Everyone wants a beautiful yard they can enjoy and be proud of, but landscape design isn’t the easiest project to undertake. If you’re ready to makeover your yard, start with these tips for landscape design to simplify the process.
Start With Your Dream
Landscape design requires calculations, but that shouldn’t be the first step. You should start by brainstorming what you want your dream yard to look like. List everything you want to add from flowers to an outdoor kitchen. It can be helpful to look online or through magazines for inspiration.
Consider Your Needs
You’ll also want to list out everything you need. This will vary, of course, depending on your family and the activities you enjoy in your yard.
For example, if you have kids or grow your own vegetables, then having a playground or enough space for a garden are necessities. People who have dogs may need to carve out an area for a dog pen. Whatever your needs, get them listed.
Make a Tentative Design
After you’ve got a thorough list, it’s time to get technical. Grab a measuring tape, some graph paper, and a pencil. Start by measuring your yard and drawing it out on your graph paper. After you’ve drawn out the space you have to work with, make marks for the items you want in your yard.
Be sure you take the location into account. For example, if you have a large yard, you probably don’t want to put your kids’ play area in the back corner where you can’t see them from your window.
And don’t be surprised if you need to move things around on your paper a few times. That’s the reason you’re using a pencil to draw it out instead of a pen.
Don’t Forget Your Budget
You also need to put together a budget for your design. How much can you and are you willing to spend on making it come to life? You might decide to adapt this budget as time goes on, but you need a number to start your project with.
Determine Your Next Steps
It’s time to make your plan. Start by answering one question: Do you want to do it yourself or do you want to hire a professional? Doing it yourself has the potential to save you money and give you a sense of satisfaction. However, hiring a professional can save you time and hard work. And professionals can work within your budget.
If you choose to do it yourself, start listing out the steps you need to take and the items you need to buy. If you want to hire a professional, it’s time to start calling around for quotes.
