Good project management is essential for any kind of home improvements as, without this, you run the risk of the work taking longer than you’d like, making rash decisions and overspending on the budget.
Before any work begins, put together a comprehensive plan of what you want to achieve and how much you want to spend, giving yourself a contingency of around ten per cent, just in case.
But even with that, it’s easy to get carried away – so here are some top tips for landscaping and garden design to help you stick to your budget, no matter how tight it is.
1. List your priorities
It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to tick everything off your wish list, whether that’s because of space constraints or cash flow. Make a list of all your must-have features, working down towards those that would simply be nice to have.
This will show you where you need to spend your money. If there’s anything left, take another look at the list to see what you could treat yourself on.
2. Avoid last-minute changes
Aim for your final plan to be exactly what you want. Any last-minute changes will likely increase labour and material costs.
3. Hire professionals for complex landscaping
It’s tempting, of course, to do a lot of the work yourself and for tasks like mulching, laying gravel, painting fences and so on, this is relatively achievable.
Other more structural work or anything technical and/or dangerous that you don’t have the skills and experience to carry out would be best left to professional landscapers. This reduces the risk of having to carry out expensive repairs or corrections.
4. Think straight!
Interestingly, you can keep costs to a minimum by landscaping in straight lines rather than curves, which are harder to install and therefore more expensive.