The Most Critical Factor in a Successful Landscape Project

Even a very basic starter landscape is going to be comprised of several different types of plants and ground cover material. In addition, the plants can have different water requirements which can impact the irrigation system in its design as well as the type of controller that best meets all of your needs. With this in mind, clearly the most critical first step in any landscape project is to create a design for the overall scope of work to be completed. And to be even more efficient and well prepared, it is best to create an entire long term plan for your yard even if the projects will be completed in phases and not all at one time.

Having a master plan is going to serve several purposes and provide you with many benefits:

1. The master plan will allow you to create a theme for your yard and be certain that even if projects are completed in phased, the entire yard is cohesive. Much like furnishing a new home, you select a color scheme and style for the furnishings and then add to the look as you find appropriate pieces and as your budget allows. This is the same process used in landscape to be sure that your yard feels like one continuous living space and not a bunch of choppy projects that you have assembled over time.
2. In addition, a master plan allows you to create sections of the project and include important items for future projects such as future irrigation piping and wiring or electrical stubs for future expansion. With these future pieces in place you will be able to extend the needed implements into your new project areas without having to destroy existing or completed projects by trenching in wire of piping.
3. Having a long term master plan will save you both time and money over the course of your entire landscape project. You will not be wasting time extending irrigation, electrical lines or other services through completed areas and then having to repair the damage that you created. You dig a trench once, install the current piping and the future piping and then you are done with that trench, forever. And though it might not sound like much of an expense, repairing damaged sod or re-rocking a trench usually required the purchase of additional materials even if you are only topdressing the area. So do the work once, pay for materials once and know that an area is completed and will not need to be disturbed.
4. Finally, having a complete plan for your full outdoor living space allows you to evaluate the flow and function of the space as a whole. And it also allows you to consider how the entire area will function in the future. Plants grow and needs change so it is important to think about how your outdoor living space will function in 5 years and even in 10 years. You might have initially wanted a lawn area next to your patio for pets and small children to play. But in 5 years will you still want that grass there or is that where you are planning a pool? Or maybe you are planning a pool close to your house. But what happens in a few years when you want to add an additional outdoor living space and outdoor kitchen? Will you really want to carry food through the pool area to get to the BBQ area? A complete plan will let you consider all of the aspects that you hope to include in your future outdoor space and see how they will work together to provide you with the most enjoyment.

Investing a little bit of time to plan and research the features that you hope to someday have in your outdoor living area will not only save you money but it will also save you the frustration of having to demolish completed projects to make way for new features. Contact the UNIQUE design team today to schedule an appointment to begin planning your perfect outdoor living space. The team of designers can help you to determine which features are important to your dream backyard and can even tell you about options that you didn’t know existed like a private Lazy River or a sunken trampoline pit.