Timeline: Landscaping your garden
A landscaped garden can increase a home's value over and above the cost of the landscaping itself. According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, an attractive garden can add five per cent to the value of your house. Gardens should not be seen as a chore but should be utilised as an ‘extra room’ or an opportunity to add a new dimension to a standard property – even a basic lawn or unattractive concrete area can be transformed into a beautiful and unique outdoors area.
If on the other hand, you are thinking about selling your house remember that the front garden is the first thing potential buyers notice and being confronted by an over-grown jungle can put people off completely. Here are the essential stages to getting the most out of your landscaping investment:
Stage 1 – Do you hire or do you DIY?
When it comes to landscaping, DIY could simply mean designing the garden yourself, choosing individual features or buying the exact materials or plants you want – DIY doesn’t have to involve a spade or a digger! Landscaping is usually labour-intensive and time consuming and in many instances it’s best to leave the hard graft to the professionals. Even though you may have an image of the perfect garden in mind, hiring a professional may be the only way to make your perfect garden a reality, as they have the design skills, talent and the equipment to transform your property. But how do you know which landscaping company is the right one for you?
Stage 2 – Researching landscape gardeners
A qualified landscaper is a builder, bricklayer, carpenter, metalworker, as well a horticulturalist with an understanding of soils, chemicals and climatic conditions. Different landscapers offer a variety of services and some focus on specific areas such as specialist stonework or garden lighting. However, one of the most important traits of a landscaper is the ability to listen and understand exactly what you want your finished garden to look like.
The best way to shortlist a handful of landscape gardeners from the hundreds of companies in your local area is through recommendation from family, friends or even garden centres. Alternatively you can spend time looking thorough the Yellow Pages and internet sites to find companies that have been approved by The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) or The Association of Professional Landscapers (APL). Once you have found a few companies that you like the look of, find out what services they offer, what training and experience they have, ask for at least three references and, if possible, visit the locations of their work for yourself.
Stage 3 – Defining your ideas and, more importantly, your budget!
Ask yourself what you want to achieve from you garden and how much you have to spend. Maybe you want a safe area for the children to play? Possibly a beautiful display of flowers, trees and water features? Or do you just want a garden area that is simple to manage yet still attractive to look at? Landscapers can achieve any atmosphere or style of garden – the only thing you have to do is decide which one you want. Look to magazines and TV programmes for inspiration and ideas on what features are available. When it comes to cost, be realistic about your budget and stick to it, otherwise you could run out of money and end up with a half finished garden that looks worse than when you started! A basic one-day face-lift will cost around £200 but if you’re considering a complete transformation of your garden be prepared to receive a quote in the thousands.
Stage 4 – Quotes
Once you have an idea of how you want your garden to look, choose at least three landscapers that you get a good feeling about and ask them to come and see your garden so they can provide a detailed written quote, free of charge. It is important to remember that landscapers are usually not designers so they will need a thorough explanation from you to ensure the details in the quote match the style and finished product you envisaged. On the other hand, if your gardening dreams don’t match your budget, the landscaper should be able to suggest some less costly alternatives – you may be surprised at the range of quotes you receive, showing it pays to shop around.
Stage 5 – Supervision and the finished garden
Make sure the company provides a written contract containing every detail from the drawn up plans to the cost and payment structure. Being on-hand to supervise the work is the most effective way to ensure the work is being carried out exactly as you want. If a landscaper makes a mistake it could send the completion time over the agreed date so try to regularly check the quality of the work. When the garden is finished review the whole project there and then – it’s a lot easier to discuss any queries you have while the landscaper is standing in front of you.
Unlike other rooms in the home, a garden can have a range of uses – entertaining, cooking, playing, or just relaxing. If you’re lucky enough to have a garden make, sure you take full advantage!
www.gardenquoter.co.uk can help you choose your landscape gardener.
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