Setting a Budget for Landscaping your Garden

If you’ve decided your garden is outdated or perhaps simply not reaching its full potential, designing and landscaping a new garden is the solution to this issue. As planning a more modern garden design is a very exciting process, people can often get caught up in a long list of wants for their new garden, rather than knuckling down their needs first. This will inevitably lead to a long list of expenses!

It’s very important to set a budget for your garden landscape design to ensure you only spend what you can afford to. This doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your dream garden, as landscaping on a budget will still deliver a whole new outdoor space to your property that will excite, without breaking the bank. This blog will help you to understand why it's important to set a budget for landscaping your garden, as well as a range of things you’ll need to consider when you do.

Why you'll want to landscape your garden

Creating a completely new garden design will breathe new life into any property. It’ll also significantly improve the street appeal of your home for not only yourself, but for any potential buyers when you decide it’s time to sell. By designing and landscaping a new garden, you can create an outdoor space that’ll reflect your family’s lifestyle, maximising the enjoyment from your home. Creating a new garden design can also extend the liveable space of your property if your current outdoor area isn’t practical or very usable.

Budgeting for your landscaping project  

The most obvious reason to budget for your new garden landscape is to ensure you don’t overspend. This is especially important if you're planning to add resale value to your property, as you might not maximise the profit from creating a new garden without closely following the costs each step of the way. A budget will also help you include the features you want to see most in your new garden, and will mean you’ll avoid blowing the budget on the wrong things.

If a new garden costs you an arm and a leg, but doesn’t live up to your expectations you had at the design stage, you might not be able to enjoy it as much as you otherwise would. A general rule of thumb is to spend roughly 10% of the value of your home on landscaping a garden. 

1. Get inspired

In order to set an accurate budget, you’ll first need to have a good think about what you want most out of a new garden. Do you want a space to relax, more room for the kids to play, an outdoor area to entertain? It’s important you decide what you want to get out of a new garden design before budgeting for it.

To help with some garden inspiration, check out different garden spaces and landscape architecture online. Websites like Pinterest have a great range of images of different garden ideas that you can draw inspiration from. A mood board can be great to help you visualise your garden as a finished product. You can add pictures to your own board that you’ve taken of items and plants that take your fancy at local garden centres and public gardens.

Drawing up a very rough plan, even just a pencil sketch, of your home's garden space will help you to get a feel for what kind of design would work with your outdoor area, and what you want to change about it the most. If after all of this you find that you can’t decide upon the right direction for your garden, sit down with a landscaper and just have a chat. They’ll get a feel from what you want most in your new garden design by talking to you and will be able to present you with different possibilities and the best ways to utilise your outdoor space. They can also create a plan for your garden, and map out the steps you’ll need to get there.

2. Set some parameters and prioritise 

You’ll need to decide what areas you want to tackle first before the work can begin. You can do this by creating the grand plan for your landscaping project, and breaking up different jobs into smaller sections, this’ll make the whole job easier to approach.

If you’re landscaping to increase your property's resale value, prioritise work at the front of your property to increase its curb appeal, as well as work that’ll improve indoor-outdoor flow such as areas with patios and decks. If you’re redesigning for personal reasons, consider how children or pets you might have will impact how you’ll use your outdoor space, and create a design with this in mind. You should also think about the cost of ongoing maintenance and the possible return investment. Factors such as how long you plan to live in your home will have an effect on this.

3. Save money by doing it yourself

There are certainly some jobs you can do yourself to contribute to new green scapes, that’ll not only save on costs, but will also fill you with a sense of accomplishment when you look at your finished garden. Budget landscaping will benefit from you getting stuck in where possible. Jobs such as clearing your property before the main work gets underway will help you cut costs, and you won't have to fork out the big bucks to get the right tools for the job from Hirepool. We have landscaping and garden equipment such as mini excavators, shovels, weed sprayers, chainsaws and trimmers that’ll make any tidy up job a breeze!

Some jobs will only require a bit of elbow grease and the right tools to get done, like breaking up concrete. You can also build retaining walls, pathways and features to break up uninteresting open space with the right tools and a little know how.

4. Get a range of quotes 

With any type of home renovation work, whether it’s inside or outdoors, it pays to shop around and get multiple quotes to make sure you get the best price possible when using professionals. Ask around your friends and family or on social media to see if there are any companies they can recommend, and be sure to ask for testimonials or to see any previous work. 

Be mindful that you might need a building consent if you're considering elements such as retaining walls, fences, decks, platforms or garden sheds over a certain size. Be sure to check with your local council to avoid any nasty surprises part way through the job.

5. Know the things that are the most expensive 

There may be some elements of your design that’ll be significantly more expensive than others. Some facets can quickly add up and blow your budget out of the water. However, there are often cost-effective options that’ll help you to achieve your original dream garden, but with less expenditure.

Trees

A great example of this is when it comes to choosing which trees you want to include in your garden. Many people would love to have large, mature trees in their backyard, but this will come at a big cost, as some trees are upwards of $6000. By shopping around local garden centres, you can find deals on fast-growing saplings such as poplars, tulip trees and little gem magnolias, that’ll see you achieve the mature garden you want, just in a little bit more time is all.

Lawns

There are many different options when it comes to lawns. The cost of which will be impacted by how much ground work there will first need to be, and how quickly you’re after lush green lawns. Sowing and establishing your own lawn is the cheapest option, but this will require a bit of patience. Hydro seeded lawns will establish faster than seeded, and as a result, have become an increasingly popular alternative. If you can’t bear to wait for your grass to grow, you can achieve the look you want right away by laying down ready lawn or artificial turf, but this is a significantly more expensive option.

You can opt for a low maintenance alternative to lawn, such as pavers, which also look great as garden edging. Pavers vary greatly in price, from just a few dollars per square metre to upwards of $30. With a bit of shopping around, you’ll be able to find some great deals that won't blow out the budget.

6. Consider the ongoing cost of maintenance 

A garden will require ongoing maintenance, the amount of which will depend on the style of garden you opt for, and what vegetation you incorporate. When budgeting for the total cost of materials and labour your garden will require, don’t forget to include the ongoing cost of maintenance. You may find later down the road it can be more expensive than you’d imagine if you aren’t aware of it at the start of the project. You should opt for low maintenance gardens if you want to avoid high ongoing costs.

Design your dream garden 

We have a variety of tools and equipment to help you bring your landscaping vision to life without breaking the bank. Check out our handy guides for inspiration and get in touch with your local branch to talk about selecting the right gear to do your DIY the right way or get started and order online now.