paving, entrance steps)
This definitely needs to be done right away to 1. avoid bringing construction dirt into the finished house and 2. because the ground is currently not raised high enough to drive into the garage.
2. Raising the garden (~50cm (20 inches)) with the soil that is still heaped in 3 large piles. It needs to settle before it can be planted.
Priority is given to the south-facing garden (towards the street). At the property boundary, a small wall (height about 60–70cm (24–28 inches), stones available – DIY?) will be built as a height adjustment between the garden and the green strip.
The rest naturally has to wait for now. However, we would like to start relatively quickly with some parts of the garden and therefore the soil should probably be distributed soon, right?
When is it reasonable to carry out or have these tasks done?
When would you start the first work? Only after moving in? Or earlier? My question refers to specific points:
1. Driveway construction:
(leveling heights, shaping, paving, entrance steps)
This definitely needs to be done right away to 1. avoid bringing construction dirt into the finished house and 2. because the ground is currently not raised high enough to drive into the garage.
2. Raising the garden (~50cm (20 inches)) with the soil that is still heaped in 3 large piles. It needs to settle before it can be planted.
Priority is given to the south-facing garden (towards the street). At the property boundary, a small wall (height about 60–70cm (24–28 inches), stones available – DIY?) will be built as a height adjustment between the garden and the green strip.
The rest naturally has to wait for now. However, we would like to start relatively quickly with some parts of the garden and therefore the soil should probably be distributed soon, right?
When is it reasonable to carry out or have these tasks done?
EveundGerd8 Apr 2015 21:44Hello milkie,
We are already working on the outdoor areas. Our move-in is planned for the end of July.
Currently, our retaining wall is being built, and from the day after tomorrow, the parking spaces will be created. The usable excavated soil has been partly spread in the future garden and has already been plowed and tilled a few times. It still needs to settle, and it is too early in the year for grass seeding.
If you have the time while the contractors are working inside, I would start outside. Whatever is finished by move-in day will be final.
We are already working on the outdoor areas. Our move-in is planned for the end of July.
Currently, our retaining wall is being built, and from the day after tomorrow, the parking spaces will be created. The usable excavated soil has been partly spread in the future garden and has already been plowed and tilled a few times. It still needs to settle, and it is too early in the year for grass seeding.
If you have the time while the contractors are working inside, I would start outside. Whatever is finished by move-in day will be final.
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