There are a few things in a house that you will have noticed cost an obscene amount of money to renovate. One of them is a bathroom, another is a kitchen and there is also the garden. If you’ve ever got a quote to have your garden landscaped you will no doubt have received one with 4, if not 5 figures on it depending on the extent of the work being completed. This presents the perfect opportunity to treat it as a DIY task and get rid of the labour charges associated with having it done professionally.
Decide on your design and price up the machinery hire
Depending on the extent to which you are landscaping, you may require professional equipment to complete the job. If you are simply working on cosmetic changes like paving, decking, turf, stones etc…then you probably won’t need anything but if you will be digging out earth to flatten an area that was previously on two levels then you may need a digger or dumper hire to get rid of the earth once it has been removed. If you are putting foundations down for a building or a new paved area then a cement mixer may be needed.
Paving stone or decking?
One of the central parts to any garden is the area you will be sitting on so decide where paving stone or decking is best for you. Decking often looks better but can be a nightmare in terms of maintenance as it can quickly become slippy and needs constant maintenance particularly if it is located under trees or somewhere that will drip water on to it. The alternative is to go for composite decking which copes with water, ice and frost much better but costs a lot more than normal wooden decking, so this will be down to your budget. If you go for paving stones it is essential to ensure that you sort out the earth underneath, it needs to be level, have sand down and good draining or you’ll soon find water pooling on your paving stones which then turns to a green, dirty mess in no time.
Greenery
Everybody wants a green garden; it is relaxing and make you feel away from it all when you are in it. Consider putting rows of plants down, growing fruit trees or having a hedge down one side, it acts as a natural barrier and creates more privacy for when you are using the garden. Whilst one of the recent trends in garden design is to use turf as it has lower maintenance levels, nothing compared to a real lawn, both in terms of wildlife and the relaxation it provides. If you’re laying turn, ensure you give it time to bed in before using a lawnmower on it. It may also be worth laying some grass seed to fill in any gaps between the rolls of turf that you have placed. Finally, you can accessorise using smaller plants and flowers, this gives your garden a pop of colour where you want it.