Top 7 Landscaping Tips: Tip #6: Budget
There are many hidden costs to landscaping that you may not think of straight away.
Apart from the obvious costs of landscaping such as diggers, drainage, infill, retainer walls, turf, paths, rockeries, pebbles, and walls, there are also ongoing costs that many people do not consider.
For example, outdoor lightning can be quite expensive. If electric lights are used, do they need to be on all the time or only if you’re entertaining or spending some time in the yard, and using a timer or motion sensor? Are you able to use solar powered lights?
Water use may add up as well, especially if you have a pool or a pond.
It is a good rule of thumb to always add 10% for the things you’ve forgotten – ‘contingencies’ – which should also offset any increase in materials costs.
A good landscape designer or contractor can suggest more cost-effective workarounds for certain things you may want to do. If you can avoid digging or infill, for example, then you may end up with more to spend on some good quality timber decking or other visible part of your design, giving you more ‘bang for your buck’.
Murphy’s Law may mean that you end up with the hardware and landscaping suppliers being out of stock of something you need, often forcing you to buy a more expensive choices that is in stock.
