A well-landscaped garden or yard is one of the best investments you can make. Not only will it make your home look beautiful, it will also serve as a venue where you can spend quality time with friends and family.
There are so many things you can do with your backyard or garden. The question is, do you have enough money for it? Well, you don’t need a fortune to landscape your yard. In fact, there are four ways you can make it possible:
Make a Realistic Budget.
First, try to come up with a plan on how you want to landscape your yard. Assess whether you want the entire area landscaped or only some portions of it. Try to list down the things you need such as bricks, wood, spillway garden fountain, koi pool, garden, and other supplies for landscaping.
Then try to select from your list the items which are not too expensive to narrow down your choices. Once you have a plan, it will be easy for you. Come up next with an estimated budget.
The average cost for landscaping a yard can vary widely, so you have to prepare for that. Make sure too that you set an estimated budget and stick to it. This is not a project in which you want run out of funds prematurely and have a half-finished Shangri-la.
Do the Landscaping Yourself when Possible.
When you hire a landscaping contractor to beautify your yard, you might pay around $50 per day for each person who is part of the landscaping team more or less depending on where you live. Of course, you can double that for a supervisor.
That of course would exclude other charges like the cost of materials, repair, mowing, and other basic services which are not part of the package you get. So if you can, try to do the project yourself and request the assistance of your relatives or friends so you can save a lot of money on labor cost and other fees.
That said, you might need to hire a professional. For example, you will likely need a licensed electrician for a spillway garden fountain. Also, not all projects and not all soil compositions are equal. For this reason, you will want to learn how to find the right landscaper for those tasks like trenching, breaking through rocky surfaces, and planting large trees.
Buy Materials that are Affordable and of Good Quality.
You will be able to save more money if you buy the best materials — those with good quality at an affordable price. You can do this by surfing online for materials such as stone edging or checking out your local stores for the best deals.
Just be certain that the materials are strong, well-made, and durable or else they will easily get damaged and that would incur you additional costs later on. Remember, this is an investment in your home equity.
Take Advantage of Garden Sales.
When you have the chance, take advantage of sales when you buy your materials. Ask people around where there are discounted items sold or search for them online. When you buy materials in bulk you can save more too. For example, if you need a yard or two of hardwood mulch, have it delivered in bulk rather than toting in bags. You can't have too much mulch.
Update Your Homeowners Insurance Policy
This is something that many homeowners fail to do following making home improvements or upgrades; especially when the changes are landscaping. But items like fences, gazebos, and gardening sheds should have hail and wind damage insurance coverage at a minimum.
Make an appointment for your agent to come out and make a survey of all your changes. Be sure to have all your receipts in hand in case he wants to see them.
You can affordably landscape your yard if you take the time to plan and put your creativity in high gear. The money that you save can still be utilized for other important things. When it comes to financing, many advisors can help you with your most difficult questions.
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About the Webmaster:
Kelly R. Smith was a commercial carpenter for 20 years before returning to night school at the University of Houston where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. After working at NASA for a few years, he went on to develop software for the transportation and financial and energy trading industries. He has been writing, in one capacity or another, since he could hold a pencil. As a freelance writer now, he specializes in producing articles and blog content for a variety of clients. His personal blog is at I Can Fix Up My Home Blog where he muses on many different topics.
Kelly R. Smith was a commercial carpenter for 20 years before returning to night school at the University of Houston where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. After working at NASA for a few years, he went on to develop software for the transportation and financial and energy trading industries. He has been writing, in one capacity or another, since he could hold a pencil. As a freelance writer now, he specializes in producing articles and blog content for a variety of clients. His personal blog is at 
