By HILARY JOHNSON
Money-Saving Landscaping Tips
Landscaping your outdoor living area means shopping for rocks, soil, plants and woods that can cost you a fortune. But if you are wise enough, you can limit your expenses to the minimum without sacrificing the design you have planned and the beauty of your yard. Here are free helpful tips on how to lessen you overall cost in landscaping.
Plan before you buy. Have your landscape design sketched before you buy any material you need. Knowing exactly what you need helps you in avoiding the risk of wasting your money. Make a good estimate on the amount of materials you need before you do the shopping.
Set up a budget and stick to it. Knowing how much you are willing to spend on your property will not only limit you to the possible type of landscape design but also keep you on target of your financial plan.
Hire a professional designer who will create the space according to your specifications and budget. It is actually cheaper than taking a risk of doing it on your own if you don’t really have the inclination of making a landscape design.
Landscape in phases. There are few people who can afford the cost of landscaping their whole property all at once. So if you are not one of them, divide your project into phases.
Devote your finances on a particular phase and move on the next if you have generated sufficient money. Evaluate your plan after every phase and make adjustments if necessary. After all it is nice to have a project to look forward to in the future.
Talk to a pro. Hiring a designer or a landscaping architect to develop the whole project may not be necessary if you can just talk to them for consultation. An hour-long consultation will just cost for about $50-$100.
Shop around. There are one-stop shops for landscaping needs but it does not mean that you have to settle with one particular store. Visit other stores. Not only it will allow you to see other possibilities on the type of materials you can buy, you can also compare prices which will definitely yield to better savings later on.
If you, however, decide to buy your landscaping needs from one store, ask for discount. You may or may not get one but you have nothing to lose if you ask.
Time your purchase. When to make your purchase is as important as to where to buy. There are plants that are cheaper during winter and there are those that are cheaper during summer. Take note that the prices of shrubs, plants, trees, and even soils and rocks are constantly fluctuating depending on the time.
Know where the price is low and you will surely get the maximum savings you need. Also, newly released plant varieties often have higher prices because of high demand. Don’t rush and buy these. Wait until the production catches up and the price lowers down before making a purchase.
Settle for cheaper supplies when they are good enough. Why pay more for a top-of-the-line and expensive landscaping supply if you can get one that is cheaper with almost the same quality?
Put quality over the price. You may get a great plant or shrubs at a cheaper price but it cheaper is not always better. Do not assume that you can always get a great deal when you pay less. As the saying goes, “you get what you pay for.” Consider maintenance and other value-added factors when buying any landscaping supply.