How to Plan for a Major Landscaping Project
Planning for a major landscape design or garden design project is important, as it’s the only way to be sure that you have everything that you need. If you’re going to be doing a major project, it’s essential that you are prepared for a number of things:
Costs
The first thing that you’re going to have to do is create a budget, as that will set a limit on what you will and won’t be able to do. You no doubt have a certain amount of money to work with, so determine just how much you’re willing to spend on the project. Sit down and create a realistic budget, evaluating what you can afford as well as what you think you want.
Your goal of setting a budget is to get the best value for your money, so you’ll need to know more or less what each item or aspect of the project will cost. You will need to create an overall cost plan for the project, and knowing how much you have to work with will give you an idea of what you can spend on each of the specifics.
Remember that presenting the landscaping project to your landscape design or garden design expert will be the first step in getting a cost analysis of the project, but you should have a general idea of what you want to spend. This way, if what you want costs too much, you can change the design in order to fit into your budget.
Design
The design is the next step in the preparations for the major landscaping project. This is something that’s between you and your contractor, as they will help you to lay out the ground in the way that you desire. The design that you come up with will be important, as that will determine how much the project will cost. No doubt you’ll want to take time to sit down on your own and dream up a picture in your head, and work with your contractor to get the idea on paper in order to make it possible for you to actually have your idea laid out in your landscaping project.
Schedule
The schedule is a very important part of the planning process, as it will determine just how inconvenient it will be for you to complete this project. If the workers have to come only on the days that you’re at home, it can interfere with your work and their progress. If there is rain forecast in the new few days, that could definitely be a problem. It is for this reason that you need to take time to schedule the project, as that will help you to know what to expect.
The contractor will usually give you a general idea of the timeframe they’re working with, but you should ask them to break down the timetable until you get a better idea of what to expect with the project. Some aspects of the project will take longer than others, and some will have to be done in phases. You will find that breaking it down into smaller chunks will help you to know what needs to be done, and will help you to be prepared for any setbacks due to weather, injuries, etc.
